Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-08-29
How The HammOnds Died.
MORPHINE, CHLORAL, A HAT PIN
USED AS A DAGGER WERE
THE INSTRUMENTS.
Takes His Life in q New York Hotel
Jumped Into a Well Divorced
Mans Despair Leaped
to His Death.

BosroN, Mass, August 25.-Louis
Hammond and his bride, Kathry, of
Des Moines, To-, who came from New
York Monday with the avowed inten-
ton of dying together by their own
hands, and whose bodies were found
yesterday afternoon in a room at the
American House, death having re-
suited from morphine poisoning, fur
nisfed one of the most remarkable
cases of double suicides ever record
ed. 1t was characterized b! GOODNESS
and generalization, and had the UNIQUE
feature that, before attempting to end
their lives, they signed their anne to
a letter addressed to the Coroner.
telling him of what they contemplate
ed, and why they sought se'f-destruc-
ton.
On Tuesday they took chioral, but
neither died. It is supposed that they
took an overdose, which oc%cesionec
nausea and saved their lives. The
day following they made a second at
tempt, and on this failing, Mrs. Ham
mond swallowed morphine, while hel
husband stood by and waited the re-
suit. She died at 10 o'clock that morn
ing. Then Hammond endeavored tt
kill himself. He took morphine, bu'
| this agent failed to do its work. Their
he drove a hat pin, several inches
long, into his breast until he coult
move his heart with it, but this also
failed. Then he took morphine ant
chloral again, and, thinking aftel
waiting several hours, that this agen'
had failed n more to do its work
he locked his wife in the room, while
he went out to purchase Il revolver
He died some time Thursday night. 1
was probably the choral and NOR
phine which caused his death, rs thu
revolver was found with all of it
chambers filed.
From Wednesday morning unit
Thursday night, by ingenious plan
ming, he managed to keep hotel EN-
ployes out of the room and remained
with the body of his wife without any
one suspecting that a crime had takel
place. Just before he died he wrot'
a complete account of how both h,
and his wife had taken their lives
not emitting the slightest detail. II
the letter, which both signed, they i'll
formed the Coroner of follows:
"Our money is low and we are tires
of the grind We have no friend
who need be notified, or who woul'
respond if notified. We have but on
request to make, and that is that WI
be not separated. We are man an
wife, and wish to take our rest to
gether. If our belongings will suffice
we should be glad to have you Sc
that we escape the paupers' grave
yard. No doubt some undertaken vii
take charge of us for the advertise
ment, and if a grass plot can be pur
chased he will do the rest. From GU
slight store of money please pay on
hotel bill of 81 and express our re
grets to the landlord for the sad ne
cessity which causes us to inflict our
selves upon him. Thanking you il
advance for your kindness, and ask
ing the reporters to be lenient, we re
main, Very truly yours,-.n
Hammond was about So years old
He was formerly in the perfumer.
business at IS Maiden Lane, New
York, the firm being Hammond
Brittner. In New York he met ant
wooed his bride, Miss Kathry Sawyer
and, after dissolving partnership il
July, he went on the road for G. NJ
Ditner & Company, of Des Moines
| He has a sister at ST PanI. 10.