The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-25
The Tragic End of a Beautiful,
Young, Romantic Girl.
DIED AMONG STRANGERS
Her Brother Arrives Too Late and Her
Mother Caresses the Cold Form.
Some Touching Scenes-Her
Las. Letters.


lowing three corrosive sublimate tablets.
an account of which was published in
the Standard, died yesterday morning
as the result of a more successful at
tempt at self-destruction the night be-
fore. The fatal dose was laudanum.
which was taken the evening before,
but she fingered through the night and
passed away at 10 minute of Z o'clock
yesterday morning at the home of Mrs.
Jennie Il. Ellis, where she was taken
after the first attempt. The girls story
as related in a series OF letters she
penned after she swallowed the fatal
potion, is pathetic in the extreme. The
letters tell Of a hopeless love bestowed
upon a man who could not repair the
ruin wrought in her betrayal. and I'm one
of the missives she bids a touching fare
well to her lover and says she was
prompted in the rash act by a desire TO
save them both.
1t will be remembered the young wo-
man came to Butte last Sunday. and
Monday applied at an employment bu-
reau for a position. j. s. Billings of No.
SOB South Wyoming street. whose wife
had given birth to a child. desired the
services of a domestic. and arrived at
the employment office in search of one
while Miss Dodge was making her ap-
plication. She was engaged and went
to the Billings home and went to work.
Her manner was very singular and il
was evident she was in deem trouble.
On Wednesday evening she had grown
desperate and tried to end her roublcs
by swallowing three tablets Of corro-
sive sublimate. or bi-chl1ride Of mer-
curry, which were in the house to he
used as a disinfectant. She had eaten
nothing, however, since she had been i'm
the house, and her stomach was too
weak TO retain the poison and she threw
1t of. or the greater part Of IL. Mrs.
Billings being III. Mrs. Jennie Il. Ellis.
her nurse. took the girl to her home.
which IS but a short distance away.
and gave her raw egg, and by the time
a physician arrived she was out of dan
ger.
After the effects Of the poison wore
off. the girl told Mrs. Ellis her name
was not Dodge but Mrs. Robert Knight.
and that she lived at Nissoula. She
said size had trouble with her husband
and ran away. When she got here she
had 10 money and was compelled to
seek employment. She said she tried
to Kill herself because she was pluuel
to think her husband did not follow
her. and rather than go back without
heiS% asked she had decided TO end
Ecr life. All this turns ont to have
been a story invented for the occasion.
as she confesses in a letter addressed
to "the world"
Her true name Is Mary Dodge. and 4,
she is the daughter Of Mrs. !. 4. Dodge
of Missoula. The morning following
this attempt the girl told Nfrs. Ellis |
she would telegraph to her mother for
money. and asked If she might stay at
the house till the mother arrived. Mrs.
Ellis very Kindly gave her consent and
allowed the girl to share her room.
She felt rather badly on Thursday. af-
ter her experience Of the night before. |
and laid on a sofa tho greater part
of the day. Friday mornig she dressed
and said she would go up town and
IL she got no word from home she
would try to get work. She promised
faithfully she would make no further
attempt at suicide.
Absolutely NOTHING has been learned
concerning the girls movements during
the day until she returned To Mrs. FL
lis house at 6 o'clock I'm the evening 4
At that time she arrived home in a
hack. Mrs. Ellis conducts a little store .
on one side OF the ground floor of her
house. which is a double one. and lives
on the other side. The girl got out OF
the hack and rushed into the store.
where she fell into a faint After a
time she revived and Mrs. Ellis. fearing
she had taken another dose Of poison.
asked her II she had. The girl denied
II, and said she was only a little weak
and tired. and would be all right after
she got rested. Mrs. Ellis tried to get
her TO go To bed. but she would not.
and laid down on the sofa. Mrs. Ellis
carried her in some supper and she ate
a little and laid down again.
A snort time after she got paper and
pencil and commenced 10 write. She
wrote a long time. but finally COM
menced to grow weak. and at last
stopped writing and handed Mrs. Ellis
a bundle of letters which she asked her
10 take care Of. Between s and
O'Clock the girl a three sinking
spells. remaining I'm a comatose state
several minutes each time. At last.
about 10 o'clock. Mrs. Ellis. being a
trained nurse, noticed the girls eyes
begin to dilate and at once suspected
she had not told the truth when she
said she had not taken poison. Mrs.
Ellis husband started after a physic-
Ian. but IL was midnight before ne
found one who would come. DIR. Shee-
ran was induced TO visit the girl and
administered emetics. Mrs. Ellis want
ed him to remain all night. but he was
ailing. and after the girl showed signs
Of reviving. he left.
n. {. Dodge. the girls brother. left
Missoula upon receipt Of his sisters
telegram asking for money and came
10 Butte. He arrived here on the late
train. and with the assistance of a po-
lieeman. found the house. He reached
his sisters side soon after DR.. Shee-
ran took his departure. The girl had
again lapsed into Inconsistencies and
the brother was greatly concerned. He
left the house and went for DR.. Shee-
but he did not feel like responding
again and the brother started out i'm
of another physician. 1t was
4 O'Clock in the morning before
DIR. C~owperthwaite was found and pre-
vailed upon to attend the girl.
The girl remained unconscious all the
time and was very far gone when DIR.
Co~wperthwaite arrived. She had all
the symptoms Of laudanum poisoning.
Mrs. Ellis mentioned the letters in
20 her and DIR. Cowperthwaite
aeked 10 see them. In one he found his
diagnosis had been correct. The girl
said she had taken laudanum. DR..
cOwperthwaite went TO work and did
u L. -.n-n IL i