The San Francisco call., 1897-11-01

Alter long mOntnS or DrOOulng over tle
unhappy ending of the one romance OF
her life. Anna Blythe HolyweIl, the nine
teen-year-oId Berkeley ''co-ed, sought
surcease in death.
Hers was a gloomy and Respondent
nature at best, to which were added years
of physical suffering, but withal she was
given to day-drea ming and the weaving OF
fantastic plots in which the mysterious
was always strongly interviewer with the
romantic.
1t is hardly to be wondered at then that
this young girl should plan her self-de-
struction with all the cunning OF q dis
ordered mind and envelop herself IN one
of the weird plots she loved to picture.
Once before the girl tried 10 end her life.
Last Monday night she was found in her
room unconscious from the effects OF NOR
phine. seIf-admnistered. When the phy-
siciaa had succeeded in partly restoring
her TO consciousness her first words were
a faint call for Arthur" This name she
repeated several times, but all efforts to
induce her to say who Arthur" was
were fruiteSs.
1t was not'untiI Coroner Bald win visited
Berkeley yesterday afternoon and made a
thorough search OF Miss HoywelPs room
and effects that any light was thrown on
the identity of the mysterious Arthur"
In one corner of the room under great
pile of books and papers was Harvard
College register, or calendar, OF 1896 The
hyleaf was torn out, and so the owners
name could not be ascertained, but on the
outside of the cover was the name
Charles a. Ruggles." There was no other
mark or writing found.
When w. G. Holywell the dead girls
fat rlyala Ia ct n
he declined to be interviewed, but mes
sage sent to him by a CALL reporter, g.
the Durgan home, whittier he went directly
from the train, brought back the reply
that there was a Charles a. Ruggles liv-
ing in Redlands and that he attended the
high school at the same time his daughter
was a student there. Further than that
he knew nothing whatever about the
young man, although be knew his father
slightly.
Miss Katherine F. Gleason, vice-princi-
pal of the Chino High School, has long
been intimately acquainted with Miss
Holywell having been teacher IN the
Redlands High School while the girl was
a student there and accompanying her to
Berkeley.
To CALL correspondent Miss Gleason
stated last evening that few days ago
she received letter from Miss Holvwell
which was written in cheerful vein. On
being questioned as to any possible cause
for Miss Holywell taking her life, Miss
Gleason said she was aware that the glrl's
lie was not happy and she brooded over
her troubles, becoming quite spondent
at times. Prior to going to Berkeley she
intimated to Miss Gleason that her life
had been clouded with some trouble, and
once she said: IF you knew all about me
you would not want to have anything to
do with me-" Further than that she
would not confide in her friend.
1t is now generally believed that Miss
Holyw wrote the mysterious letter on
the black bordered paper and the tele-
gram that were found in her room. That
they were the dictatlon OF diseased mind
and with view TO shroudIng her death
in mystery is also plainly evident.
Less than two weeks ago Miss Holy
well purcha. a small quantity of
mourning paper and envelopes at a sta
tionery-store in Berkeley. As she was
not in mourning tor any relative, under
ordinary circumstances she would have
no use for s,ach writing material.
Yesterday when Coroner Baldwin
searched her room several sheets of this
paper and two envelopes TO correspond
were found in her trunk buried unGer a
pile of clothing. Two sheets were taken
TO tn Morgue and compared with the "a
per on which the letter was written. 1t
was found to be exactly the same size,
hade ana quality, the only difference be-
ing that the black border on the top Of
one sheet was hairs breadth wider than
on the other The border on the sides
and bottom were exnctly the same.
Miss HOlyweil was a clever penwoman
and wrote several styles with equal facll-
ity, as shown in her college work, but
withal there were several characteristics
about them all that could not be mis-
taken. A long and careful coni par
ison OF the handwriting In the
letter. with that of an essay, known to
have been written by her, showed unmls-
takably that both were written oy the
same person, although she hat evidently
taken some trouble to disguise the former.
The letter bears date OF October -. and
IS postmarked, ''San Francisco, October
25 6 30 A.. NJ" None OF the dead girl S
friends will admit that they have any
knowledge of her visitinr this city either
Saturday, Sunday or Monday last, out
one of he students al the un verslty, VINO
knew Miss Holy quite well, saw Ter
on the boat and train returning from Dan
Francisco late Saturday night. the 70 !
INST. He spoke to her, and she said she
had been over 10 the city
Ii being so late she could have posted
her letter in some subur ban box where II
would not be gathered up until some time
Sunday and cancelled early Monday morn
Then there is the telegram dated "San
Francisco, October rs" and signed by *.
J. Blythe" This te egram reads: "All Is
over. Do not come on now. Died yester-
day" ~
1t is almost a certainty that his telegram
was written also by the girl herself, but
the Western Union Company refuses to
show the original fling and so 20 COM
parsons could be made.
Miss HolvwelI's college friends and
those with whom she lived have but a
hazy recollection OF the hours and places
they saw her during the day.
1t is certain thai she attended some OF
the recitations at least, and from the Ia l.
ure of the Durgan family to account for
her whereab bouts during the late after
noon, it would have been an easy matter
for ner to have run over to the city long