The San Francisco call., 1896-05-14

tnere lot months, curing which time Sne
was steady patron of fortune-tellers. She
was nervous woman, who was likely,
under pressure, imaginary or otherwise,
to go to extremes, and after a slight tiff
with her mistress, Mrs. Manson, Tuesday
last, over household affairs, she was weak
enough to seek death instead of an ex-
PLANTATION.
Marsden Manson, formerly the engineer
for the Board of Harbor Commissioners,
who was the employer OF the dead girl,
and whose father-in-law met death IN the
same tragedy, was seen yesterday by a
CALL reporter shortly after the tragedy
was discovered. His history OF the affair
Is the most complete that the Coroner or
any one else has been able to obtain.
Sunday and Monday" Mr.. Manson
stated. Marie was very lively and pleas
ant. Mrs. Manson and l expected to go
to Berkeley this morning and suose-
quently We were to take country trip
lasting several months. Marie was to be
left in charge of the house with our father,
Mr.. Chase, the father of my wife. We had
the utmost confidence in her, and are posi-
lively dumfounded that she says any
thing in her ante-mortem letters regard
ing accusations made against her honesty.
Yesterday Marie burned a little basket
which was of absolutely no intrinsic value
| to any one. She showed it In the hre ana
IudI WAS Inc 6uu Vi lls AZ NY "'AO fAAN
tie old gentleman it meant great deal as
a memento, and perhaps they may have
chided her about it. But that was not
| enough to make her commit suicide.
"This morning when it was about time
for the girl to prepare breakfast. Mrs.
| Manson, as was her custom, stamped on
| the floor of our bedroom. By this she was
usually enabled to awaken the girl. As
Marie did not answer my wife's call, she
| went downstairs to AWAKEN her.
Imagine her horror as she opened the
kitchen door Her father lay dead, to all
| appearance, in the armchair and the over
wheIming odor of gas told the story.
Mrs. Manson screamed when she
realized what had occurred, and the re-
suits. l rushed down and dragged Mr..
Chase from the room, trying to get him to
some fresh air. We telephoned for ply
sicians on all sides and succeeded eventu-
ally in getting DR.. Graham and a number
of medical students from the Cooper Medi-
cal Institute. When they arrived it was
too late. Mr.. Chase, who was over so years
of age, had already succumbed to the
| deadly fumes"
The unfortunate girl who committed
suicide was a native of Germany.
Her parents are residents of Grants
Pass. Or. She came TO this City about
seven months ago, and first went to live
with her friend, Mrs. Phoebe Hillcourt al
she obtained employment with the Man
sons as domestic.
From the letters that the girl left it is
almost certain she knew that death was
to be her share. At the same time their
wording is such that she must have been
out of her mind when she penned them.
The first one is as follows:
Dear Mamma, Papa and Brother: 7 will bs
dead tomorrow, but you must all forgive me
II is not my fault. Forgive me. l swear in the
name of God l have not done it. Good-by
Will see you soon again. Your daughter and
sister, MARIE.
Another was addressed to "Mrs. Hill.
court, 1907 Cough street." 1t read as fol.
lows:
Dear Ph9by: am accused as thief here, bu
swear III the name of God ! am Innocent.
viii be dead tomorrow. Let Mr.. Hilcour
send my trunk home to mamma. Bury M
wherever you please. but forgive me for this
as cannot overcome being thief You
friend in heaven, MARIE.
p. S.-Console and write comfort TO my poo
father and mother, my darling PhGby.
The oldest part of the whole story is tn,
death OF old Mr.. James Allen Chase, the
father of Mrs. Manson. He was in tn.
habit each morning of toddling out anC
getting his daily newspaper from the from
| stoop. He then went to the back of tht
house, which had warm southern ex
| posure, so as TO read in comfort in the
kitchen. In doing this he ran into tn,
heavy fumes of the gas, and at his age o.
so he was not able to night against its in.
nuence