Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-02
A STRANGE SUICIDE.
MISS LILLIAN NORFOLK KILLS HER.
SELF Bv HER OWN HAIR.
Three Conflicting stories Told by the
Gossips OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Res
sous Why She Ended Her Life.

Miss Lillian Norfolk. a handsome woman OF 30
years, one OF whose charms her long blonde
hair, committed suicide at her fathers resi-
dence, corner OF Fiaibush and Franklin ave-
nues. Flatburb, on Monday evening. says spe-
ciai dispatch from New York TO the Philadelphia
Enquirer. Her method Of suicide was dramatic
and without parallel and only her possession
Of her unusually nnc hair made It possible.
Miss Norfolk retired about $3.50 O'Clock last
night, after kissing her father a1ectionately.
shc was then apparently In excellent spirits.
She did not appear at breakfast this morning,
aud her father, In some alarm, went toher room,
ana getting no response TO bis repeated KNOCKS,
burst the door open. lie saw hw daughter
snee'ins beside marble wasnbowl win hef
head resting apparently upon tho SLAB
FOUND HIS DAUGHTER DEAD.
The position was natural, and the fathers
FIRST impression was that Miss Norfolk was wash
Ing the hair Of which she was no proud
He was shocked whom he went up TO the basin
to find that his daughter was dead that her
body was cold. and TINT she must have been
dead for some hours.
The method Of the suicide showed the young
wOmane marvellous determination. There are
two iaucets 70 the washbowl one on each side,
and the bowl itself Is covered with marble
slab, having sharp moulded edge. Miss Nor
folk had shaken out her golden tresses and then
bound them tightly around one OF the caps IN
such manner tina. her leck was pressed
agsins. one OF the sliarp edges OF the marble
Toincroase the pressure she clutehed the other
faucet with one OF her hands and squeezed her
neck down 10 tbe hard marble moulding. She
held herself in this position shutting of her sup
ply OF air, iii death came. Her neck was dented
10 the depth OF half an inch.
THREE STORIES or THE CAUSE.
Three stories are told as 10 the cause OF her
suicide. Freeman Clarkson her lawyer, says
threat % foreclose a mortgage on n piece OF
property owned by Miss Norfolk had made her
dependent, as she was unable TO meet the IN
terest. she had had some property, but the IN
come from 1t had not been sufficient Tor hor
wants and she was compelled 20 draw upon the
principal lie could assign no other cause Tor
the womans insane act.
THINKS IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.
Her physician says she was dependent about
something or other. probably about money mat
ters, aud had been drinking very hard. lie
thinks, "a she took q good deal OF whiskey TO
her room with her, sne becamo intoxicated. ana
while ut the marble basin toppled over, her
hslr was caught In the faucet, and not having
sufficient strength or sufficient comprehension
to unfasten her hair, she was strangled In mat
way.
The Fla;bush gossips have woven a romance
into the story. 1hey say she was In love with
Edward lndig, young grocer, and killed her.
self because he wouldn't accept her leap-year
proposal.
Mr. INDIG's VIEW OF THE SUICIDE.
Mr. Indie, who does not appear TO be worried
over her death, says they we're merely acqualnt-
ances. lie hal known nor iOr SIX years anu sue
always bought her groceries from him. lie SAID !:
81 am afraid Miss Norfolk WAS addicted TO the
use OF narcotics. / noticed that she had been
using them the last time saw her thought
II better that we should not meet sus-
poet il was the narcotics which made her kil
herself. You know how they work on young
women.
You never can toll what girl is going to do
Even whom she ~ dead in love with man she
hides her affections away. Perhaps that WAS
the way with Miss Norfolk and me. But one
thing is sure | never knew II"
ALgADER IN SOCIETY.
The impression conveyed by the grocer's re-
mark was that he didn't think the girl was III
love with him and committed suicide ON that ac-
count, but she could hardly be blamed II she nau.
Miss Norfolk the adopted daughter OF
George II. Norfolk, druggist. She was a leader
in society circles Of Long Island. From her
youngest years she had exhibited talents anu
action out of the ordinary run, and was iona OF
dramatic speech and gestures.
Az an amateur actress she mad gained quite a
reputation before her mother died, two years
ago. This last mentioned event seemed, Nr.
Clarkson said, TO have changed her usually mer-
| ~ die position greatly.