St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-11
SUICIDE OF BELLE MAJORS.
Sick and Disappointed, in a Frenzy She
Takes Her Life.

Takes Her Life.
Miss Isabel c. Majors, who was
temporarily stopping at Geo. Burn
hams on Main street, was found un-
conscious in her bed on Thursday
morning, April 4, with an empty
phial marked chloroform in one hand
and sponge in the other. Another
empty phial unmarked, supposed to
have contained morphine, was also
found She remained in an uncon-
scious state until Friday morning
when she died. The physicians who
were called used antidotes and every
effort possible, but she never revived
sufficiently to swallow, and they
pronounced the cause of death to be
poisoning by some form of opium.
The young woman who thus took
her own life was born in Hartford.
Her father died when she was very
young. A dozen or more years ago
she lived for a time in this place with
| her mother and an older sister. Some
four years ago she returned to this
town which has since been her home
and where she has worked at her
trade, she being q most capable and
efficient dress-maker, going into the
best families in town in the practice
of her profession. Some two years
ago her mother died. Last Novem-
Der Miss Majors went to a cousins
at Keene, N H., with the understand
ing among her acquaintances here
that she was to be married to George
Hidden in December. For some rea-
son the marriage was delayed. A Sc
we're illness of fifteen weeks followed
from which Miss Majors had not
fully recovered when on last week
Wednesday she came to this place,
reaching here on the 4.35 train. She
called for George Hidden and he
visited her at George Burnham'
during the evening, seeing her with
the Burnham family, and leaving her
in a very excited state of mind late
in the evening. About three o'clock
that same night Miss Majors was
known to get up and go to closet
where her dress hung, and it is sup
posed she at that time got the fatal
drug which she brought from Keene,
from her dress pocket. When called
late in the morning she was found
unconscious, state from which she
never rallied.
Among Miss Majors effects was
found letter addressed to Mrs.
Burnham and another one to Walter
p. Smith, Judge of Probate. In the
letter to Mrs Burnham she attribut-
ed her trouble to George Hidden,
who, as she claimed, failed to fulfil
his promise to marry her. Her heart
was broken by his treatment and
she did not longer wish to live. Ac-
companying the letter to Judge
Smith was detailed statement of
all her effects-money, jewelry, cloth
ing, etc, and how she wished them
disposed of She had 5000 in the
Passumpsic savings bank and about
500 on her person. She had a good
wardrobe, a diamond ring and other
rings, gold watch, etc, every arti-
Gle being described and its destina-
ton desi ignated. This list was made
out in January but the letter accom-
panying it was written at keene,
April 2, and the chlOroform phial
had keene label, all indicating that
the suicide was premeditated.
The public could better understand
the condition of mind Miss Majors
was in during the last months of her
life if they could see the letters she
wrote to intimate friends here while
she was at Keene. Some of them
are most pathetic, all very pitiful.
They are important as showing
the great trouble of mind she was in
because, as she claimed, the marriage
with Mr.. Hidden was not consum-
mated. In very long letter dated
the first week in January this trouble
was the entire theme. After speak
ing of the engagement and non-fulfil-
ment of marriage, and how she gave
up her rooms and work at ST. Johns
l,IcS s1,a
have no confidence in him. II
certainly believe this trouble will in
the end cause my DEATH" In a few
lines written in bed the second week
in January she said she was very i'll
and the sickness was owing to
trouble of mind at Hidden's treat
ment The second week in February,
when just beginning to sit up, she
wrote, "H's dishonorable treatment
has caused all my sufferings. l have
no wish to live" Under date of
March % she wrote pitiful letter
to a very dear lady friend in this
town in which were these sentences:
Il have cried so much my strength is
all gone. He will not tell me when
we are to be married, if ever The
night before left st. ]. he told me it
should be the last of January sure.
You know he took me down to his !
house and we made all calculations
for housekeeping. Just think to the
extent this matter has been carried. !
Do you wonder it is wearing me
out? | wrote him and asked if he |