The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-01
SEEKING PEACE In DEATH.
In Fear of Madness, Mrs. Marietta
G. johnson Ends Her Life
by Shooting Herself Through the Heart
After Elaborate Preparations for the
Deed-A elanchOly Story.


Mrs. Marietta Griffith johnson, the wife Of
Captain E. T. Johnson, committed suicide at her
home, No. 474 North Pennsylvania street, some
time during Wednesday night. The body how
ever, was not discovered until yesterday morn
ing after 9 o'clock. The circumstances of the
suicide are of rather an unusually distressing
nature.
I; is claimed that for several months Mrs.
Johnson has not been perfectly sound, men
! tally; that she has shown symptoms, periodic
ally, OF arrangement of mind rather alarming.
These evidences of insanity were. however.
only periodical, but with their recurrence, time
! after time they were sufficient TO cause aPpre-
tensions that she would ultimately entirely lose
her reason. She became melancholy, and the
| cloud which seemed to have settled over her mind
made her life one of distressing Eioominess.
She herself seems to have realized her condition.
aud the consciousness of it could not but have
an a%gravatiug effect. III letter to her nus
banG, who was then at Knoxville, Tenn, in Oo-
toDer, she limited at suicide as a means of ending
her trouble and in subsequent letters, in which
she seemed TO regar the prospect of her future
existence "A gloomy one, the IDEA of quietus
by self-destruction seems 10 have become fast -
ened upon her mind Between the two horrors
! of death and the mad-hOuse, she prefer red
death.
| A month ago Mrs Johnson returned to this
| city from Knoxville, Tenn whore sne had been
! spending the summer with her husband, VINO, in
his official work OF supervising pension exam
liner, was compelled to make his headquarters
| there. Their son, lad of fourteen years, in
spirit of bONlSh adventure, mad persuaded hls
parents to allow him to ride across the country
on horseback, ana started from Knoxville sew
| eral DAYS before his mother, reaching tins city
! about fifteen hours after she arrived. since Mrs.
| JOnlSOn'S return her friends ana ntlElDUrS lAO
| noticed nothing unusual in her manner or con
duct. During her stay in Knoxville. however,
! tits said that several times she manifested uu-
! mistakabe symptoms of mental arrangement.
On one occasion, after she had retired Mt night,
she arose ana raising second story window
seemed aim Ost in the act OF jumping out, hut
| hesitated and elaspiug her hands, knelt down,
She remained in this posture for several min
utes and then returned to he'd. Other Incidents
| tending to show that her mind at times was de-
ranged are related A proposition that she
should place herself under treatment seems to
The matter had been discussed BY
them, and, although Mr. Johnson
protested that his desire thar his wife should
! he treated only privately, she seems to have
| thought the intention was really to take her to
an asylum. In discussing he PROBABLE things
OF the future, it had been agreed that their husl-
ness affairs should be arranged IA much to The
On Thursday evening Mr.. Johnson arrived
in the CITY WITH Rey J; Ia B. Wake,
Mrs. Johnson from girlhood In the evening
the two called upOn ner and conference was
I held, when the residence property was decided
to young Griffith Johnson, and DR.. Wakefield
was appointed his trustee After DR.. Wakefield
left the suggestion was made hy Mr.. johnson,
| IN the course of his conversation With his wife,
| Jnat she should be placed under treatment for
mental disorder. Yes, L suppose that
means thai must go to an insane
effect that the suggestion had had he endeav
ored to pacify her by giving assurance that
nothing should be done which would dispeaSe
her, and it agreed that she should spend
the winter with relatives either at St. Louis or
near Richmond After this Mr. johnson re-
| turned TO the hotel, where he spent the night
Several times Mrs. johnson alluded, during the
conversation, to the proposition that she should
ne pIaerd under treatment ana sue seemed TO
doubt the assurance that no effort would be
made to do anything which she did not APP
prove.
Mrs johnson retired soon after her husband
left. Edward Griffith, her father eghtv-f0ur
the house at the time. Mrs. HendricksOn.
shortly afte: retiring heard noise which she
describes as sounding like the falling Of a plank,
but the matter was civep no special notice,
! 1t the custom of Mrs. Johnson to arise
rather early ard 10 awaken the other memb RS
of the family. Yesterday morning, however,
she failed to appear.
| Mrs. HendrcksOn arose shortly before
o'clock, and Mrs. JOhnson's absence mt breakfast
caused her TO institute q search OF the house
Going to her bedroom, she found that the bed
had not been Disturbed during the night, and the
attention of Mr.. Griffith, the aged father OF Mrs
johnson, called to the matter. Going into
Que o! the front rooms on the second floor, the
dead body of Mrs. Johnson found lying
| across a bed, with a revolver living by her side,
where it had dropped after she had shot herself
| through the heart Her gown had been scOrched
by the fire from the revolver. After retiring to
her room she had evidently made careful preDR-
ration for death. Her toilet had been carefully
! arrau Ged. The Bible lying open GU a char,
near the bed and it was evident that she had
been reading the l43d Psalm. A brief note. in
which the state of her mind at the time was re-
! vealed, was found near. The features
| were placid, aud death had evidently
| been instantaneous. 1t is believed that the
shot was fired about l l O'Clock. After the dis
| eOVery of the body the family called in Mrs
| Ia bott neighOOr. and soon after the coroner
WAS notified. Mr.. Johnson arrived at the house
| about 10 O'clock. he had not heard of the sui
eide. and was greatly distressed when, upon
! irving at the house, he learned what had hap
| pened.
The deceased was thirtv-seven years old
and was married to Captain Johnson in
| May, 1866, at Richmond, by Kew. J. b.
| Wakefield. Two children were horn to them;
| the one now living is Griffith. a boy
| fourteen years old Captain Il. T. John
| son ts a gentleman quite well known in Indiana.
He has practiced law In this city for number
| of years. and has been rather prominent po-
| litical speaker In late years his health has
been very bad. Last spring he was appointed
supervising examiner of pensions in the Tenne-
| see district, and has since been compelled to
make his headquarters at Knoxville, i'll that
| State, although retaining his residence in this
| city. The funeral of Mrs. Johnson will be held
| at , O'Clock this afternoon from the family resi-
dence. The services will be conducted by Dr.
| Wakefield.