Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-04-29
THE WOODWARD TRAGEDY.
Letter and Will Of the Suicide-Mrs
Woodward's Anti-Mortem Statement.

The following letter was found on the
person of DR.. Woodward, who committed
suicide at 1887 Mission street, San Fran
cisco, Thursday morning, after having at
tempted to kill Mrs. Mary Woodward, his
mistress:
My Dear Mollie / have just got through with
your letter. You have said the word, go good-by
will not call on you again without you come 10
me. 1t is not in my power to do what you ask me
to. cannot do so. / called at five and then went
to dinner thinking the matter over. When came
back found your hat on the bed and some of your
clothes. / put them back in their place. You
ought to lock up your room when you go out. All
| ask is for you TO leave me alone. will never
bother you without you compel me to. Come to
see me If can ever be of any service to you. You
know where to find me. | hope you will take care
Of yourself. Do 3d. it, as you say, you love me bet
ter than any man on this earth Do not refuse the
favor | ask you to give me something to remember
you by
So good. by, and farewell forever, without you
come to see me. / am as ever, EDDIE.
Following is the will made by the de-
ceased and dated the day before his sui
eide:
LEN Woodward, do make this my last will
| and testament. / do give and bequeath to my
mother 81 600 which is in my desk in the bank,
and which IS TO be invested in real estate or first
mortgage bonds. The furniture in my Office at No.
920 Market street is to be sold at auction, and my
dental instruments sold o the best advantage. The
money realized from the accounts collected are to be
applied to my funeral expense and that OF my Mistress
| Mary Brooks Woodward. Should she die before me,
or within month after my decease desire that
she be buried with me, as loved her in my life and
wish her with me in death. want MIR. Starr to take
charge of my effects and carry out my instructions
There were several small bequests to
relatives. On another sheet of paper was
| found list of the accounts, representing
| 1f econ The x,o1ua ~ he
estate is about 50, 900.
| Mrs. Woodward, who is still at the City
Receiving Hospital, is the daughter of
Joseph Brooks, once well do member
of prominent mercantile firm in this city.
Between ten and eleven years ago she mar
ried young man named George Wood
ward, from whom she separated several
years ago, taking the children under her
| care.
DR.. Woodward, it since appears, was at
one time married to lady in the East, but
had been divorced from her few years age.
| At the City Receiving Hospital Mrs.
Woodward made an ante-mortcm state
ment in presence of Coroner Weeks and
Deputy Coroner Smith. She stated that
she had known DR.. Woodward about eight
months, and that last Friday he had come
to her room and had given her diamond
ring. He had then asked her to marry
him. He complained sometimes of not
having money enough to pay her bills. and
would not come to see her for several days.
Thursday morning he came to her room,
and after mentioning several bills of his
mother and sister, whom he had sent East
a few days ago, he said that he could not
live without her, and that his heart was
broken. He would not live without her,
and asked her for the ring he had given
her, that it might be buried with him in
his coffin. She gave him the ring, which
he put in his pocket. He then sprane
upon her, saying that her time had come,
and fired one shot, which she thinks must
have hit her, for she knows nothing Of
what transpired afterwards.
George Woodward, her husband, fol
lowed her to the City Receiving Hospital
but would say no more about the case thar
that his wife had been divorced from him
The exact course of the bullet that struck
Mrs. Woodward cannot be readily traced
but it is thought that the wound may moi
be fatal, although the chances are slightly
against her recovery.