Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-24
SHE WANTED TO DIE.
Urilda Thompson Swallows a Big
Dose of Corrosive Sublimate.
A GIRLS MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE.
Her Discharge From the Central Hotel the
Only Reason Known.
TIE DEED CONTEMPLATED SOME TINE

Urilda Thompson, domestic at the Gen.
trail HOTEL took nearly four ounces OF cor
rosive sublimate yesterday morning with
suicidal intent. There is more or less un-
necessary mystery as to the cause of the
deed. The girl is now at the Homeopathic
Hospital. The physician In attendance
says she will recover, but doctor who at
tended her all day yesterday before her re-
! moval to that institution says she cannot
live.
The case was not reported to the police
until after o'clock last evening, although
the attempt at suicide was made at o'clock
in the morning. Miss Thompson is % years
of age and has been employed as chamber
maid at the Central for two months Her
mother is a widow and lives at Main and
Williams streets, Bloomfield. The girl was
discharged from the hotel by the house.
keeper when she went downstairs to report
for duty at o'clock yesterday morning.
She returned to her room and was not
thought Of for some time afterward.
At 8 o'clock her roommate went into the
bedroom and found Miss Thompson sitting
on the side of the bed half dressed and
drinking from large bottle of some clear,
colorless liquid
| Too Late to Save the Girl.
| Surmising the truth, the young woman
sprang forward and snatched the fatal vial
from her companions lips. But it was too
late. The unhappy girl had swallowed
nearly all the contents of the bottle, nearly
half pint of deadly corrosive sublimate.
As soon as she realized what had been
H. H. 4 v,ctn nrran nr11
notified Proprietor Rowan and the clerk.
DR. E. s. Montgomery was hastily sent for.
| The doctor at once began to administer anti
| dotes for the powerful poison and until late
! in the afternoon stayed at the suffering
girls bedside, hoping to pull her through.
| At Z o'clock last evening q waiter at the
hotel told of the case on the street. Lieu
| tenant Gallant heard of 1t, investigated and
ordered Miss Thompson's removal to the
Homeopathic Hospit al.
During the whole day of her intense suf-
fering the girl was conscious, but would say
but little in explanation of her action. To
the colored porter OF the hotel who first ran
to her room when the alarm was sounded
the girl piteously begged: "Don't call any
one here! Don't bring anyone to worry me!
want to die! am too unhappy; want to
diep'
Said She Had No PIace to Go.
Later she told the porter and her room
mate that she had decided to end her life
because she could not get along with her
mother at home, and having been dis
charged from the hotel, had no other place
to go. Her mother and her sister, Mrs.
Peter Smith, of Grant street, hurried to her
side as soon as the news reached them, and
remained with her until her removal to the
hospital. Mrs Thompson later said that
her daughter had attempted suicide simply
because she had been discharged at the
hotel and was ashamed to come home. She
insisted there was no other cause
But as the girl was only notified of her
discharge yesterday morning, and as she
had bottle of poison in her room before
that, it seems more than probable she had
previously contemplated the deed. There
is mystery about the probable motive of
the act which. has not been unravelled,
and the hospital physician is doing what he
can to maintain the mysterious aspect. The
bottle of corrosive sublimate was purchased
from the drug store OF j. G. Smith, at Penn
avenue and Main street, as the label indi.
Gates, but as Miss Thompson had not been
out in that part Of the city for nearly
week she must have contemplated self de-
struction:thar long ago, when it Is presumed
the purchase was made.
A Difference in Medical Opinions.
When q reporter visited the hospital last
night Dr. Shields, who is attending Miss
Thompson, said she had talked to him of
the motive for her attempt on her life, but
he declined to say what she said, saying it
was not proper. When asked if she would
die, he said, 'tNot tonight" Asked if she
would recover, he answered, II don't
know" DR.. Montgomery said last night
that the girl could not possibly recover,
and at a later hour last night one of the
hospital attaches confirmed him.
Peter Smith, brother-in-law of Miss
Thompson, declared last night that no men,
Der of her family knew the real reason for
her act AS to the cause of her discharge at
the hotel he was non-committal as were the
folks at the hotel, but he blamed Druggist
Smith severely for selling her the poison.
81 went out to see Druggist Smith to-
night" said he, "and asked him when and
why he had sold the poison to her was
treated with contempt, was told that 1t was
none of my business, and when I asked to
see the record was informed there was none.
The law in this State requires a record of
sales of poison and it shonld be exhibited
when demand is made. Mr..
you can rest assured. I have no
idea why the poor girl wanted to die. She
visited me last night and was apparently
light-hearted and happy when she left. I
know she has not had any trouble with men
because she seldom or never kept mems
company. The only reason that I can as
sign for the deed is bad health and despond-
ency. The girl has not been well for some