The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-05-10
SHE PROMISED TO FOLLOW HIM.
II Was Agreed That She Was to Spend All
the Money and Then End Her Life
HUSBANDS ASHES IN HER COFFIN.
Ahsn The Time Came She Notified Tho Under.
laksr, Bsds Her friends Farewell and De-
shOysd Ha Life whh Illuminating Cas-


New York. May 10.-Mrs. Louisa
Fischer committed suicide recently at
No. i2t West Twentieth street, and her
friends and neighbors attributed the
act to poverty and TO brooding over
the loss OF her husband, Henry. Mr..
Fischer shot himself last December,
when he and his wife were living at
No. 107 West Fifteenth street.
IL now appears that both the suicides
we're committed in accordance with an
agreement made between the two.
Henry Fischer was for many years
4 prosperous restaurant Keeper, but
hard times overlook him, and after
succession OF disasters he found himself
win oid age creeping on ana with not
a OOilar in lne MOIIu except what might
oe realized on a life insurance policy
for $1,000.
Realizing that he could no longer
support his wife, 10 whom he was de-
voted. he conceived the idea of destroy
nag himself. So that she might have
The money that was only obtainable on
ais death.
lie told her Of his plans and she did
all she could TO dissuade him, but 10 no
purpose. HIS only reply was that IL was
better that he should die than that
they should both face a lingering death
by starvation. At last, however, he
yielded TO her entreaties and promised
TO wait awhile, in the hope that times
would mend.
Matters came to crisis on December
27, when the landlord served a dispos-
sess notice ana Fishcher told his wife
that he had abandoned all hope and
Intended TO Kill himself that night. He
,f.,f 81 l,fU xkrtf hnx tn sraf he.
insurance money. and then said: Pro
mise me that When III Is all gone you
will follow my example and kill your
self. | will be waiting for you In ths
other world"
She gave her promise. and he then
kissed her and bade her goodby, say
ing: 1--WE shall meet again before long"
Going TO his room, he placed pistol
to his head. fired once and fell dead.
His wife caused his body to be cree
mated, and had the ashes placed I'm a
costly vase, which she always kept near
her.
After she had collected the insurance
money her one idea appeared TO be 10
spend IL, as rapidly as possible. She
hired an apartment, furnished it Law
ishly and entertained all the old friends
OF her husband and herself. They all
wondered at her mode of life, and ut
the apparent absence of regret for her
husbands = death, for she told her secret
TO none of them.
To the undertaken. however. who had
attended TO the cremation of her hus-
bands body, she made no secret OF her
expectation OF a speedy death. The
day the vase and ashes were delivered
To her. she made all the arrangements
for her funeral. which she said she ex-
pected would take place i'm about four
months She expressly stipulated that
.fI H.. l,s..sl oh. H..
placed near her heart as she lay i'm her
coffin, and that the burial should take
place in Woodlawn i'm a spot selected by
her.
Every week after that she called on
the undertaken To repeat her instruc-
tions. She would say. THE time is
rapidly drawing near for my funeral
and I wish no mistake TO be made in
carrying out my Instructions
The undertaken at first thought that
the woman had a presentiment of death
due To sorrow and depression. but one
day when he asked her why she was so
sure that she was going To die she told
him the story of the compact with her
husband saying: THE money is going
fast. and l shall be glad when il is all
gone"
Mrs. Fischer called on some of her
friends last week and bade them good
by She told them that she was about
90 die. and yet seemed To be i'm such
strangely high spirits that they began
10 think that her mind was affected.
That afternoon she sent all her furni-
ture except her bed. TO the house OF a
friend, and I'm the evening called for the
last time on the undertaken and told
him 20 be ready 20 prepare her body
for burial the next day
She turned on the gas I'm her room
that night. and was found dead I'm the
morning Beside her body stood the urn
containing the ashes of her husband.
and beside Il lay the deed for the plot
she had purchased I'm Woodlawn.
OF the money she got when her hus-
band had died all that was left was a
small sum. which exactly betrayed the
cost of the funeral, for which she had
arranged.
she left two letters one OF which was
addressed to Coroner's Physician Will
Jams. who investigated her husbands
death. in which she requested that no
funeral services be read.
The other was an open letter, I'm
which she incOherently denounced tho
landlord whom she held Immediately
responsible Tor her husbands death.
Mrs Fischer's body and the ashes OF
her husband We're buried I'm accordance
with her Instructions. Her nephew.
Gabriel Busquet. and one friend were
the only attendants at the funeral.