The San Francisco call., 1899-06-04

81 clQe IOgetner yesterday IN the
d desire for rest. One found it.
% the 6ther lives to tell the story
of the tragedy.
Mary Ellen Hottua, known among
her gay companions as May Ward.
was the poor unfortunate whose life
is ended. Blanche Dickey is the sur
vivor. Neither girl had counted more
than 20 years of age, but both had
long been familiar with the night side
of life WEAKNESS of it all had pre-
pared them for the deed. which was
undoubtedly inspired by Mary Hottua,
through dread of the next step in both
careers proposed by her companion.
The double suicide was deliberately
planned. Hours before they took the
poison with which they hoped to end
their lives the girls had made up their
minds to die together. They rehearsed
the details of death Friday morning
and before o'clock that afternoon
they had procured enough chloroform
TO kill half dozen people. They were
seen by any number of their acQuaint-
ances while they were going from
store to store in quest Of the drug.
They appeared to he in good spirits and
stopped more than once to tell friends
that they were going away. They bade
several a CHEEKY good-by, but refused
to divulge their destination. At four
different places they purchased as
many one-ounce bottles of chloroform,
under the preteXt that they wished to
use it in cleaning gloves.
From resort to resort around the
town the two girls then proceeded,
taking good-by drinks with more
friends. more than once laughing at
the baffied curiosity Of those who in
uuired concerning their stopping place.
They took dinner together about s
o'clock in the evening and then took
another long walk in the district
where they had known so many gay
times. They drank considerably and,
when they called at the Royal Eagle
lodging-house, over the Pabst Cafe,
Powell and Ellis streets, they were
distinctly under the influence of liquor
1t was l o'clock yesterday morning
when the girls were shown to room 81.
They had no sooner got inside and
taken off their wraps than Mary Hot
tua sat down to write farewell letters.
This occupied her almost an hour, dur
ing which time she and Blanche Dick
ey, according to the survivor, talked
over the things that had happened and
the step they were about to take.
Having sealed her letters in black bor-
dered envelopes and stamped them.
Mary Hottua took the elevator to the
street and. mailed them at Powell and
Ellis streets. Upon her return she pro-
ceeded to make ready the last drink.
The chloroform in the bottles she
poured in equal portions into two
whisky glasses.
Here's looking at you, Blanche"
she said to her companion, raising the
glass to her lips.
Blanche Dickey took the other glass
and made a similar move.
"Nowi' said Mary Hottua, and suit
ing the action to the word she tossed
off the poison. Her companion tried
to do likewise and got some of the
LIQUID down her throat, when her
stomach rebelled and she was not only
unable to swallow more but what she
had taken came up. The chloroform
had such a powerful effect on her,
however. that she reeled and fell on
the bed barely conscious enough TO
hear her companion scream and to see
her run for the door. which she threw
open.
THE shrieks of Mary Hottua aroused
several roomers in the house. who
found her leaning against the wall in
the hallway. With the help of the
colored porter they carried her back
into room 81. where Blanche Dickey,
apparently dead. was still stretched on
the bed. the glass, yet half full of
chloroform. which she had returned to
the table, indicating the poison that
had been used
my God, she's deadG exclaimed