Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-06-29
PLUNGED TO HER DEATH.
A Pioneer and Prominent Woman of
Salem Found Dead Sunday
Morning.

Sunday morning the city was
startled with the sad Intelligence
that Mrs. l. N. Gilbert had been
found dead in ner house.
She was last seen alive in the citv
by Mrs. A. A. Wheeler, of Liberty
street, with whom she returned
from committee meeting at Hotel
Willamette, in connection with the
States celebration, where these two
ladies served on the Indiana delega-
tion.
About six O'Clock her little grand
son, Ralph Scott, who had arrived
but the Friday before, got up and
began to call for her. Getting no
answer lie went down stairs and
found her lying at the bottom life
less. More than cTazed with ex-
element, the little fellow ran to Mr..
VIM. England's, several blocks
away, awakening the family with
his cries.
Mrs. VIM. England was the first
person to reach the residence of Mrs.
Gilbert at the corner of Front and
Marion streets, at about Z o'clock
Sunday morning. Her first inn
preston was that her sister had been
murdered. Her nose was broken,
there were some drops of blood on
the floor, and her face and limbs
were turned almost black. The
body was not bruised much and she
seemed to have stepped off the top
of the steps and went TO the bottom
with one plunge, striking her head
against the front door, smashing the
left side of her face terribly. The
fright to Mrs. Engl md was terrific
as she recognized in the ghastly
bloody corpse her sister. She at
once went to the door and called to
the first person that there was a
woman murdered in the house, and
to get.the first doctor he could find.
DIR. Henderson came and he called
DR.. Jessup, who with Geo. H, Bur
nett and others examined the body
of Mrs. Gilbert and found life had
been had been extinct for hours and
the body perfectly cold and stiff,
except the head which hung loose
and the neck was evidently dislocat-
ed Immediately next the skull.
A coroner's inquest was not held,
as it was perfectly evident she had
plunged to her death from the top
of the stairs, which were steep and
not very wide. An undertaken was at
once summoned and the relatives
and friends in the city notified of
the awful accident. The news
soon spread and the tolling of the
Congregational bell about s o'clock
told all that one of that society had
departed this life.
A LOOK UPSTAIRS
showed the rooms as Mrs. Gilbert
left them to take the last steps of
her life. She had evidently retired
and arisen in the course of the night
to go to the bedside of her grandson,
VIII had severe cold and there.
were setting on the table at his bed
the usual preventives. There was
no lamp burning in either of the
rooms, but one was set on the floor
in the corner Of the passage way
from her room to the boys. The
boys room was right at the head |
of the stairs, opening off the passage.
AT right-angles to the door to Mrs. |
Gilbert's room a door enters the
front room. The only rational
theory of the accident is that Mrs.
Gilbert went in the night to the
boys room and in returning by the
dim light of the shaded lamp turned
low, she did not turn, but walked
straight out of the boys room of
the top step and plunged to her
death. Mrs. Gilbert was not
troubled with heart disease,
The bed was just as she left it,
with the clothes thrown back, her
watch was under her pillow and
iewelry and valuables undisturbed.
Mrs. Gilbert leayes considerable
property but ii is not known that
she made will.
BIOGRAPHY.
Mrs. Marietta Stanton Gilbert was
born in La Porte, Ind, Jan. 20, 1885,