The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-08
POLICE WERE AFTER HER
ONLY APPARENT CAUSE FOR A BRA
I'll WOMAN'S SUICIDE.
Grace Smith, ms She Was Known, Re-
ported to Have Shot
q Man.

O1AAlAA VI $1,000 ~O 49,"
known here by both names-died yesterday
morning at $50 o'clock at the home of Mrs.
Gehring, 633 East Market street, from the
effect of morphine taken the night before
with the intention of committing suicide.
She was hiding from officers of the law OF
Brazil, Ind, and it Is believed that a haunt
ing fear that she would be discovered and
the fact that she was out OF money drove
her to her death. She had covered her
movements with mystery, and the people at
the house where she died neither knew who
she was nor where she came from.
She and a friend named Nellie Gardner,
who kept at her side during the time she
was hiding, knocked at the door of Mrs.
Behring's house a week ago last Monday
and asked if they might engage a room.
Mrs. Gehring rents furnished rooms and she
admitted the two women. They told her
that they We're employed to sell face powder.
and they a their names, but that was
all. A few nights later two men accom-
panied the two women to the door OF the
house, but did not enter. Mrs. Gehring did
not see the two women carrying samples
of the goods they said they sold and she
became suspicious of them Sunday she told
them they must find other rooms. They had
paid her 81 rent and they said that was all
the money they had. Sunday night a cab
| stopped in front Of the house and a man
alighted and asked for the Smith woman.
He wore a badge and said he was a police
man from Brazil. Mrs. Gehring told him
the woman was not in the house at that
time and the man left without further
words. When the Smith woman returned
Mrs. Gehring told her Of the man who had
made the inquiry and she became excited
and anxious.
Monday afternoon the two girls left the
house and did not return until Tuesday
afternoon. They then went directly to their
room and a short time later the Gardner
girl came down stairs and said her Friend
was ill. She said she had to go out for a
short time and asked thai Mrs. Behring's
little girl be allowed to stay with the sick
woman until she returned. Mrs. Gehring
consented and the little girl went upstairs.
She afterward told the story of what hap
pened in the sick woman's room. She was
in bed, and when the little girl entered the
room she took from under her pillow a small
paper-wrapped parcel. She asked the little
girl to get her some water, and, when she
had done so, opened the paper and swal-
lowed the powder it contained by the aid OF
the water. Then she handed her little nurse
the paper and said, Burn that right now"
The child read the word Morphine which
was written on the paper, but, not under
standing what it meant, did as she was
commanded, and burned it in the CRATE.
Now" said the woman, you must never
tell any one that l took medicine. Do yoU
understand"
The little girl promised to keep the secret
This was at Z o'clock. After a short time
the Gardner woman returned and found heI
friend IN a spasm of agony. She rushed
downstairs and called MRS. Gehring, who
in turn, called in DIR. Meats. He immediately
discovered that the woman had taken NOR
phine and began to try to relieve her. He
worked with her the greater part of the
night, though, as he said, it was a hopeless
task. Yesterday morning, after the woman
was dead, her friend told Mrs, Gehring thai
the dead woman had a family at Greencas-
notify them OF her death. She had only q
small amount of money, and Township
Trustee Makepeace gave her a half-ratt
ticket to Greencastle. Last night she visited
several of the women on West Court street
whom she knew, and it. is supposed that
later she ven to Greencastle.
The coroner investigated the case and no.
titled the wonanS parents that her body
was at Undertaken Weise's establishment
The mother sent a message in reply thai
She had no money TO pay the charges OF
having her daughters body shipped home,
and asked that the county bear the expense
The coroner refused to consent to this.
The girls career in this city began sew
eral months ago, when she was brought
here by Lizzie Lewis, a West Court-street
woman. This woman was asked last night
If she knew that the Smith girl had shot a
man in the arm at Brazil and she said she
did not, though she did know that the
Brazil police had been here hunting for her.
She said the girl tried to kill herself with
chloroform while she lived in her house.
When she left the Lewis woman's house she
lived for varying periods in several houses.
Then she began housekeeping herself. She
told the women she lived with that she was
Pearl Bryan's cousin and that she had left
Brazil because she had shot a man. She
was always in fear that the Brazil police
were searching for her.
When the police of this city began their
wholesale raids of resorts the girl became
frightened, left her house and went to Sc
crete herself in Mrs. Behring's house, on
East Market street. She also heard at this
time that the Brazil police were in the city
trying to find her. The women with whom
she had associated said last night that she
had a father and a mother and a husband
and three children at Greencastle. The Brazil
police, If, indeed, ii was them who We're
searching for the woman, never asked the
local police force for assistance in finding
her. If the men who tracked her We're mol
policemen from Brazil there is a mystery
In the intricacies OF the miserable girls
course through life and only its close has
been revealed.
The girl was ~twenty-one years old and
very pretty. She was Of medium height and
weight and had a light complexion and yell
low hair. The disposition of her body VIII
probably be decided to-day and the coroner
hopes to be able to clear up. partly at least,
the mystery Of her life and death.