Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-26
TOOK ROUGH ON RATS
Charlotte Johnson Ends Her Life BY
Eating Poison Quite Freely.
WAS POSSESSED OF REPTILES.
t,boring Under This Belief, the
woman Procured the Mixture, and
swallowed "a in the Hope of XIII
ing Her TOrmcntors.

charlotte Johnson. negro woman
about A. years Of age. who resided al No.
LA catherine street committed suicide
Yesterday under most peculiar circum-
stances.
charlotte had been sick for about twelve
months bat just what her ailment was
p, one was able TO discover About
t-ree months ago she conceived the idea
tr.t she had been conjurcd. and that she
va. alcd with lizards and other reptiles.
s.. communicated Ibis belief TO her
a.gaoois. and quite sensation was
.....! up in her rreighorhO0d. the negroes
.- blocks around all firmly believing
r.t charlotte was the victim OF some
l Sung yoOdoo.
AID manner Of arts were rcsorted 70
with a view Of driving the imaginary
I.u..s from the body Of the unfortunate
woman. but all were ia vain. for instead
q. leaving her. they increased in her
.mauuauon. until she imagined she was
"a ..utab.c geological garden.
DETERMINED TO KILL THEM.
Becoming very much oppressed. Char
U.. determined 10 resort to heroic mea-
.as 10 rid herself Of the lizards, and
accordingly yesterday morning she went
ID. a nearby drugstore and purchased
l.. Of Rough on Rats with which TO
poison .acm. She then took a walk in the
alley boo rear Of her house and dosed
..rsef with the contents OF the box
as She went along. She made no attempt
q. c1r..auug her action from her neigh
.ors. ulo. upon realizing that she was
.tu. poison. ran 10 her home and
l.lled her daughter who quickly APP
.t.rDI ON the scene and wrested the box
luu her unfortunate parent.
The poisoned woman was quickly taken
home. and Or. r. L. Franklin was sum-
uauad 10 attend her. He at once saw
chat her case was "a critical one. and
summoned the ambulance and had her
removed 90 the almshouse. Heroic treat
u.nt was administered 10 her, but with
... avail and at > o'clock she died.
WAS SORRY FOR 1T.
sla dI not lose consciousness for some
tm. after her removal TO the almshouse.
.uI talked quite nationally with the ply
..aus there. She said she had no in
IGNITION of killing herself. and was very
much distressed when she learned that
... would die. She explained that she
only swallowed the poison with a view TO
terminating the reptiles which she be-
.yad We're making their dwelling-placc
within her.
Coroner Taylor visited the morgue and
viewed the remains, and, after ascertain
ir. the facts in the case deemed an
Inquest unnecessary. The remains were.
...rofore. turned over 20 friends Of the
deceased. who will bury them.
4 PECULIAR CASE.
10 seems that Charlotte had endcavored
tI send uGghbors after the poison be-
fore going herself. She did not however
tell them what she wanted. simply asking
them 20 go after medicine for her. All
refused, as they were more or less afraid
II her. and held aloof from her.
From medical point OF view the case
s. "a most interesting one. The chief
loi-ou in Rough on Rats IS strychnine,
and this usually causes commissions. but
.le victim never loses consciousness until
tfa end Charlotte however had TO con-
.af.ions and suffered 10 pain, snd lost
usciousness some time before death.
r was positively known that she died
-.m strvchnine poison. as the Rough On
Rats was smeared all around her mouth,
where she had eaten 10 out az the box,
f.t she gave no other evidences cf 1t
either before or after death.