The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-24
MRS, DODGE TELLS A REMARKABLE STORY.

Mrs. Gouldy, would be away from home
on Wednesday.
''At about o'clock Wednesday night
we swallowed the morphine pills and laid
down to struggle with the world no longer.
little later, fearing that the dose was not
large enough, Arthur got the bottle again
and we took as much more.
II suppose we took too much, for after
we had been unconscious awhile we began
vomiting. Then we took what was left in
The bottle. / don't know how much that
was, but it was either too little or too much,
for the only effect it had was to increase
the vomiting. All night long we had
the end we wanted did not come.
Almost as soon as 1t was daylight my
son rose and went out. When he came
back he told me he had borrowed so cents
from the barber, man named Hook, |
believe. With this he had purchased two
bottles of chloroform.
Surely with this we could gain the OBJ
livion we sought. Arthur gave it to me
first. laid on the floor. He saturated a
handkerchief with the fluid and placed it
over my mouth and nostrils. Then he
covered my face and head with the rugs.
am sure l cannot tell why it failed, for
when the rugs were over me could not
breath at all.
"Then he administered the chloroform
to himself in the same way. was uncon-
scious for time. | can't tell how long,
but when l recovered and took the rugs off
my face l saw Arthur lying on the floor
and writhing as though in pain. 1 got
up and tried to fasten the bedclothes tight
about his face so that the drug would
work, but he struggled SO that my heart
failed me and l uncovered him.
1--WE had only used the first bottle.
There was still another, and we made the
Oft 10 49, al
kerchief and placed it ever my face and
then piled on the rugs ana the bedspread,
and | very quickly lost consciousness.
at must have been about 2 or 3 o'clock
in the afternoon when | awoke. Arthur
lay still and unconscious on the floor. His
jaw had dropped. and l thought he was
dead. did not begrudge the poor boy his
peacefulness and rest, and was satisfied
that he, at least, had found the end we
both courted. But by and by he recov-
cred.
He wept bitterly when he awoke, and
cursed the fate that denied even the solace
of death to him. We had not exhausted
all the chIoroform. There was vet razor
in the bureau-drawer, but could not bear
the thought of that.
arthur seemed to think of that the
same time l did. l asked him not to Use
it, but he seemed determined. 1t was dull
and rusty, and hacked the flesh rather than
cut it. He cut the veins on his wrist.
{" Mother, ne said, God will surely let
us die. We can at least bleed to death
He wanted to cut the veins of my wrist,
but at the sight of blood l shrank from the
thought of the physical pain the wound
would give, and would not let him cut
my arm.
1.-THE wound on his wrist was not deep
enough. He bled a little, but then the
blood coagulated and closed the wound. 1t
was nearly dark now, and we were both
tired and very i'll. l was very weak, and
could scarcely raise my head.
Then slept until this morning and do
not remember anything more"
Such is the remarkable story told by
Mrs. Dodge to THE CALL man yesterday
afternoon. She told it quite calmly as