The morning call., 1893-09-01
A DEATH MYSTERY.
Mariana Days Teaching
Suddenly Ended.
AN AUTOPSY TO BE HELD.
Drugs of a Peculiar Character Found
in Her Room at the Grand
Hotel.

death, the cause of which is sur
rounded by mystery. but which an au-
topsy to be held this morning will prob
ably clear up, occurred in the Grand Hotel
yesterday afternoon.
On Tuesday Miss Mariana Day, a sch ool-
teacher at New Almaden, Santa Clara
County, registered at the hotel. The
school was to reopen after the summer
vacation on Monday next She appeared
to be in the best of health and took her
meals regularly. Yesterday at tn lunch
hour she explained that she had no
ready money but she would draw some
from the bank to-day.
About half-paSt 4 in the afternoon she
rang the bell for the belIboy and asked
him to send her up some tea and toast,
which were taken to her room. She was
then uudressed and in bed. In a Jew
minutes afterward she again rang the bell
and asked that telephone message should
be sent to Frank S. Kelly, a druggist
at 162 Eddy street. requesting him to
send her bottle of whisky and
peppermint mixed. For the third time the
bell raug, when she said she was sick and
to send at once for DR.. Won Hoffman. She
was breathing hard. As DR.. Won Hoff-
man could not be reached by telephone,
Dr. Nathan Rodgers was summoned, and
on entering the room he pronounced her
ucdI. i his was ABOUT D O'CLOCK,
Coroner Hughes WAS notified about 7:30
o'clGck. and. after a brief investigation,
telsphoned 10 Deputy Carew to go to the
hotel with the morgue waguu. The de-
ceased's brother, L. w. Day, was also at
the hotel. and DR.. Hughes handed to him
her personal effects. Among them was a
DaEkDo0k showing $50 20 her credit.
In tie room were found several small
vials of homeopathic pills, which con-
tain opium, and tWO-nunce bottle OF the
huld extract of ergot almost empty. The
presence of ergOt in the room led the
Coroner to the conclusion that an autopsy
and an inquest were necessary. The body
was removed to the Morgue.
I. w. Day. the deceased's brother,
called at the M0rgue late last night. He
said he had no idea that his sister was in
the city, and was considera bly, surprised
brother-in-law of Frank Sullivan, about
half-past o'clock last night, saying that
she had died at the Grand Hotel about 5
o'clock.
MY sister," he said, was about SO
years of age. She was born in Monterey.
Our parents are dead, our mother having
died at the family residence, 416 Steiner
street. about two years ago and since then
1t has been let to tenants. ] have another
sister at st. Helena, who is an invalid.
Mariana had taught school at various
places. About two years ago she had a
was for some time bo0kkeeper at the tee-
phone Office on Bush street. And then
she went to New Almaden. Five years
ago she was in Mexico, where she was
sick with pneumonia. With that excep-
ton | never knew her to be i'll. She was
always strong and in good spirits aud she
would be the last person in the world
whom | would suspect of committing sui
eide.
"The last time 1 saw her alive in this
city was about four weeks ago. She was
then staying at the Grand Hotel for dsss-
or two She told me she was going
New Almaden. as the school was T.
open on the first Monday in Septemt
she was fairly we'll off, as she
two-thirGs interest In a lot in MOI .y
street property.
Il never knew of Mariana being engaged
to anybody or of any love ENHANCEMENT.
MIR. Spence, who notified me of her
death. is an old friend of our family"
Druggist Frank Kelly said he had known
MISS Day for years, and spoke in very
high terms of her. His first knowledge
that she was i'll was conveyed him Sester-
day aitern oon, when she sent 10 his drug
store for some whisky and peppermint.
Following that there came telephone
message stating that she was dead. aud
making inquiry as to her relatives.
The deceased was in this city On August
13. as on that day she sent bundle by ex-
press to L. J. Chipman, superintendent,
San Jose.
The bottle of ergot was purcbaei from
Hugh Collins, druggist. Porter block, San
Jose. There is nothing to show where or
from whom the pills were bought.
The deceased was a TALL handsome
brunette, of fine proportions.
The inquest will probably be held this
afternoon.
A. Palysky, ponndmaster of Gilroy. is
accused OF cruelty to animals in starving
dogs before killing them