The Portland daily press., 1893-04-08
HER INHERITANCE.
The Suicidal Mania Which Ended
Janet Eadie's Life.
SHE HAD FEARED FOR HERSELF
AND HER CHILDREN.

The Strange Case of a New York Woman
She Told Her Neighbors that She
Feared Grief Would Drive Her Crazy
She Killed Herself and Came Near
Killing Her Daughter.
NEW YORK, April 7.'--Janet Eadie's
husband, James, was a carpenter in good
work when in December last he met with
an accident and died in the Presbyterian
hospital. His wife, slender young
Scotchwoman, was left with four chill
dren. She lived in fiat at 2777 Eighth
avenue. Ever since her husbands death
she had acted strangely. She told sew
eral of the neighbors that she feared for
the lives of her children and herself.
When asked what she meant she said:
''My mother committed suicide twenty
years ago. Insanity has been in our fam
lily for years. fear that my grief will
drive me crazy, and if it does God help
my little Ones"
alive and she was happy she had never
felt the family taint, but that since his
death she believed that her mind was
giving way. Yesterday morning at $50
o'clock Mrs. Eadie took her seven year
old daughter Gladys out for walk.
GLADYS, on account of remarkable re-
semblance to her father, was the moth
er's favorite child. They went to the
drug store of Frank Jaeger at BOB West
145th street, and Mrs. Eadie said that
she wanted some carbolic acid.
II want the whitest and purest you've
got,' she said.
Druggist Jaeger then gave her the acid
and then asked her what she wanted it
for.
"Just to wash up something with"
she said, and went out of the place hold
ing her daughter by the hand and walk
ing towards st. Nicholas avenue.
About seven feet above the street level
at 139th street and ST. Nicholas avenue
is little mound. Mrs. Eadie ascended
the mound and sat down. The little girl
followed her. They sat up there about
rs minutes. Several people passed and
stopped to look at them on their curious
perch, After while the child began to
CIV. This seemed to stir the mother to
action, for she pulled the flask of acid
and small wineglass out of her pocket.
She filled the glass with the poison, and
handing it to the child, told her to
drink it. The little girl shook her head
and cried harder.
s'You must drink it, said Mrs. Eadie,
but the girl still refused to touch it. The
mother snatched the glass away from
Gladys, and, forcibly opening the girls
mouth, poured some of the poison in.
The little one screamed as the acid burnt
her mouth. Mrs Eadie filled the glass
up to the top again and swallowed the
contents at gulp. Although her suffer
ings must have been severe she made no
sound.
Jerry Mccarthy and Heny Scholerman,
two laborers who had been working near
by. ran up, attracted by the piteous cries
of the child. The woman was standing
upon the mound, her face all twisted,
and looking at the child. AS they looked
she fell, and the next moment she was
struggling in convulsions.
Aid was summoned but Mrs. Eadie
died in the ambulance while on the way
to the hospital. Emetics were given to
little Gladys and it was said that she
would live.
Gladys Eadie is a remarkably pretty
little girl, with shor t, fluffy hair. To one
of the doctors she said yesterday morn
ing; ss;,oo ..,a 20 uoro on,v ao;na 70
take walk, and when we got to lS9th
street she took me up the hill little way
and we sat down. Then she gave me
some medicine 1t burned me awfully,
and / couldn't take any more.
She said it would do me good"