Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-28
.THE LAUDANUM ROUTE
MRS. JOHN WEST, OF HAST WHEELING
SUICIDES.
Drink Probably 3! the Bottom Of the fruubls-Ha
husband htcxicatsd-An Inquest Bed
By tie Coroner.

East wheeling yesterday 1urnlsned q
horrible example Of the baneful effects
OF beer and laudanum, when used to
excess.
Mrs. John West, formerly known as
Lii. Wilson, was the victim, and her hus-
band and another man, who was In the
house, were too drunk to feel any con-
Germ for the woman's condition before
death took her away from the orgies in
which they had been indulging.
West, who is coal miner, and his
wife, lived at the corner Of Alley Is and
Alley G, in East Wheeling. They were
both sadly afflicted with the bad habit
of drinking beer, and on Sundays they
usually spent the day buying beer In a
bucket and drinking it at home. Yester-
day they started in on their Sundays
carousal early in the morning, and at
10 o'clock Mrs. West was pretty we'll I'M
der the influence.
At about that hour little girl, living
in the neighborhood, saw Mrs. West
take small bottle and drink about half
the contents, which the child saw was a
dark colored liquid. The little girl
paid no particular attention to the mat
ter. but did tell others what she had
seen. The neighbors became alarmed
about it, and some Of them went to the
house, found West in half-drunken
stupor, lying OH the bed in a lower room
with the woman, and decided that beer
6< - ri n ~
About II o'clock the rumor
that woman had taken
laudanum reached police head
quarters, and Officers Terrell and Luz
kens, who had some business in that
part of the city made it part OF their
duties to look the matter up. They had
very little clue to go on, but after long
search found drunken woman in an
other house, and deciding that it was
the case In question dropped the search.
Later, Officer Carney obtained def
mite information as TO the woman's
whereabouts, and went to the house.
He was warned that West was drunk
and in quarrelsome humOr, and that
there would be trouble II he attempted
to enter the house. He found the doors
locked, but a side window was half
open, and he climbed in through IL.
West and the woman were both lying
on the bed, the former. quite drunk and
the latter in a comatose state. There
was a strong odor of laud anum in the
house and the woman was breathing
slowly and heavily.
Officer Carney shook and partially
reused her, but could not get her to rise.
She spoke, but did not seem to recog-
nize any one. He sent John Rich after
DR.. u Slor, in the meantime doing what
he could to rouse the woman and keep
her from sleeping soundly. Dick re-
turned after time and reported that
DR.. Taylor was not in his Office, but
was calling on a patient In East
Wheeling. An unsuccessful effort to
find him was made by several persons,
and finally, Officer Carney went on the
hunt of him, finding him about
o'clock.
When the officer left the woman she
seemed to be sinking, her breathing be-
ing laborious and her eyes standing
open and having the CLASSY look Of a
dying person. When he returned with
DR.. Taylor, the woman had ceased
breathing and life was extinct, death
having resulted from an over dose of lau-
daunum and heavy droughts of beer
upon the dose.
In her dress, two ounce vial about
half full of laudanum was found, indi-
eating that she had taken about one
ounce of the drug. Her husband was
too drunk to realize the situation OF
affairs when. she was dead, and Dick
Pugh was found in an upstairs room,
also In state of Intoxicatlon. Mrs.
West was about thirty-nine years old,
and had no children. An inquest was
held by Coroner Phillips, who rendered
q verdict In accordance with the facts.