The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-04-21
AN UNTIMELY ENDING.
L0TTlE HOWELL, A VICTIM TO DRINK,
is PUT IN THE CITY JAIL.
She Is Found Dead, and in Terrible State. The
Jury's Verdict, Death From Natural
Causes.

Early this morning the city jailer
on entering the women's room at the
jail'to give Lottie Howell alias Monroe,
her breakfast, was struck with the
silence. She lay still-perfectly still.
He touched and called her, but to no
purpose, she was dead. A jury was
quickly cmpaneled before Justice
Adam, and the following was the evil
dence given:
William Bitters being sworn, said:
am the city jailer. This morning
when / went to give her her breakfast
she was in the same position as seen by
the jury. l called her to eat her break
fast while 1t was warm, thinking she
was asleep. She gave me no answer,
so / shook her and found she was dead.
She was put In last Saturday. / don't
know the exact time, but think 1t was in
the evening. / was not there. Tom
Rife is the man who put her in. Yes
terday morning Is the last time j saw
her alive. She did not complain. She
was walking around the cell. She has
been there very often. She is generally
put in Jail for vagrancy. On Sunday
prisoners get two meals. When
Joe NUM- tOOh utI HeI supper
she was alive. / only go once
days / go there three times. l don't
know how old she is. After found her
dead told officer Martinez. was there
when DIR. Braunnagel came. He said
she was dead. 1t was after $ O'Clock
when the doctor examined her.
Rhode Thomas stated as follows: /
know her name is Lottie Monroe. have
known her about seven years. She mar
ried man named Preston Howell, who
was sent to Huntsville three weeks ago
from San Marcos for horse stealing.
After she heard he was convicted she
drank very hard and became crazy. |
saw her the last time Saturday at !
O'Clock. when she came to my house and
went asleep on the bed, when Officer
Westmoreland came for her. She has
been complaining of being sick ever
since she was put in Jail for lunacy.
She was drunk when Westmoreland
came for her. She was in the habit of
drinking. She came from the Cherokee
nation and is a Cherokee Indian. She
has only trunk, few clothes and a
quilt. / never heard her say she would
commit suicide. She always said that
when she died God would take her, MS
she would never kill herself
officer Westmoreland being sworn,
said / am a city policeman. She
was drunk Saturday between II and |.
was called upon to arrest her by'some
old woman whose washing she had
taken. The old woman said she would
make an affidavit against her for theft,
but she was drunk and only charged
with drunkenness. Her pockets were
searched and nothing found In them.
She has been several times in the lookup
for drunkenness within the last three
months. / understand she was subject
to spasms-whisky spasms, suppose.
Joseph Kohr being sworn, deposed 4:
l am night clerk at the police head
quarters. The deceased sometimes
called herself Lottie Monroe and Mary
Howell. The last time / saw her alive
was between 6 and O'Clock yesterday
evening. She then said she did not want
any supper. l passed around the jail
about midnight, but did not notice her
particularly, and did not notice whether
she was asleep or dead. She was brought
in about three weeks ago by Officer
Doebbler, when she was very crazy from
liquor. | don't know how old she was,
about Is or 80 years old. i have known
her for about four years. She has been
in there very often for vagrancy and
drunkenness. She was drunk when she
was brought in. Yesterday she was
sober.
The jury returned verdict Of death
from unknown, but apparently natural,
causes while under arrest and confine-
ment in the city Jail.