Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-11-15

A Short time ago brief paragraph in
the morning papets told Of the soicide
of o young girl. Russian, by swallow
ing a tumbier of warm water In which
common matches had been soaked. The
fact itself Vas sufficiently dreadful in
its simple brevity. b1s IL was made more
terrible by the circumstances Of the
case. The girl. only eighteen. vas one
Of q party of Russian Socialists who
came TO this country les than . year
ago-6red With theoretical e1thusiasW
Expecting TO found community, and
IMAGINING that there Vas system OF
universal brotherhood which welcomed
all and found q place for all. Mi8 L
At houe was an object Of attention and
consideration. She had received . good
education, had begun to study medicine.
vas IN the possession 81 property ieft
by Der parents, bot vas somewhat ~
financially controlled By brother and
an aunt. who had made choiee Of h11t
band for her and othe1vise endeavoeed
to bind her viii and enforce their au-
thority. She came 70 this country, a.
shs said in her broken English, 70 havs
her free and to Say what Vas in her
mind" She was bright, intelligent, zen
tie in her ways and manners, lady-like
in appearance, and endowed With the
| keenest sense of honor and integrity.
She refused 70 b taken care Of BY Pro
lessor Felix Adler's society, because il
| would have made her q psnaiouer foI
the aumner without giving her the worh
che wanted. She finally obtained place
in a siik factory at $A50 per week, di.
viding this sum With some needy com
patriots who had not yet found work.
But hard living, insufficient food, and
the strain. of standing and tsndina
looms, to which she vas entirely unused
broke her down, and she became i'll and
unable TO 20 TO work. A soon a. sha
was able she sought for different en-
ployment, bat il vas summer and shf
vas unable to find il. For weeks she
walked MP and down the streets and
she presented herself at the house Of q
lady whom she had seen and Who had
| befriended her. She was worn almost
10 shadow; her face was deadly white
| it told its own story.
She received money for present need
| and took with her note which procured
her a place in asothsr factory, bat al
only g Der week, Git Is one OF the most
/ q
| respectable girl to find shelter in this
great city and, required TO vacate bel
| old room, miserable though it was, on
account of unpaid rent, she almost ex
hausted her last remaining strength IN
| finding another shelter where, for =
per week, she was permitted to hide bel
wretchedness and despair. The payment
Of her rent allowed her 81 per week fol
food, clothing and all the neoeeearies
Her few dollars Of debt appalled, her
and unreQuitsd love for one Of her owl
countrymen, which perhaps had influ'
enced her dreams Of Utopian future
had encountered its final deathbl0w-
and the brave but tender spirit of the
poor girl could stand no more. She had
not money to buy decent poison. With
her last penny she bought a box oil
matches and went to her Lodgings. She
could get no warm water that night, &C
she waited supperless till the morning
what night for young eighteen year
old girl to pass.-and then, obtaining q
tumbler of hot water, she soaked the
matches and drank it. She lay for ter
hours in mortal agony, while the fire
vas slowly eating ont her life. Their
she WAS removed TO Bellevue, ripped
open. sewed mp with Irvine, and buried
by three young men, two of her ooun
trymen and another, and these noble
fellows each took their whole week.
wages and paid the girls debt, that NJ
shadow might rect on her feir memory
Yet w. d. Howells can spread the small
woes of his profusely befriended ant
Petted heroine, who cannot cell q pic
ture without taking q coupe, over {