The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-05-14
Weary of Life.
SUICIDE OF YOUNG GIRE.-FAREwELI
TO FRIENDS.

In the forenoon of Wednesday last
young girl, neatly at.ired, cameto the Viz
ginia Hotel and stated that she wished t
remain for one day. She asked the prize
and paid it, and the clerk registered her al
Miss Elite Kanupp, assigning her to room
"a on the second floor. She ate dinner, ant
IN the afternoon left the hotel and wa
gone for several hours. After tea SHIT
fingered in the parlor, from time to tint
nervously turning over the sheet music Or
the piano, and now and then passing out
to the end of the hall, where the stairs de-
scend to the ladies' entrance. 1t was ter
0 clock when the gentleman who occupied
the room adjoining "a, heard his neighbol
enter her room and begin pacing the room
as if in an excited frame of mind. The
gentleman then went to sleep. and about
Il o'clocksswas aroused bya violent cough
ing in "a. accompanied by sounds which
indicated strangling, or choking with
phlegm. How long it had continued be-
fore he aw oke is not known, but the par
oxism became so violent directly after
/ wards, that he was on the eve of ringing
for some one to see if anything was wrong,
when quiet was gradually restored, and he
went to sleep without giving any more
thought to the matter.
| AS the occupant of No. "a had left word
at the office that she did not wish to be
called in the morning, her absence from
! ha fal11 o,,%
About II o'clock. no sound having been
heard in her room and the blinds of the
window being closed, a servant knocked at
the door. but was unable to get any re-
Spouse. Two hours later, the fact being
reported to the proprietor, Mr.. Crowle,
himself accompanied by servant, went
to the door and knocked loudly. No an
swer was received, and thinking some
thing was wrong. the servant climbed to
the transom and looking through discerned
the girl lying in bed with her eyes closed.
From the expression he saw that she was
dead; and climbing over the door, I'M
locked it on the inside. and Mr.. Crowle
entered and found the corpse cold and
stiff.
He at once notified the authorities, and
Dr.. Geo. 5. Walker, the Coroner. who,
after examination found thai life was en-
tirely extinct. summoned the following
jury of inquest w A Burke, f. M. Young.
G. E. Haines. j. w. Splitter. Geo. Harlan
and NJ. B. Oberdorfer. Upon entering the
room the jury saw at once the cause of
death. On the bureau was Il 4 or. bottle
labeled Hchloroform, - with only the bot
tom of it covered with the anasthetic.
On the table near the bed, was the rem
nant of a whitish powder, clinging to the
rough surface of the brown paper. In the
centre of the bed, lying prone upon her
back, was the body of Elite Kanupp In
life the face must have been an attractive
one. The features were regular, and
rather relined. Half way down the fore
head mass OF dark, wavy hair was matted,
and the open mouth disclosed regular and
well kept teeth. To the bust, the body
was covered by a sheet, a single blanket
and a counterpart, and across the upper
PttL " VI pilC OOoOlii tllC IltuQO HClO tl,ubly
clenched, the intense compression of the
iterlacing fingers having cut off the cir
culation OF the blood, leaving deep black
rings about the nails and extending to the
first JOINT. On the left hand was a plain
gold ring. Above her hands, and just I'M
der the chin were a coarse handkerchief
and piece of cotton cloth, which had been
saturated with chloroform On the win
dow, in reach of the bed was another
handkerchief stained by what appeared to
have been expectoration with trace of
blood. Behind the door, the clothes she
had worn during the day, a dress of dark
material and underclothing, were thrown
carelessly on chair. ard in the recess of
closed door leading to an adjoining room,
were hung white muslin skirt and over
dress, and jaunty feathered hat. The
gown she had on was plain, with only a
rullie about the neck. Several letters in
sealed envelopes lay on the table, and on
the bureau was small quantity of whiten-
ing for the complexion. In the upper drawer
of the bureau was a corset, new pair of
shoes, some articles of underwear, and a
leather wrist satchel containing number
of letters, two badly executed tintypes Of
young people, whom none of the jury were
able to recognize. 81 20 in currency, and
various other little odds and ends. The
body was intensely rigid, the pronounced
discoloration about the neck indicating
decided congestion. From the position,
it would seem that she had held the satu-
rated cloths over her mouth and nose I'M
til consciousness was lost. when the hands
dropped on to her breast, the cloth falling
as they dropped.
After viewing the body the jury ad-
iourned to an adjoining room, and Dr.
Getzendanner was summoned to make a
post mortem examination. In the absence
of Commonwealth Attorney Echols,
Mayor Gordon conducted the investiga-
tion.
The first evidence adduced before the
jury was number of notes and letters
which proved the case to have been DELHI
crate suicide. There were several notes
written to a young man of Staunton,
urging him to come to the hotel and see
her, or tell her where she could meet him.
The replies were written across the face
Of the notes, and were to the same effect,
viz: that he could not see her except at
the depot.
One of the letters was written to the
same individual, and was farewell. 1t
charged him with having deserted her for
another girl, and urged him to meet her in
Heaven, whittier she said Jesus was
reckoning her. Farewell letters to her
mother and sisters and brother were also
found, clearly indicating her purpose to
take her life, exhorting them to meet her
in Heaven and dispesing of her scanty
effects. There was also letter to her in
mans handwriting, but with no sigma
ture, dated at Waynesboro, May 3D.. and
telling her to meet the writer at the JEFF
ferson House, in that town, on Saturday
night.
Only two witnesses were examined be.
fore the Jury. Mr.. W. M. Brown, a
clerk at Wayt & Bros. drug store, stated
that he recognized the bottle containing