The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-29
THE DAILY SUICIDE
DIR. III. ii. Eldridge is the Last
Victim of the Mania.
THE SAD HISTORY OF HIS LIFE
Married to an Adventures In Response to an
Advertisement, He Separates from Her
and Grows Desp0ndent

scanned their papers yesterday morning,
they doubtless fondly hoped that it would
be good long time before another suicide
was reported. But the suicide mania has
not yet run its course, and last evening one
more victim was added to the prevailing
craze.
short time ago DR.. Hiram H. Eldridge,
the well known dentist who resided at No.
ia North, Third West street, concluded to
take trip to Marysvale for the beneht of
his health. He returned home about a
week ago, but in poorer health than when
he went away. fever was hanging about
him and he seemed to be gradually failing.
and few ago Mr.. Volney Leonard went
to his house to nurse him. On Thursday,
! Eldridge was compelled to take
to his bed a part OF, the
day and yesterday morning he had high
| fever aud his general condition was worse
In addition to this he
/ BECAME VERY MELANCHOLY
and made remarks to friends which
indicated that he did not expect to live
/ long. To one he said ''thls is sad. sad end
ding of promising life." His friends all
tried to encourage him and get him to take
a brighter view of things, but without
OVAL 4AO POOE LudE dppcdTcu w DC BULL
erlng considerably, but during the after
noon he made no complaint. He moved
about the house, TALKED to his foster
mother, who had reared him from infancy,
and had the newspapers read to him. At
! about o :l5 he walked out of the house, but
no apprehension was felt by those in the
house until half an hour later, when, as he
did not return, Mr.. Leonard went out to
look for him. He walked to an clubhouse
and found the door fastened on the inside,
but thinking he could hear someone breath
ing in there, he went back to the house and
got knife, by means of which he opened
the door. AS he did SO, he found the doc
tor lying on the floor. His arms were out
stretched and near the left hand was q
large pool of blood. Upon examination it
was found that Eldridge had deliberately
SEVERED THE EADIAL ARTERY
of the left arm with a pocket
knife, and had stood there until he
became so weak from loss of
blood that he. fell TO the floor. Although
more than half an hour had elapsed since
ne cut himself, he was conscious, and after
being taken into the house, called for the
woman employed as cook and then said to
the little circle around him 81 thought l
would be dead before this" Afterwards
be said ~ wish you had left me alone'
He remained conscious until death ended
his sufferings at $50 o'clock, but said
nothing which would indicate his reasons
for suiciding. Doubtless his former do
nestle troubles. with which our readers
are more or less familiar, together with his
sickness, unsettled his mind, and while in
fit OF dependency the idea Of suicide took
possession of him and he carried it out
at once. He left considerable property and
1t is generally understood that he left it all
to his foster mother, who lived with him
here and who, as before stated, reared him
from his infancy.
HE HAS ONE SISTER
in Arizona, but his friends know of no
other relatives, except his wife, from whom
he has never been divorced. He was 81
years of age.
Coroner Harris was promptly notified of
the affair and he removed the body to the
morgue, where an inquest Will be held to-
day.
, The story of Dr. Eldridge's life is an in
teresting one. He had lived in this CITY
since he was young man, and he
had hard time to obtain an
education. He succeeded, however, and
then decided to become dentist and went
east to attend dental college. 1t is said
ne had but little money when he left here
for that purpose, and walked a greater
= portion of the way. After graduating he
returned to Salt Lake and commenced
practicing and soon built I'D good busi-
ness. He was firm believer in spiritual.
ism, and about this time he commenced t.
take an active interest in it, and became
SOMETHING OF A MEDIUM
= himself. His business continued to in
crease, and something over two years agC
he concluded that he would have
to get an assistant But ht
was very peculiar man
and his method in this matter vas an ex.
ample OF it. Instead of proceeding in thu
ordinary way, he advertised in the Sal
francisco papers for young lady as "a
sistant, and intimated that if the right per
son applied it would end in matrimo uy
One young lady came in from San Fran
cisco, but she did not like the doctor an.
her feelings were reciprocated, so the,
soon parted. Then he advertised IN tn
Chicago papers and in a short time COLDER
haired damsel with big blue eyes and ;
childish face appeared in response thereto
Her name was Mollie Cook, and while shs
exactly suited the doctor, he apparentl
suited her, and after remaining his assist
ant for six months they were married
IL Subsequent events showed that she was
~ A sCHEMING ADVENTURES,
but she fell in with all of her husband
ideas and he was blind TO all her faults
The doctor, 1t viii be remembered, wes
Ia fstuated with The wheel, and she used /
speed down Main street with her yello,
curls tlutterlng in the wind, the pride @
" the doctors heart and an object OF admirs
le ton to the pedestrians. When not unde
y her husbands eye she developed very ga
- disposition, and made large NUMBER q
"a acquainJances without the fct mality of q
Introduction. As the doctor VIC
spiritualist OF course she be
came one also, and in shoI
lie time developed into trance medium. Sh
Y claimed TO be entirely under her husband
! control when in the trance state and CAV
= him essages from the spirit world. 81
y was apparently completely subject to b
J, will and did anything that he directet
a. Something over year ago, while in
trance, the spirits informed DR.. Eldridg,
e through her, that he must
SEND HIS WIFE TO HER HOME
in Chicago on visit TO her folks. c
course that was enough, and after Ciyiu
IS her generous supply of money, the docte
ls sent her east While she was gone. h
heard certain things about her doine
40 which shocked even h faith, and he ais
TX learned that she was not bereft of ma
90 society while in Chicago. After her r,
is turn, her actions confirmed his suspicion
ID and ii gradually dawned upon hi,
re that abilities in the spiritualistic lin
le were simply the means by which she Of
Sc tanned what she wanted. That be was M
ct lacking in shrewdness has sh own by Ii
way he caught her. Without letting ht
know his suspicious, he one day got her
trance" and after making her do var
a GUS things finally told her to 20 into al
IA other room and get valuable watch whic
=; he had given her and which she prize
~ highly. She did so, and when she RI
turned. he babe her put it on the floor an
lump on it. Then