Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-14
TOOK CARBOLIC ACID
THIS MEANS OF DEATH ADOPTED
BY MARIE CARPENTER
THE WOMAN A STRANGER HERE.
Came from Hartford Three Weeks
Ago-Wns Trying TO get In
Negro's House When Reported to
the PoIfce-Her Husband Living.


Marie Carpenter, a white woman about |
81 years of age, committed suicide at the |
First Police station Sunday evening just
after O'Clock by drinking an ounce OF
carbolc acid. She took the poison in the
cell I'm which she had been placed for
confinement on the charge of misdemea-
nor, and died half-hour afterwards at
the City Almshouse, whittier she was re-
moved for treatment. Her remains are
still in the city morgue, where they Win
be held until to-day to give friends an
opportunity to claim them. II no claim
is made the body viii be buried to-day
at the citys expense.
COMPLAINT AGAINST HER.
A few minutes before 6 O'Clock Sunday
evening Ophelia Holmes, negro, who
| lives in an alley on Sixteenth. street be-
tween Main and Franklin streets. went
| to the First Police Station and swore
out a warrant charging Marie Carpenter
| with breaking a door to her house. The
white woman followed the Holmes wo-
| man to the station-house, and when the
warrant had been written and read to
| Mrs. Carpenter, as it now appears she
was, Captain Thomas. who was In the sta
| ton at the time, ordered her to be put
| in n cell. The charge against her was not
| for felony, as 1t was claimed that she
| forced an entrance to the house, but
merely damaged property by breaking
the door. She had been in the cell bus
a moment. it seemed when she raped
upon the door. officer King went to tho
CELL and she told him she wanted a glass
| of water The policeman gave the
| water. and was turning away when she
| rapped again. He turned back and asked
the second time what she wanted She
told him to open the door and let her OUT.
He responded that he could not do TINS.
Her last words were, "Open the door'
am going" Fearing poison then, Captain
Thomas and Mr.. King opened the door,
and found the woman partly stretcneo
upon a bench in the cell, with an ounce
nhial. once filed with carbolic acid. but
now nearly emptied, lying upon the floor.
WAS IN CONCLUSIONS.
The officers removed her from the cell
| TO the public room of the ONCE anu the
; | linn body laid upon bench, ana from
| the bench finally laid upon the hoor, as
she was having convulsion after convul-
sion. Sergeant Otey, the officer in charge
, 'phoned Immediately for the amou'
larco which responded promptly, witt
; | DIR Nuckols in charge. But by tnls time
the woman was unconscious. The sur
eeon did not have the proper instruments
with him to treat such an extreme case
and Marie was removed TO the city hos
| pital. A. ..ot,o,
When the woman went 10 the std'ioi
= housa she carried small satchei, an'
asked to take 1t In the cell win her
. | This was refused. Captain ThomaS sus
( Meeting that it might contain instrumeh'
| ~ harm. There IS no other way she couic
have gotten the poison except 10 nav
had II concealed about her person. ltei
NOT custom to search female prisoner
, charged with misdemeanors at IN
rnltre stations, except 20 see thdt lae
have no knife or pistol or instrument
= that kind with which TO do themseVe'
II injury.
d DIED AT THE HOSPITAL
If Tho surgeon had not time scarcely |
l. begin treating her at the hospital pesor
. | she was dead. She never spoke aI'e
h | taking the acid. except to say she wa
), going and little Is known OF her. eN
- cent what Captain Thomas gathere
in conversation while the warrai
Al for her arrest was being written. 81
A | told the Police Captain she was porh
Va Paris. France, but had come 10 hicr
"a | mond about three weeks ago from iiai
!, ford. Conn. and that man VINO Is
familiar character on the streets seliin
- patent medicines had PAID her way ii"'
N | that city to Richmond.
:. she had stopped one night at the care
lima House cheap lodging-house
- lower Main street, but most or the TN
- she had lived at No. li35 east FranKll
street. She denied the charge that 81
had broken into the Coles's woman
-, house. but said she merely knocked
:, the door. She also said she had mao
up her mind to sell some articles IN M
a trunk in order to get enough hoheS
- take her back to Hartford.
~ THE trunk TO which she referred W;
w. found Yesterday in the room at No. Ia
- which she had occupied, and taken
y the First Police Station, where II w;
a. opened by Captain Thomas, hoping
find something which would lead 10
location of her friends and It's prop
owner. The trunk, an apparently ne
one. of medium size, contained articles
clothing. a large number OF letters,
u French and in English. One in the 10
ner tongue showed that her maiden nan
n was Rivet and her father was Narcis
l
there Is one telegram among the la
~ addressed to Marie Russell. Ihere
10 also n postal addressed 10 Marie Ca
nenter. No. 1OS Water street, Springte
Mass few books and papers and
80 large photograph album. with the cioth'
w. complete the list Of contents. Ihese W
w; no turned over to the rightful oWne
"a when they can be found. CAPITA
ot Thomas hopes something in the lette
will lead to this end.
no HE KNOWS HER HUSBAND.
GA A Young man, who gave his name
- Del Culver, accompanied by femi
~ COMPANION. went to the morgue yest'
,r- dav and viewed the body. The man So
&C he Identified her as the wife or a IN
a.. | named Carpenter "up East" but
or | Iieved that she had left him now. \
ees Culver was seen last night at the pla
hv where ne boards, No. 1887 east Frank
ed | street. but he could give no further
formation. always sticking TO the expr'
sion ''up East" Mr. Charles Il
reu who is Culver's landlord,
also seen. He said that a certain III
had come to his house two weeks a
=" and rented a room, and that the WON
visited him several times there Inc III
oe- also applied for lodging for her, put
is grew suspicious and refused H. ana
nd, told the man he must move out hihs'
St which ne did.
ay AS usual. In such cases. Coroner Ia
ar Ior saw the body. but in view OF the
en- cumstances Of the death did not de
an Inquest necessary. He says TINS
Tho arst instance OF suicide from caroC
=. -. o.,ar Lnown I'm Richmond.