Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-22
SET HERSELF AFIRE.
She Said She Would, and
WOman-Like She Did.
SOAKED WITH CARBON OIL.
Mrs, Crayley offered Herself Up as a
Household Sacrifice.
AN UNCLEAN WINDOW SHUTTER
The Cause of This Most Remarkable At
tempt at Suicide.
AN UNCLEAN WINDOW SHUTTER
HER HUSBAND GLAD OF WITNESSES

A window shutter as cause of domestic
warfare, ending in deliberate attempt at
suicide, is rather unprecedented, yet it has
come into prominence in that capacity
within the last "a hours. Mrs. Leua Cray
ley. living in the third story of 252S Penn
avenue, yesterday entertained her sisters
little girl and toward evening saw her
guest home, after which it is supposed she
obtained some stimulants, according to the
statements of the people from whom she
rented her apartments, and her husband.
When she returned from her visit, about
6P.M., she was seized with houSe-cleaning
paroxvsm and took down the window shut
tiers of her rooms to wash them and gener-
ally clean up. Her husband, who is a
boiler-maker in Ritter 6 Conley's shop, and
is about 35 wears of age, returned nome at
his usual time. The rest of the story is told
by Mrs. Henry Smith, whose husband keeps
grocery store on the ground floor of the
building, and is the landlord of the Cray
leys.
Mrs. Smith said: "Shortly after he came
home heard him speaking somewhat loud
ly and be came downstairs into the hall.
He said There is something wrong about
my wife Has she been outto-day? She
acts Gs if she was Izy or had been drink
ing, or something L can't make out what
she is after. >"
THREATENING CARBoNICIDE.
"Just then Mrs. Crayley came down the
stairs part way and shouted: SO you have
told Mrs. Smith, have you? Well, then,
will set fire to myself Just as she said
this she struck a match and placed it to her
dress in front of her bosom. The dress i'm
mediately blazed up, and Mr.. Orayley was
struck as with paralysis. He could not
move, but stood looking at his wife blazing
away up on the stairs. She started to come
down, and 1 ran as fast as l could and tried
to put the fire out with my apron, she
screaming at the time as loudly as she could.
The apron was not heavy enough to quench
the flame, and nv son Charley ran to her
rescue and commenced to tear the clothes
from her, while 1 closed the door
leading from the hall to the store,
to prevent any of the burning fragments
gettin,, near our oil tank, which, if it caught,
would have burned the house down.
81 never knew of the couple having any
quarrels, nor did know that Mrs. Crayley
l.
was very curious that a woman who has no
children and all day long to herself should
take down her window shutters to wash
them at o'clock in the evening. Mr.. Cray
ley told me she said if he did not carry those
shutters down to be washed she would set
fire to herself. They have lived in
nv house since last June and have
always been well behaved and quiet"
Charles Smith, lad of about Is years,
whose right hand was very severely burned
BY his efforts to save the life of the unfortu-
nate woman, said he was afraid his mother
would set fire to herself in trying to e1t1n-
guish the clothes of Mrs. Craylev and pushed
her away He grasped the burning woman's
dress at the neck and tore it down the front
to get the flames away and prevent her in
hsling the fire. He ripped the clothing
right and left, but the woman sank to the
ground while he did so, and was fearfulIv
burned about the breast, arms, neck and
face, the skin peeling of in large pieces and
the horrible smell of charred flesh sicken-
ing him while he worked.
MR.. CRAYLEY's PRESENCE OF MIND.
When he got through and carried the
woman to a lounge he came downstairs and
the first remark made by Frank Crayley, the
husband, was: "It is a good thing she set
fire to herself before you and you heard her
say SO. If she had done so up in our room
while was there people would say that
did it.
This peculiar remark excited no comment
at the time, as Drs Miller and Green, who |
had been sent for, arrived Just then and |
pronounced it very doubtful whether the |
woman would live or not. They advised |
her immediate removal to the West Penn |
Hospital, which was done, her husband &C. |
companying her.
Mr. Crayley said that he had no idea his |
wife had been drinking when be returned |
to his home, but proceeded as usual to pre-
pare for supper, when she told him to carry |
the shutters downstairs to be washed. He |
told her to put them back in their places, as |
this was no time TO do such things. She |
then began to scold, and said if l did not do |
as she told me she would kill herself. This |
1 regarded as simply threat made in pas
sion such as she had often made before, and |
it was not until smelled the carbon oil |
strongly that suspected she had been tax |
ing something to drink and wanted to |
frighten me. I went downstairs to ask |
Mrs. Smith what my wife had been doing, |
when she came downstairs after me and bet |
herself on fire."
LITTLE HOPES OF RECOVERY.
The unfortunate victim of her own temper |
or Of family quarrel was still unconscious
at the hospital at midnight, and the hospital
officials have but little hopes of her recov-
cry. There is no sign yet OF collapse, but,
as in other cases, it may occur at the most |
unexpected moment. The case according to
the statement of the people living in the
neighborhood, is considered mysterious
owing to the disparity in the ages OF the
couple, together with the fact that Mrs.
Crayley was thought to be 'hot-tempered.
JealouslY is alleged as the cause of the
attempt at suicide. She had emptied
two gallons of oil over her clothing. pour
ing it from the neck of the can down her
person. 1t permeated all her clothing, and
her bosom is one mass of charred and
scorched flesh sickening to behold. Her
arms are fearfully blistered, and her hair
shriveled up with the flames kindled by
her own hand. 1t is one of the most pc
culiar attempts at suicide in the history of
such cases in Allegheny county, and the
trivial cause alleged is regarded as adding
to the mystery surrounding the case.