The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-30
THE GREENWOOD SUICIDE.
IDENTIFIED As MRS. BASIL HALL,
BORN PETTTGREW.

she was wealthy. but Her Husband and Chill.
dren Were Dead, ana she Sought the Neigh
borhood or Her Daughters Grave 60 End
Her Lire-rdentined by Lawyer Floyd Clarke
The woman who shot and killed herself near
tho tomb OF James Gordon Bennett in Green.
wood Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon was
identified yesterday as Mrs. Basil Hall, a
wealthy widow, who for tho last winter had
lived in White Plains in the boarding house OF q
Mrs. Clark, at Broadway and Railroad avenue.
The mystery that shrouded her identity was
cleared up by her lawyer, r. Floyd Clarke Of 30
Broadway.
Tho fact that most Of the dead woman's clothes
had been made In Paris and that the only bit Of
writing she had left was o French quotation led
to the belief that she was a Frenchwoman. This
was heightened by the appearance at the Nor
wcgian Hospital in the morning Of an excitsble
Frenchman who said that he knew her. but went
away without giving her name or his own. Tho
Brooklyn police and Coroners' Office had but one
clue to work on. This was the name Of J. J. Mo-
Keon, "a East Forty.second street, the maker Of
her spectaeles, and their number, 9.733.
glasses on May 20, 1896. to. a Mrs. =. Hall,
whose address was then the Murray Hill Hotel.
In is9S he h had d. also sold glasses to her, and she
At, noon yesterday a man, whose namo was
mott les siat,an Sc ssT To the ., SGdy; .tr as w Sns s,i f. ,b the
PoAito ~ -btKOUbh ttl bHlu tuht
the woman STn,n, Vas "a one who had come to New York
Ia s,es n and PH ies shts sns ts ssas care nS S of the eeset' her
ne did not DO this. and Mr.. Clarke's coming
m to ahs hospital oga Nv was Aa Almost S;s,t BY chance han =; II, hb oSin 9
and seemed depressed. She told him that IL any.
thing should happen to heE, to notify her London
last Monday. but he was not in: She left a let.
ter saying It contaiged instructions for him in
case of her death. when he first. road the news
of the nufCtdA veRtArdav m0rnfnn ha did mt C0p-
meet 4. with Mrs. Hal. but later in the day he
read IL moro carefully and saw about the ring
" He members d' then hen THAT San S r i Halls namo
was Virginia. and looking through her papers
initials isi lifted the names, Basil Hail and Viz:
{yn yesterday afternoon. The clothing. the
woman We're those Of his Client, ba. tho face had had
changed SO much that he could not DO sure Of
from White Plains last evening.
The only cause known which might have led
to eS mr. Mrs ds astIs "a act h was dd ss2Sass tyo sr TsSra . out
which, SO far as is known. left her without
blood kin. The daughter was buried in Mrs.
Virginia Pettigrew was born and raised in this
CITY,. In 1870 she was married to Basil Hall, an
IN hn tshis eitS. S shs I Ssd a. two soe ehi hms = s.S SSn snd q
succeeded to estates in England, and they went
and after bis death Mrs. Hail took her children,
to the Continent, where they lived for two
years. At the end of that time the son died and
the estates reverted to Q nephew Of Mrs. Halls
husband.
After that Mrs. Hal. lived half the year In this
country and half tho year In England and upon
the Continent. OF late years and until this
winter she always lived while in New York at
the Murray Hin Hotel, and was wont to enter.
often one Of her guests. Since the death Of her
daughter she had travelled more than ever I'M
til this winter, when she went to White Plains
to live.
She will DO buried beside her daughter In