The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-06-20
SHE Begged FOR LIFE.
But Her Own Hand Had Already Ad'
miniStofed the Fatal Dose.
TRAGIC DEATH OF LAURA MIRICK
She Differed from Her Lover In Her Re-
Iigious Views and while Temporal
riIy Insane She Took Poison Reason
Reasserted Itself and She Pied for Life

EVERETT, Mass, June 2O.-By her own
hand Laura Miri.k of this place ended her
life yesterday af.e'noon at . o'clock.
The circumstances which led up TO this
sad ending of a bright, beautiful and
popular young woman, are remarkable.
The agent used was poison, the place was
her own home; the result death, dis
tracted family and a shocked community.
This act Of self-destruction was un-
doubtedly committed during a moment of
temporary insanity, but when the com
prehension of the deed dawned upon the
poor girl she begged piteously that her life
might be saved
Laura Mirick loved young physician
of Reading, at present nameless. Her love
was returned. She was an ardent Meth
odist, he "A materiallst. She hoped for and
believed in future life, he believed that
when the soul filed the grave the end OF
man had come
"But why need this disturb the course
of Lover" argued the man of medicine
"Love transcends all obstacles; it makes
the poor man rich, IL gives a flavor TO life
unknown before, and above all IL Is the
very substance OF all religions-or should
be-"
But Laura failed to see. She was filled
with love for this man, 1t Is said. But
then,
Love Is Blind.
Her religion seemed TO preclude the pos
sibility of union with one whose belief
was so different as To the future, and yet
morally the same.
For some time she kept him company,
1t is claimed, but, paradoxical as 1t is, the
longer they were close companions, the
farther apart these different beliefs drew
them, till at last, about five months age,
she formally broke off the engagement.
AS she saw it her sense of duty had been
made clear. Religion conquered love,
while death is cheated not.
Since the breaking off of the ties OF love
Miss Mirick was at times very
Strange Young Woman.
Her actions can be accounted for only as
the result of some great mental disturb
ances. These increased Of late, so much
SO that her health was impaired, and for
the past six or eight weeks she remained
at home helping her mother.
At times she would break forth in a
violent fit of profanity, it is claimed, and
when her mother would ask why she said
such awful things she would reply that
she had little devil in her breast and she
couldn't helpit.
Yesterday she went up into the attic and
there found a bottle containing prepara-
tion of corrosive sublimate, which had
been used TO kill rats. She drank part
Of it and then, when too late, realized her
awful fate. With her last breath she said:
God will forgive me; could not help
it."
Miss Mirick was very popular young
woman. She was % years old, perfect
brunette, and possessed of regular and at
tractive features. She was always bit odd,
and kept very much within herself Her
father is William II. Mirick OF Franklin
place, and employed at the Corcoran Chem
ical works A brother is a civil engineer.
The funeral will take place tomorrow
aftern oon at 4 o'clock, and will be private.