The morning call., 1891-05-25
DESPONDENT AND FORLORN.
A Once Affiuent Belle Ends Her Troubles
w Suicide.

Once Affluent Belle Ends Her Troubles
by Suicide.
just beyond the city limits Of Baltimore,
Md, nestled among the trees in a pictur-
esque hamlet known as PikeviIle, there
stands the quaint old home of the Pike fam
lily, says New York dispatch to the New
Orleans Times-DemOcrat. 1t is beautiful
spot. and the building is attractive even at
this day, although it has stood the storms
of over Il century.
Could those old walls speak they would
tell tales of the old family that lived there
so many generations, of the sp!endors of
their entertainments, Of the hundreds of
slaves who stood ever ready to answer the
beck and call Of their master. Of the beauti-
full women who called that place their
home, and, finally, how, when the war
came, the fortune of the last representative
of the Pike family was swept away, and the
old home and its beautiful grounds passed
into other hands.
In ante bellum days the Pike family
stood at the top of the social ladder. The
Misses Caroline and SippOrah Pike were
the bellies of the neighbOrhood. Suitors
from far and near sought their bands.
Then the war came, and Mr.. Pike saw his
fortune melt away. For several wears, how
ever, he managed to hold his own by deal
ing in tobacco, but in 1876 he failed. The
year following he died. Caroline and Sip
porah mad become old maids. For the first
time they were made to know what poverty
was They could not bear to remain near
the scene of their former aftiuence, and, re-
aliZiDg that they must earn their own living,
concluded to seek work and oblivion in the
North. They came TO this city sixteen years
ago with a dollar. Caroline was then 40
years old. Her sister Sipporah was IA years
her junior. Caroline, IL appears, was in
jured in a railway accident at this time, and
suit for $4,000 was instituted, which she
won. The sisters furnished the modest lit
tie fat where they continued to live for
some years in comfort. The injured sis ter
attended to the housekeeping, while Sip
porah main tanned the little household by
trimming bonuets.
Then sickness came. Their money was
all gone, and by piecemeal furniture had TO
be sold until the sisters finally drlfted TO a
wrstched room at los East F0rty-seventh
street in a tenement. For the past two
years their income has been $500. which
Sipporah raised by trimming b0nnets. Sip
porah never complained, but Caroline had
grown morOse aud Respondent. For about
a month Caroline has been confined to her
bed with the grip. On Monday she told her
sister that she could not bear her troubles
longer and intended to end her life. Sippo-
rah tried to change her purpose.
When SippOrah went to work yesterday
she had presentiment that her sister
should not be lett alone and requested To be
absent for time from the store.
This was not granted.
"1hen I'll not remain in the place." she
said
Shortly before noon she returned home.
As she entered her apartments she saw the
dead body of Ter sister before her. Caro-
line had knotted portion of her apron
about her neck and stood on a chair. She
tied the apron to hook in the wall and
kicked the chair from under her. A brother
of the suicide. Henry Pike, who lives in
Baltimore, was notified. Mr.. Pike was at
one time a wealthy tobacconist.