Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-15
TWO OF THE SISTERS.

Ga Saturday evening two ladies dressed
in deep mourning came to the VINDICA-
TOR office. They were two of the sisters
of Ettle-Mrs. M. P. Clifton. the MET
tie' to whom the deceased sent dying mes
sages, and LAME" the sister who was SO
fiercely charged in the last letter OF the
deceased with having caused her death by
winning the affections of her lover. Both
women were remarkably handsome, and
quite justified the statement of neighbor
who said at the inquest that Elite was
one of ''the handsomest five sisters the
county ever had" LAME, the alleged
cause of the tragedy, is a perfect blonde,
about twenty years old, aud Mettie has
tall, commanding fl CURE and face strong
ly resembling the beauty Of her dead SIS
ter. Their visit was to bring the follow
ing
STATEMENT OF LAME,
which had been written with view Of
justifying her against the charges made
in the last letter of Elite:
Editor Vindicator.
wish you would please correct the mis-
takes which were published in your paper con-
corning the suicide of Elite Kanepp of
Churchville.
First: It is a mistake that Noah Kanopp
took his daughter LAME to Staunton in De-
cember; he never took her to Staunton in his
life.
Second: 1t is not SO that she killed herself
on account of LAME and George. When La
ME was in Urbana, Maryland, more than a
year ago and before she was acquainted with
George, she wrote this to Elite: ''Ettie be
careful about that George. He came from
this place understand, and I will tell you all
about him when 1 come home" This was
written from Maryland to Elite at Churchville.
Elite did not commit suicide for love. It was
from other causes. She said before she left
home that she would kill herself.
LAME KANoPP,
MRS M. P CLIFTON
In reply to questions the two sisters
gave the following account of what they
knew concerning the death of Elite. 1t
was given by both, often speaking at once,
but chiefly by LAME:
STATEMENT OF THE TWO SISTERS.
''Ettie was only nineteen, being year
younger than LAME. She had had some
education at the neighboring country pub
lie school. She could sew very we'll and
often had work to do in families. She
and father never got along we'll together
for both had high tempers. Not long ago,
father took some of her letters out of the
post office and opened them and kept
them. 1t made her very angry.
zone day father changed his coat and
came to town. She searched the coat he
had left behind and found her letters. At
the same time she found in fathers pocket
package of strychnine which he had got
ten to kill rats. She took it out and put
it in her wrist satchel. She had then gone
to stay at Mettie's. That is the way she
came to have strych hine. After she got
the letters she said several times: 1--WE
got my letters and now 1 am ready to
die" She once or twice said to Mettie j:
'I'll bet you, you don't know what I've
got in this satchel ~
"Last Wednesday morning she made
ready to go on the cars. She was staying
at Mettie's, about two miles from Buffa-
10 Gap depot. She appeared to be in gay
spirits. She divided out all her dresses
and other clothing between me and Met
tie, and gave US one each of her pair of
gold bracelets. She even gave her bed
away. She took the plainest dress she had,
and with it a white wrapper. She said
she was going to stop in Staunton at the
American Hotel (she didn't know that
hotel had been closed) and said that after
she got to the hotel she would dress her
self in white. She spoke a good deal about
her dressing, and said: "Where am 60
ing won't need much dressing. Any
body that wants my things can send to
the hotel in Staunton and get them.
''She babe Mettie good bye and started
with me (Lanie) and two colored girls 20
the Buffalo Gap depot. She was in high
spirits while walking there, and was
laughing and talking, but more than eth
er was singing favorite song of hers
hOlilC hdliluS. aS VIZ HGdF6Q
the depot she told me not to forget to tell
Ed. Edgar Joseph to whom one of her
last letters was addressed) that the ''last
thing you heard me sing was Molle Darl-
ing, and tell him that am sorry I could
not keep my appointment with him. D
When the cars came and she got in,
reached her some flowers I had in my
hand, and she remarked, 81 do wish you
were going along" She waved her hand
kerchief to me as long as the cars were in
sight.
Il felt sure from all she had said that
she intended to kill herself, and when l
got back to Mettie's we talked about it
and both thought so. l told George,
(another sister, I was sure we would hear
of Elites death before tomorrow night
Some time before this, she had bought
complete white suit, saying to Matte Il
am going to use this suit to lay myself out
in before de-" This intention she car
ried out faithfully at the hotel. She had
changed all her clothing and put her 9TH
er underwear in the bureau, and the white
kid gloves that she put in the top drawer