The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-09
THE YELLED MIRROR.
Silent Testimony Is to : Wo-
mans Lonely Death.
DESERTED ~ AL RELATIVES.
Mra 1mma Wfllfa0s' Career Shseode1
u 1yssssy-Ms.y 1ssssAs AsAs
~ nss Mannsrs-


Mrs. Emma Williams, Who was found
dead IN her room ~ the mission lodging
house on lever Commerciai street. Thur
day. undcubtediy committed suicide. AZ
though she vas clever enough 70 do away
with oil tracss Of the poison used. Coro-
ner Hortonsvas At 6rst inclined 70 think
that death vas due 70 IN overdose Of NOR
pbine taken without suicidal intent, but
during his Investigation yesterday after.
noon in the dead woman's room he fcund
evidences that. although circumsssntial In
nature, has . strong bearing on the case.
Mrs- WilIiams occupied 3 suite OF COM
Portable aad veii-furnished room4 The
foor Of one sas covered with good carpet,
the walls displayed many knick-knacks
and the stove showed the nee OF the blackrng
brush. Al one side OF, and above the bed
en- which lay the remains Of Mrs. VIII
llama Was . large mirror. Directly oppo-
site she head Of the bed, and Gloss 70 the
foot. ssood bureau
John =. Lilly. who was with Coroner Hor.
ton. stepped up 20 take down the first mir.
ror mentioned. ard a. he did % said to DR..
Horton: IL wonder why this cloth il hung
over the glassf :"
Coroner Horton Looked up and instantly
perceived that the cloth had been fixed in
such . way n TO cover the entire face Of
the mirror. Then he glanced at the mir
rcr in the bureau and saw that the glass
there had also been covered with towel.
To many people there would have been
nothing significant about the obscuring Of
the mirrors. but Or. Horton remembered
that there 10 m ancient superstition con-
corning looking glasses in connection with
dead people, and that Is il . custom in
many places even nowadays to either turn
the glass 70 the vail or cover it with
cloth upon the death Of the occupant Of
the room. In this case the coroner
figured that Mrs. Williams, having an
incurabis disease. ard presumably being
tired of the weary struggle. decided 20 die.
From papers found among her effects il 10
an established fact that she Was super
stitious. and had great dread Of doing GER
tain things on certain days. The mirrors
in her room were 90 situated that no mat
ter which way she lay on the bed one or
the other would reflect her image. Know
ing that she was shout to die and dreading
the effect of her dead image in the mirrors
she took the precaution to put cloths over
them.
pronouncing death due to poison taken
With suicidal intent.
Mrs. Williams effects would fill several
trunks. but the only things OF interest were
few letters that told something OF her
life and its troubles.
1 She was . native OF Bristol, England.
where some Of her relatives stiil live. the
only one known. however. being Charles
Morriss. cousin, who wrote TO her At
Portland November (, ls92, concerning
the unsuccessful search for her father. II
appears that he left Bristol for Australia,
and WAS never heard Of aftsrward, al
though his daughter and other relatives
made vigorous search by letters. From
the following letters 1t Is evident that Mrs.
Wiiiiams' name vas originally Dawson,
and that her father was John Dawson.
SYDNEY. New South Wales, April q, 1872
Mrs. Emily Wiiiiams. Portland, Or: In
answer TO yours Of the 2uth inst Ii il q
matter Of impossibiiity TO trace any per-
son unless further particulars are supplied.
1.0o0 900. scattered over vide territory.
ALKxAspER CAMERON. Vice Consul.
MELBOURNE, June 1, 1892.
Mrs. e. Williams. care Of II. B. NJ. Con-
your favor of March - have to inform
You that your Information is too indifier-
ent to be Of service IN tracing John &Daw-
son. GEORGE II. WALLACE,
Consul General.
Per ]. w. B.
There were several letters from "Dave."
or. - he termed himself In one epistle.
.'Your hubby. Dave Williams" which con-
veyed the impression that he would not be
broken-hearted if Mrs. Williams left him
for another mau. In one he said: How
can send you money when have not
got q cent. Ii you get another man take
him. can find plenty of women here"
Again he wrote: "You had better stay
in Seattle. II you come here tPortiandl
you will have to stock up with furniture
again. You are always buying furni-
ture."
From Oregon City he wrote: II am sat
isfied you and can't get along. You go
your way and will go mine. Before you
receive this will have disappeared from
this section, never to return"
The remains of the dead woman were in
such condition that il was necessary TO
bury them yesterday afternoon fsom
Bonney 4 Stewards morgue in the Du.
vanish cemetery. where nothing but q
small wooden headboard marks her rest
Ing place.
There is considerable speculation con.
corning the dead woman. Without doubt
she possessed many accomplishments and
charmed her way into the kindness of sew
eral estisnabl1 ladies. IL seems that there
was much that was good in her. and those
who know it are reluctant to believe they
were deceived. 1t Is 10 their credit that
they defriended her. whether she entirely
deserved II or not. and charity may now
extend TO her memory the hope that she
was made better by the good deeds of
those who could compassionate her suffer-
ings although they did not understand