New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-13
INTO A CHURCH FOR SUICIDE.
~ UNKNOWN WOMAN SHOOTS HERSELF
IN VESTIBUIE.

A., oaerlv woman with gray hair walked into
49,. vsstib,le Of the Calvary Episcopal Church AZ
wro,tv-flrst-st and Fourth-ave about 1:30
o,ock Yesterday afternoon and. placing pistol
% her right temple, blew her brains out She fell
>, the floor and died almost Instantly The act
rcss witnessed by Mrs Skinner. who lives at No.
40 West Twerty-frst-st She had just come
ant Of the body of the church as the unknown
woman drew the pistol from her pocket and shot
herself Assistance was summoned and the BODY
was removed to the East Twenty -second-st. po-
,co station There was nothing about the body
which would lead 20 her identity.
No services were being conducted in the church
q, the time 1t was simply open. rs II is always.
"a allow people to go in and pray. The Rev DR..
I. Lewis Parks. the rector was In the
church at the time. and he said after looking at
the face Of the dead woman that 1t was familiar
10 him. and that he had seen her enter the church
on several occasions.
The woman was about fifty years DID, and she
had refined features Her hair was an iron gray,
and her eyes We're gray. She was dressed IN
rich figured silk skirt of black and brown vel
vet waist She had on oxford tie shoes Of good
make. and her stockings were of black silk with
little white squares In them. Altogether, her
clothing was Of good material. and she was
dressed with considerable taste. She wore on
her head a little bonnet suitable for woman OF
her age in which were some little blue flowers.
II was Just 100 o'clock when the woman
walked to the entrance to the church ana
looked up and down the street as If expecting 10
see some one. Then she walked slowly UP the
steps to the vestibule and entered Mrs SKIN
ner Just coming out Of the body or the
church. The elderly woman walked up ana
down the yestibule for minute or two, ana
then suddenly placing her hand in the pocket OF
hor dress she pulled out a pistol. placed the
muzze of II TO her right temple and pulled the
trigger There was report. and the suicide
fell 10 the floor with the blood streaming from
the wound in her head -
Mrs. skinner for moment stood horriiied
at what she had seen. and then recovering ner-
self she screamed at the top OF her voice. iieI
screams and the report Of the pistol attracted
Mr. Martin. an usher IN the chufcn, anu ne ran
out into the vestibule. ON seeing what hiu nay
pened he ran back and called the rector anu
then Policeman Thomas Z. Hale. OF the East
twenty second-st station. was summoned. lie
Immediately rang for an ambulance from
Bellevue and on Its arrival the surgeon pro
nounced the woman dead He said that the
bullet had penetrated the brain. and that death
must have been almost instantaneous
A crowd gathered in from; of the church. ana
people pushed their way into the churcn Vest-
bue. but none of them were found VINO knew
the face of the woman. The body was placed III
the ambulance and taken TO the station. where
II was viewed by coroner. Later 1t was moved
10 the Morgue. The nall on the first nnger OF
the left hand was bruised. as If 1t had been
struck with some force. but otherwise the hands
were soft and white. and belonged 10 woman
who was unused TO hard work Nothing was
found about the woman 10 throw any light on
her identity
ci3e and II is believed that the pistol with which
she killed herself was purchased for that spe-
cic purpose.