The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-10
the 1st of August, has been called, at 10 o'clock
this morning, at the Office of Drs Brayton and
Ferguson, No 10 West Ohio street.
A LOVE TRAGEDY.
Suicide ola Lady Who Had Quarreled with
Her Lover-Contributing Causes.


fondness and devotion of young lovers, closed
with suicide yesterday. Miss Robena Black,
seventeen years of years of age, and Turner Bot
tom, few years older, had for some time ex-
changed tokens of affection. 1t is not known
that any definite engagement existed, but their
affection for each other promised marriage. An
oficious person or two carried to Turner certain
stories of a trivial character, bat enough to
arouse his anger. An eStrangement
| occurred between him and Miss Robena,
which she regarded as final since. Last
Friday evening she returned to him
ring he had given her. Saturday afternoon
Miss Black though always of cheerful tempera-
| ment was unusually mirthfuL Seemingly the
| affair with her lover did not weigh pressingly
upon her Taking cold bath she dressed for
the street, and through the intense heat went
down town. About o'clock she returned to her
| brother in laws, William Griffin, No. 9S Yandes
street, with whom she and her mother have
been stopping for week or so. She was under
some cause of nervous excitement her laughter
and talk being unnatural, but no particular at
tention was given it, as she otherwise
gave no symptoms of disorder. Eating
a hearty supper Miss Black went to the well,
drank freely and then passed to the front porch.
She sat there a few minutes, again went after
water, and returning, stood at the front gate
In about ten minutes she, this time with her
little niece, again sought the well, which caused
Mrs Griffin to follow and ask her about drink
| ing so much water. Miss Black replied, II don't
know when | ever thirs ty."
Mrs. Griffin noticing the increasing excitement
Of the young lady, persuaded her to go into the
house, where her heavy breathing and wild
actions became go pronounced that DR.. Elder was
| summoned. Miss Black was put to bed and the
Doctor coming diagnosed the case as hysteria. He
followed by decrease of the young lady
mauiacal condition
Keep quiet" said the Doctor, ''or will have
to give you stronger injections"
lady, eff you will only send for Turner. l want
him here" And thus crying for her lover, the
hysterla continued until about 10 o'clock, when
some signs of quietness appearing, the Doctor
left expecting no ill-results He had been gone
about half an hour when Mrs Griffin asked her
little daughter, What was Todd writing in the
front room this evening""
''She wrote letter, mamma, and put it in
her pocket"
The lady at once searched Miss Blacks dress.
and found in it's pocket a short note to her
mother, and between two and half and three
grains of morphine. The morphine revealed the
secret of the sufferers distress. and the note
confirmed it. In this the young lady directed
Bottom had given her, as we'll as one or two
| articles she had received from a young gentle
man in Gwinyille, Ind. These articles she
wished returned to the eivers. The note closed
with. Forgive me, mother, If you can for
what l have done" In hot haste Mr..
Griffin went to DR.. Elder. and told him
Of the discovery. He thought that she had not
taken enough of the drug to cause death, and
considered the case as one only of extreme mani
acal excitement, accelerated by the cold bath and
long exposure to the sun. About 1 o'clock yes
terday morning the sufferer showed no signs Of
improvement. DR.. Woolen was called in. He
reached the bedside few minutes before 2
o'clock, and found that Miss Black had passed
beyond all help, although he applied the strong
est restoratives, resorting even to artificial
respiration. She died two hours afterwards
When DR.. Elder saw the lady
the usual symptoms of morphine
poisoning were wanting: She appeared to be
controlled altogether by hysteria, which, D r.
Woollen thinks, acted as check to the NOR
phine's effect She had bought twenty five
cents worth Of the poison at William Haag's
drug store. on Massachusetts avenue, about ten
grains, and took all of it, except the few grains
found in her pocket What she swallowed"
said DR.. Woolen. was enough to kill three
persons under ordinary conditions"
1t is thought that Saturday afternoon Miss
Black and Turner Bottom met down street. and
the result of that conversation, added to the
naturally excitable condition of the young lady
at the time, drove her to suicide. She was a
young lady of very attractive manner and ply