The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-24
AN INFATUATED GIRL
Attempts Suicide at Police Head
quarters in Cincinnati.
She Coolly Swallows Arsenic and Then Informs
Those Around Her That She Did So.
She Was Spoil Child.

II have taken that powder l was telling
you about, and l guess I'll die pretty soon"
The person who uttered these words yes
terday was young girl OF retty features,
who sat lesurely tanning herself in the Of
fee of Chief of Detectives Hazen at police
headquarters.
They were spoken in cool and unstudied
manner, and the speaker continued to fan
herself rs she looked calmly at the surprised
old Chief, who had fastened his eyes upon
her as if to divine from her countenauce
whether or not she had told the truth.
You can lock all you want to; have
taken the powder and that's all there is to
it, There's the paper | have been chew
ing" continued the girl, as she kicked with
her toe PUPPY wad that lay at her feet.
There vas still the same calmness in her
tones, and she smiled when the veteran
pleasantly remarked:
well, please don't die around here,
young lady"
NO ONE BELIEVED
That she had taken any powder, and she
was allowed to remain seated in the Office
for fully half an hour afterward. Theu she
began to exhibit symptoms Of sickness. Be-
coming alarmed, Colonel Hazen asked:
"What was in that paper"
Arsenic; l bought it last summer to
take" was the prompt reply. Selling the
wad OF paper, Detective Witte went to
Wells pharmacy at Fourth street and Gen.
trail avenue and showed it to the proprietor,
asking him if he knew the substance con-
tanned in it, MIR. Wells could not, but ven
tured the opinion that 1t was harmless. Be-
lieving that the girl, who was disposed to
levity, was trickng the officers, they took
no further action for about ten minutes. AT
this mint she DGpaQ TO pXDpctOTatp SHINY
saliva in large quantities. Colonel HaZen,
now thoroughly dsabused of the idea that
she was joking, ordered a patrol wagon
called to remove her TO the City Hospital.
THE GIRL BRIDLED Up
And declared that she could walk. Detec-
tive Wtte WAS assigned 10 escort her to the
Institution, but at Sixth ard Central
avenue she became weak and began 10
reich violently, necessitatng the compile
ton of the journey in the wagon. at the
hospital, while the surgeons were preparing
the stomach-pump. she declared dramatl-
caliy: | will not tell VINO brought me
here or gave me The money to come. Dr.
Orr is innocent; SO is the man in Indian
ap0liS. | am going TO die"
Ten minutes later she was pumped out
dry, and, apparently, was on the road to re-
coyery, as but little of the poison, (which
proved to be arsenic, as she stated. had
been absorbed.
Tie girl is Fife Jewett, the seventeen
year-old daughter Of wealthy couple liv-
ing in Greensburg, 1nd. For years she has
been of an ultra-lively disposition and is
possessed with the intatuation of the stage,
believing that she is destined to be a great
actress. So imbued with this idea is she
that her every action savUrs OF the foot
lights, and her every position is 4 careful
pose. Three times she has run away from
home, being captured the last time In Al
bany, y. y, where she had made an engage
ment to become the leading lady Of q band
of transformers, In every case she has
been followed by her mother, who is de-
voted to her warmly and lavisheS every
kindness upon her In fact to put it shortly,
SHE IS a SPOILED CHILD.
Last Monday she made her third dash to
become famous. On that day she was driven
to New point, station eight miles from
GreenSburg, by ayoung man whose Identity
she will not reveal. Coming 10 this city on
an afternoon train she went to the Windsor
House, at Fifth and Race streets, and reg
istered as Flora Mcdonald. Staying over
night she soaped her beautiful curly hair in
order to make 1t straight and thus conceal
in par: her identity. She lndited a wild
note 10 DR.. Robert Orr, young physician
of this city, asking him to call upon her at
once ''for Gods sake" DR.. Orr is native
of Greensburg and Knows her family well.
He did not, however, receive the note until
late in the day. In the morning he was
asked TO come to police headquarters, as
the ,Jewett family believed that he might
run across the girl. He had not seen her at
that time, but as soon as he received the
note he turned it over to Detective Joe
Wappensten, who traced the runaway To
Mrs. Williams home, 126 Walnut street,
where she had secured a room, and took
her to police headquarters.
HERE FOR AN HOUR
She amused the officers by her tragic man.
ners and grandioQaent declarations that
she would not return home. She especially
provoked smiles when she described the
scene that would ensue when her mother
would arrive.
"She will gush and carry ON and make me
tired" said she, fippantly. The officers
endeavored to worm from her who had as
sisted her in her flight. but she refused to
divulge the secret. ln this conversation she
informed Colonel H"Zen that she had
powder she would take ii the worst came
TO the worst. When the Chief loosely in
Limated that she would be searched she de-
clared it was only box Of face powder she
had.
Finally some one informed her that DR..
Orr had been held as an accomplce in the
matter. She at once assumed tragic atti-
tude and declared that she had been the
cause Of his misfortune, saying that she
would rather lose her right hand than have
it happen. A few moments later she buried
her face in her handkerchief
AS IF TO WEEP.
In reality she conveyed the poison to her
N outh and swallowed 1t, paper and all,
save small portion.
There we're half dozen people in the
room at the time, including an Enquirer re-
porter, but no one had the least idea of the
act she was committing.
The girls mother arrived at police head