Evening star., 1894-03-06
TOOK HER OWN LIFE
Mrs. Crook Found Dead in Her Bed
Today.
BOTH MORPHINE and GAS USED
This Her Third and Last Attempt
to Commit Suicide.
H E r F A MILY RE

H E r F MILY HER E
In a room in the attic of Mrs. Wallis
boarding house, No. 412 9th street north
west. this morning was found the dead
body of Mrs. Alice Crook, widow of the
late Walter Crook, who was a clerk IN the
pension Office. and sister-in-law of DR..
Harrison Crook, the well-known physician.
The woman had committed suicide by tax
ing morphine pills, and had turned OH the
gas to make doubly sure that in this, her
third attempt, she would not fail.
Last night about o'clock she called at
the house of her friend, Mrs. Smith, who
keeps boarding house at No 416 9th
street. only two doors above where she
ended her life, and said she wanted lodgings
for few days
Il have just come over from Baltimore -
she said. "and l don't want my folks to
know l am here. 1 am expecting an office,
and when 1 get the situation will be time
enough to let them know about it,"
WAere she had been for some weeks
coulu not be learned, hut yesterday after
noon she went to the Office of Sanitary
Officer Frank, and said she wanted to ha We
her son sent to st. Elizabeth's.
Found Dead.
AS already stated, it was about O'Clock
when she called at the house of Mrs
smith. and there being no vacant rooms in
the house, she was taken to Mrs Wallis,
where she was put in the little attic room.
Mrs wall, Of course, had no idea that the
woman was bent on taking her life, but
When she failed to appear on the lower
moor before noon today suspicious of foul
play entered her mind, and when a lock
smith opened the door the dead body of
tne gray naired woman was found lying
vi Ee peo Tnere was an expression of
sadness on the woman's face and it was
at nrst thought that the Illuminating gas
ned caused her death. Her clothes rested
on chair while on the bureau was a
glass or water, her comb, spectacle case
chief.
No one in Mrs. Wallis house knew the
woman identity, and Mrs. Wall was in
no hurry TO let the facts be made known
as she wanted to avoid publicity as much
as possible. But on the unfortunate wo-
man garments was the name "A Crook. -
~ Mniie on slip of paper in the spectacle
case was written Mrs. A. Crook
Morphine the Cause
These were found after Coroner Wood.
ward reached the house
With what did she kill herse,fo" w.s
asked
There was water in a tumbler on the bu
reau, but DR.. Woodward tasted it and failed
10 md In It any evidence of poison or drug
OF any kind The room was searched There
was no empty bottle anywhere in the place
except a whisky flask in the wash stand
drawer. but that was probably left there
by former occupant of the room
But there must be some evidence here. :"
remarked a bystander.
Sure enough there was evidence, and DR..
Woodward found 1t on top of the wardrobe,
where the woman had no doubt thrown 1t
after emptying 1t of its contens. This was
In the form of an empty pill box on which
was written "one-quarter grain morphine
pills.
Mrs. Crook had removed her clothing
and was lying In bed though sleeping
with the covering pulled over her
The smell Of escaping gas was not no.
ticed until after the door was opened.
In her mouth was stuffed a towel and.
1t was thought that il was saturated with
morphine. but DIR. Woodward failed to find
any evidence to warrant such belief.
Her Appearance.
The face of the dead woman was some
what discolored and although her hair is
or mental suffering on her face she look ed
much younger than she really is.
AS heretofore stated, she was the widow
of the late Walter Crook of the pension
Office. He died more than year ago.
She had been addicted to the use of NOR
Phihc anu othSI oiueS anu Hdu DecOHle
such slave to them that her mind be-
came impaired and 1t was found necessary
to send her to the Insane Asylum.
Suicidnl Mnnin.
She had attempted suicide by cutting an
artery in her neck. and I'm some way, per-
haps because she was cured, she was re-
leased. Her conduct after that was no bet
ter than before. and her relatives made n,
effort to have her sent to the asylum. In
court she made a good showing and charg-
ed that she was the victim of conspiracy
on the part Of her relatives. So good AN
impression did she make On the jury that
verdict in ner favor was rendered.
But this experienc lid not end the NOR
phine ha bit with the woman, and later, in
May OF last year. she WAS tried. The trIal
was protracted one and manv witnesses
on either side were sworn. Then the jury
decided that she was not of sound mind
and Sanitary Officer Fraak had her sent
over the river. Even under the good treat
ment at st. ElizaDetn's The patient failel
to show signs Of improvement during the
earlier days Of her treatment there. and the
suicidal mania seemed to gain a strong
hold on her.
Another Attempt.
1t became necessary for the attendants
to watch her, but one day she managed to
make her way to the Anacostia near
the lower end of the asylum grounds and
there she stood and looked in the water
for some minutes. Then she strolled along
the bank some distance and stopped be-
Meath a tree, where she removed her hat
The colored men who had watched her
movements suspected that there was some
thing wrong about the woman.
Looking up and down the river as though
she wanted to make sure there was no one
looking at her, she failed to see the colored
men, and then she walked deliberately into
the water.
Just at that point the water was shallow
and she went some distance before getting
even knee deep, and, without going further
to get in the channel, she quietly laid down,
expecting to fill watery grave, but the
colored men rushed into the water to save
her She resisted, but the men uverpower-
ed her and carried her ashore
Since then she has contin ued to live as
an inmate of the asylum and has shown
signs Of Improvement.
Permitted to Leave.
So much had she improved that she was
permitted to leave the institution under the
claim that she wanted to visit her relatives
both here and in Baltimore.
The deceased was forty years old Her
maiden name was Kraemer and she had
lived here all her life. In addition to being
related to the persons mentioned, she was
also sister-in-law of Col. Crook of the
White House
The box in which she had the morphine
did not contain the name of the druggist
from whom Mrs. Crook purchased the
poison, so that when or where she bought
the pills could not be ascertained
Relatives will take the body for burial.