New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-05
MISS NEWCOMERS SAD END.
FOUND SUFFOCATED IN THE BASEMENT
OF HER HOME.
SHE WAS IN 4 SMALL sroRERooM AND GAS

on Thursday night or Friday morning, ana on
Saturday the young woman died. There was some
ground. for suspcctng that Miss Ncwcombe miSht
have committed suicide, there were seVcrai
strange features leading up TO her death lhe
members of her family ana her friends. however,
declare that the young woman's sudden end was
due TO an accident. They REFUSE TO listen to "a
mention of tic theory of sclf-des'ructon lhey
say that Miss Ncwcon,bc Nds of q happy dlsposl-
ton, had everything 10 live foi, and that there
was nothing in her life tiat would tend to induce
her 10 commit suicide
The Ncwconbe home is at Central Park West
and Eiehty-fourtI-st. and is a large and handsome
struc,ure Last "Wednesday one of the water-plpeS
in an unused room in the upper part OF the house
hurst. and considerable damage was done before
the leak was discovered The plumbers were
called in to repair the damage, and it became
necessary ta shut oil the water from every part
of tie house except the basement The dlthcuIy
had not been entirely adjusted hy Thursday even
inr and the plumbers did not turn the water on
AGAIN when they went away. That day, accord
ing TO the written statement of Mr.. N"wcomoe' he
and one of his two spent the evening togetNcr
M home Miss Ncwcombe. who was in her twcn-
tv-frst year, was rs lively and bright as was
usual with her. She talked with her iather anu
brother for a while and played several pieces OF
,nuaic on rho nauo 4. 1915 o'clock, near
as her father can remember she baGc him good
night and went to her room upstairs. At II
o'clock her brother. w0cn going to lis room' saw
his sister in her room when he was passing Iier
door That was ;hc last time she was seen Dy
anv member of the family until she was found un-
conscious and dy
The next morning at o'clock one OF thr
fomale servants noticed that a smell of gas
.I,a has
stairs. and upon opening d~loor to small store
,oorn rc%t 70 "A bathroom she discovered Miss
Ncwcombr on the floor unconscious. The gas
lot in the room was turned on at full force.
Her face was badly swollen from the effects of
inhaling the gas and She was apparently dead
She had evidently gon" downstairs after having
been in bed for sh" was IN her nGhtdrcss. Nhc
was taken upstairs as soon as possible ana Dr.
" q Plimpton was summoned. lie found that
there was still lie in IN" young woman. He
| called in another physici'n To assist him. and
a supreme effort was made 70 save her. She
never rccaincd consciousness. however. and died
al O'Clock on Saturday morning.
Mr. Newcombc SAYS that a patent electric gas
burner was the indirect cause of his daughters
death Before size went to her room on Thurs
day night size knew that tho water turned
of in the upper plrt Of the house. and he says
tie night She would have TO 90 to the basement
for A.
The room in which Mss Newcombc was found
is ncar the billiard roon and in order to get 10
the stor,room she would have 20 20 down a stair
way leading from the hallway on the first floor 10
che billiard room from there to the bathroom and
from there 70 thc storcrJom. The latter room Is
only a small place. GXs. II Is not used for any
thing in particular, but there IL Il gas jet there
Every gas burner in thr house has patent
electric arrangement attlchtl 10 il. 81 that the
ra- can be- igncd hy simply pulling short Chain
There were gas c.s in the blthroorl. the only
place where there running water in Tia"
house. and there was al,o giS IN the billiard room.
There was no occasion for th" young woman to
90 into th" storcroom. far ~ Is known, rs the
only WAY 10 reach tne upper part Of the house
from the bathroom was through a door leading
into the billiard room. and from there upstairs
Mr. Ncwcombe s,ys he cannot account for ms
daughter, reason for going into the storcroom,
except that she thought that the door leading in
that direction WIS the proper exit Sl" had
not been down there often enough 10 be en-
tlrrlv familiar with all the rooms. There l. a
strong spring on the >torrOOm door, ana when
/ Miss Ncwcomhr entered the little room and let
20 Of the door il shut with II slam. There Is
a spring lock on the DOOR but ii can be opened
from both sides. The father, in his statement to
the Coroner, SAYS that. in his opinion. his daugh-
fer. after finding that she had gone the wrong
way. had attempted TO light the gas. FIRST she
had pulled the chain attached to the burner,
Inf As the gas was not turned on-thc faucet
being turned the wrong waY-thc gas failed 10
ignite. She then turned the faucet, and as she
did not again pull the chain the gas was per
mittcd to escape Her father thinks that she
,I,n ,l,yi-t md
sound of the escaping gas and tainted and the
room being small and the crack above and below
the door narrow, she was soon unconscious. He
j, inclined to think that it nearly time for
the servants 10 get up when she went DOWN
stairs lie is also of the opinion that she was
unable 80 find the spring lock after the d'or
slammed. IL, A.,
ii was said by s)mc of the servants that Miss
Ncwcombc frequently visited the billhrd-r'on.
was perfectly familiar with the Snlr'nmn,n, r
rooms especially the bathroom, and a. her plrchts
say that s,ic not Il girl 10 be easily oN'f'nm"
by fright, some people wore at hrst disposed TO
suspect that Miss Ncwcompc ana not go INTO the
Both Mr.. aud Mrl Ncwcombc are overcome WIN
grief over their daughters sad end: and tn"y de-
clln,d to see callers yesterday. Even intimate
lricn,, wer. not admitted TO the house. Several
,nc..ua,s of condolences were icceivcd by Mr. and
Mrs \cwcombc but il will be- to-day probably be-
fore many Of ia" friends of the lalnlV learn OF
thr daughters death.
Dr. ilmpton when called upon yesterday said
that he dill not wish to make Siaienrnt ABOUT
thc cas-" He WAS simply call'd 10 the Newcom'c
house in professional capacity, he said, and knc"
nositivrly nothing about how the youn- woman
,nt into "A roon Jcd with escaping gas.
Owing to the incidents leading up to the death
of Miss Newconbc andNof the mystery surround
ing her sudden end. Dr. Plimpton Thought 1t
host 10 inform the authorities, and DIR. Weston,
of 40. 226 Central Park, West, who is deputy
coroner. was informed of the case. Dr. Weston
made an investigation. and secured Mr. New
combe's statement. He does not think that the
youne woman committed suicide, and he issued
n death certificate giving the cause of death
~ accidental aSphiXiation.
Il am not of the opinion that Miss Newcombc
committed suicide" said lie. "and have accepted
her f'tler's statement as correct. After inyest
eating the case ! am Of the opinion that death