The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-02
Alice Barrett's Suicide Has Been
Fully Explained.
COULD NOT RESIST HER DESIRE
FOR LUXURIES.
Drew Money Out of the Bank to Buy
Clothes-The $500 Loan Was a Fiction
Young Woman Dabbled in Stocks on
Marquis.

Boston, Mass, July 31.-Miss Alice
Barrett utter recklessness in regard to
the truth was shown today in the investi-
cations of the Fire Marshal. He has dis
covered that she told to her mother stories
that were absolutely without foundation,
in order to account for articles which she
had obtained possession Of For instance,
month ago she showed her mother a $175
diamond ring.
'tMiss Anita Wheefwright and /, "Alice
told her mother, "were walking along
the street and we saw a ring in tho win
dow of jewelry store. She asked me if
liked it. I told her thought it was a
beautiful one. She said that she thought
it would look we'll on me, and bought it
and made present of it to me-"
When Fire Marshal Whitcomb heard of
this he investigated. He got the name of
the jewelry store where the ring was
bought, and very soon learned that Miss
Barrett had called alone and bought the
ring, paying $40 in cash for it. There
was no one with her when she bought the
ring.
About the same time Miss Barrett ap-
peared at her Waltham house with anoth-
er ring. This ring contained three pink
pearls and two diamonds. She told SIM
liar story of how she obtained POSSESSION
of this ring. But Fire Marshal Whitcomb
looked it up and found that Miss Barrett
had purchased the ring and paid cash for
it at a jewelry store. She was alone when
she bought it.
1t was also learned that Miss Barrett
was frequent customer at f. Voren
bers's jewelry store at II Winter street.
Within three weeks it appeared that she
had purchased jewelry to the amount of
s36. Besides this she purchased about
two months ago silver manicure set
worth $40, which she paid for in cash and
had sent to her home in Waltham.
In explaining all these purchases Miss
Barrett said that Miss Anita Wheelwright
had taken great interest in her and had
purchased them for her.
why" Miss Barrett told her mother,
"Miss Wheelwright often comes into the
office and sits down to chat with me- She
evidently likes me. She is a maiden lady
with plenty of money, and she thinks
nothing of buying me present now and
then. Often she asks me to her house and
to go to walk with her. have been with
her frequently"
Mrs. Barrett says that Alice had
brought home great deal of clothing of
a fine quality. She also brought home
hats without number. Alice's explana-
ton was that when she would be walking
with Miss Wheelwright, the latter would
say: "There, think that hat would
look pretty on you,'' or "That waist
ought to become you" and Immediately
would go in and purchase it. Mrs. Bar
rett thought it was strange and asked
Alice why it was that she spent SO much
money on her.
"Well," was Alice's only reply, ~
think she likes to talk with me and have
me to 60 around with her. She is wealthy
you know, and likes to do some good with
her money"
This statement seemed to satisfy Mrs.
Barrett. Alice was always a most truth
full and upright girl, she says. From
childhood up, Mrs. Barrett says, when
ever she did anything out of the ordin.
airy, she would go to her mother and tell
the whole story. She was always ready to
stand punishment for anything she had
done which she considered might be
wrong.
"If she took $1,000 from Mr. Goldman"
said Mrs. Barrett, she would walk into
his Office and confess and stand the conse.
quences. That is what seems so strange
to me.'
1t has also become known that Miss
Barrett quite often remained away from
home nights. Mrs. Barrett always sup
posed she was at Miss Wheelwright's
house. Three nights she stayed at the
Thorndike all night. One of these occa.
sions was last winter.
But on June she told her mother that
Miss Wheelwright wanted her to stay at
the Thorndike with her because she, Miss
Wheelwright, was going away next day
That night Miss Barrett hired, the Fire
Marshal has discovered, suite M, for
which she paid So. On June s she also
stayed at the hotel, hiring suite j, for
which she paid 81.
On the morning of June Miss Barrett
sent telegram to her mother, which
read: "Miss Barrett will spend this eve
ming at the Thorndike Also"
1t was this evening that Mr.. W. H.
Foss called on Miss Barrett at her invita-
ton. She told him that Miss Wheelwright
had got her to hire the suite. During the
two nights that Miss Barrett spent at the
hotel three elegant bouquets of flowers
were sent to her. One of these she gave to
Mr. Foss. When Miss Barrett got home
she told her mother that Miss Wheel
wright's nephew had been taken sick the
first night and that she couldn't come.
The second night she said Miss Wheel
wright did appear.
Fire Marshal Whitcomb investigated
and found out that it was true that Miss
Barrett was at the Thorndike both
nights He found her name, not on the