Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-23
She Leaves New York to Return Home
Her Letters.


NEW YORK NAV 23.-1Iiss Kate r. Pike. the
Treasury Department typewriter of Washing
ton. ID. C.. who was found unconscious in her
room in the Aston House on Saturday with the
gas turned on and two cuts IN her
left wrist. taken from Bellevue
Hospital to the Tombs police court today and
arraigned on the charge of attempting suicide.
She was released. and in company with her
sister Nellie and the sister husband. W. Ii.
Stevens. Yachting editor Of Forest md Stream,
she started for her home in Washington.
The following letter. written by Miss Pike.
was found in her room at the time she Was dis
covered there unconscious:
Nine o'clock-Dear Ma: Please do not blame
JIMMY for this. Looking at it from his stand
point he has acted right. / am sorry to go To
sleep SO early and vet glad. too us have been
SO verv tired and INV head aches. i cannot tell
you how it IL, but could not help doing this.
MAY19
Dear Ma: hardly know how to write you.
Have been trying ever since i came to New
York to do it and explain things to You, but =
have been sick and miserable all the time. Not
so much physical suffering as mental Your
note which / did not until the Monday
night after / came here almost killed me. as
had spent SUNDAY night with Jimmy. 1t was
not Intentional We had dinner together at the
St Denis Hotel and taken i'll.
suggested going back to the room where we
had been in the afternoon. We went in
there early in the day In order that
We might talk matters over. / deathly
sick and hardly knew what / was doing.
We went In and i felt little better
after a short time. but it seemed rs if / could
not go TO Bayonne her sister home)- / was
not sure of nv head. which had a crazy sort of
ache about it. and wanted to take the mid
night train back TO Washington, but j. would
not let me.
He sent a telegram in the morning. / fully
realized what had happened. was IN the same
position any woman with whom j. might
have n fancy to spend the night. / wanted TO
go right back 20 W. but he persuaded ME to go
to Bavonne. where | went. and told Nell that i
had come In the morning.
You know / told YOU j. had asked me when
IN Washington in December TO marry him. He
has evidently forgotten it. as he says now he
will not marry me or anyone else. / cannot
explain how / feel. Before would not have
married him. as it would have seemed like a
forced affair. | did all i could to forget
him and would have been cOntented to have
seen him married to any one else. but was per-
fectly satisfied that il should be so. But since
then IL seemed as If i had a right to love him.
and now cannot live without his love.
think must be crazy. ANY way he saws
am i told him could return home without
telling YOU about Sunday night. and would
never tell you that / married to him. He
me vas absurd.
c-;r-o ii.e in this condition of affairs. /
have al l have strength for either
phvsics--z--...su..l hope you can forgive
me. feel in a dazod sort of a way what pain
it will cause you. but my heart seems like
piece of ice. Nv brain seems
on fire and I cannot think of
anything in a connected manner. / have only
the overpow ering desire to sleep. i am very
tired 1 am sure God will not punish me for
laying down the burden that cannot carry any
longer. have nothing to hold to.
Your love and my consideration for nv
family ought to keep me. but 1 know
that were l to live You would probably
some day in the future wish that
been 50 good to me. / am sorry have not been
more credit to you. Love to Bea. l cannot
write to her. KATE"
MRS. PIKEs DENIAL.
Miss Pike had denied that she had any love
affair that would cause her to commit suicide.
She was in the habit. she said. of taking NOR
phine and remembered nothing from the time
she entered the Astor House until she was
taken to the hospital
Mrs. Stevens corroborated her sisters state
ment as To her ll-health for some time past.
She knew of no love affair she said. of her sis
ter's. and knew NJ reason why the latter should
attempt self-destructiOn.
When Justice Duffy told Miss Pike il would
be necessary for him TO read the letters which
she had left addressed TO her mother. which
were found IN her room at the Aston House.
she tainted.
Justice Duffy charitably took thu view that
Miss Pike was temporarily insane when she at
tempted suicide.
II Is said the Jimmy referred to in her let
ter is a man named James Hart.