Mexico weekly ledger., 1894-08-30
Pearls Pitiful Plight.
DETECTED AND OWN-HEARTEN
SHE MAKES SEVERAL At
TEMPS AT SUICIDE.

Locomo,iye-"Yaller kivered"
Literature Does Its Work
The Girl Crazy.
Pearl Harris, a girl who has been
in the employ of Mrs. jeff Cornett as
a domestic several days, made three
successive attempts st suicide Fri
day afternoon between 9 and $50
o'clock.
She left Mrs. Cornett's Friday
about noon, taking with her some
pieces OF dress material and several
garments. At the depot Friday
afternoon she attempted to work
one of the gatemen On the C. IL a.
east bound train by telling him that
she wished to 60 to Chicago but had
lost her ticket in the waiting room.
She gave herself away when she re-
fused to 90 back to look for it and
the gateman prohibited her from
boarding the train. She then had
nerve enough to ask the ticket agent
for another ticket to Chicago, claim
ing that she had just bought one but
had lost it.
The agent had not sold a ticket
for Chicago that day and conse-
quently knew she WAS trying to work
him.
Having failed here she came down
town. Her queer actions had at
tracted considerable attention at the
depot, but most of the people there
sympathized with her on account OF
her supposed bad luck. When she
reached the square she went to
Llewellyn'a drug store and called
for a dimes worth of white lead
Chas. Criswell asked her what she
wanted with it and she said that she
wished to paint something at home.
White lead is not considered very
poisonous and one is not required tC
have q prescription to procure it.
| Charlie told her that he would sell il
to her already prepared, but she
wished it ''straight' and he gave il
TO her. Going back to the depot she
wrote 4 letter to her mother at Leb.
anon, Mo-, telling her that in al
hour and half she would be dead
She wrote her letter in the ladies
waiting room on tablet that she had
brought from Mrs. Cornett's, seem
ingly for this purpose. Then going
to the railroad lunch counter across
| the Wabash track she called for 8
| glass and spoon. Pouring in the
lead and mixing it with water che
remarked to q by-stander that she
was taking poison. No attention
was paid to her and she drained an
other glass and walked out. This
did not have the desired effect, sc
she went down by Pollock S mill anG
stationed herself in front of a moving
| freight train. The engineer whistled
and signalled for brakes but she did
not move. When close. however, the
engine gave shrill whistle which
frightened ner and she cleared the
track. Her last attempt was tc
drown herself by jumping INTO the
east pond by the mill. She was
rescued by parties who saw her and
Immediately taken in tow by Mar
shall Kemp and locked in a cell at
the City Hall and kept over night,
She was given ticket 10 Louisiana
Saturday and taken to the depot.
She was seen there this morning by
reporter and she stated that once
before she had wished to commit
suicide in Jefferson City about a
month ago but could not procure the
strychnine She at first refused to
tell her reason for doing as she had,
but afterward said:
Il have read so many novels that
| have no sense. | never forget
about what Iread.''
She wished to go to Chicago prin-
cipally to see the lake. She said she
did not wish to jump in but simply
wanted to see because she had heard
so much about it. The girl is about
IS years old. Her parents live in
Lebanon, Mo. Her fathers name
is B. +. Harris. She said that she
had some trouble at home, as her
letter to her mother seems to imply,
and left Lebanon June 10th. She
came here from Fulton. The girl is
evidently insane. She left for
Louisiana this afternoon.
Marshal Kemp believes that she
would not commit suicide if she
could. While in the City Hall she
longed for some strychnine and he
told her that he would get her some
and let her take it. She declared
vehemently that she would take it
and be happy at last. Mr.. Kemp
had some soda fixed up in skull and
cross bone fashion and took it to
her, but she wouldn't touch it. The
girl has evidently read so many
cheap novels and so much blood and
thunder literature that her mind has
become diseased and she evidently
tries to follow in the footsteps of
some of the Williams and heroines
that Chick tells about.
The report that she ATTEMPTED to