The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-19
PACIFIC COAST NEWS
Cause of Miss Nellie
- MCCormick's Suicide
a Mystery.
INQUEST AT SAN JOSE.
Witnesses Could Advance No
Reason for the Girls
Rash Act.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BEFORE.
Had Once Taken Poison, but Seem
= ingly Recovered From Her
Dependency.
INQUEST AT SAN JOSE.
SUICIDE BEFORE.

SAN JOSE, CAL, Aug. 18.-The mys-
terry surrounding the suicide OF Miss Mel
lie Mccormick, the talented art student OF
2 San Francisco, who ended her life with
pistol bullet yesterday, seems destined to
remain unfathomed. If the young lady
had met with any great disappointment or
was in trouble her secret died with her. To
all outward appearances she was IN the
best of spirits up to the time of her death,
and neither her family nor friends had the
slightest linking of the broodings that
were destined to result in a horrible
tragedy.
Coroner Secord held an inquest this
morning at the residence of DR.. J. ..
Hall Sr.over the body of the unfortunate
young lady.
= The first witness was Mrs. Mary McCor-
= mick, the mother of the deceased. She
~testffedthat her daughter was 20 years of
age. and native of San Francisco. She
could give no possible reason why her
daughter took her life. She had never in
tinlated suicide, but, on the contrary, had
often expressed her opinion that it was
cowardly for one to take his own life The
young lady had always had all her desires
gratIfed. Her great passion for the study
and practice of art had been fully satisfied.
twas Mrs. McCormick's intention to take
her daughter to Paris to study in a short
while. The young lady had never had any
disappointments in love or other difficulties,
TO her knowledge.
John Mccormick, a brother, knew of no
reason why she should have taken her life.
The family had always supposed her
oh For tbiS
her suicide was great surprise and shock.
Miss Pearl Hall testified that when Miss
Mccormick entered the house she went
direct to her room. She had box under
her. arm and she supposed it contained
soap. She asked Miss Mccormick if she
had something good" and received an
evasive but jOcular answer. When she
found Miss Mccormick she was lying in a
position she often assumed, partly on her
side. with her head hanging over the bed.
Her face was downward.
DIR. J. Z. Hall Sr. said Miss Mccormick
called at his office at 80. She appeared
to be in the best of spirits and said she
would lave to postpone her engagement
with him to.paint his portrait and asked
f:the next day would do as well for the |
sitting. There, was a ripe pear on the |
table, and his son, DR.. Orally Hall, said:
Mickey. do you want this pear2''
Mickey was pet name by which Miss
Mccormick was designated by the Hall |
family. She accepted the pear. The wit |
ness knew no reason why the girl should |
take her life.
J. Z. Hall Jr. testified that he had ex-
amined the wound and found that the |
bullet entered the head above and a little |
back of the right ear. From the wound |
brain and blood had oozed.
F. Sourisseau, a gunsmith on South |
First street, said Miss Mccormick en-
tered his place of business about $50 in
the morning and asked to see a pistol !
He showed her a small derringer, but she
said it was not large enough. He showed |
her 38-caliber and she wanted to rent it. |
She seemed disappointed when told that |
there were no secondhand pistols in the |
shop to rent. She said her brother wanted |
it to kill sick horse with.
A. E. Holmes, an employee of the San |
Jose Hardware Company, testified that |
Miss Mccormick entered the store and |
asked to see some pistols, and he showed |
her one. She then said she wanted to |
rent one for her brother. with which to kill |
an old horse.
He said they did not have any to rent |
She seemed disappointed, and as he was |
pleased with her appearance he told her |
he would loan her his. He told her it was |
at his home in East San Jose, and she |
offered to go out and get it. He said his
wife didn't. know where it was, and he |
would bring it in when he came from din |
ner. When he was returning from dinner |
he saw Miss Mccormick enter the store. |
He then remembered he had disappointed |
her, and so took new one from the show |
case, loaded it and gave it to her in a box. |
The jury returned verdict that Miss
Mccormick came to her death from a
bullet wound inflicted by herself with
suicidal intent.
" The body of the unfortunate girl will be
shipped to San Francisco for interment at
9:12 tomorrow morning.
DETERMINED TO DIE.