The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-03
@ AA-AH-A M-A-M-&- A-NA-N-H-
Special Dispatch to The Call.

| ~ TOCKTON, May Mrs. Virgine
Hassell, a dashing young English
woman, murdered Mrs. William
OHickman early this morning and
then ended her own life.
Mrs. HasseI was known as THE
Countess. and Mrs. Hickman is said to
have been a victim of her unnatural af-
fection. They were found dead in bed.
locked in each others arms. The re-
sponsibility for the tragedy was easily
fixed by the circumstances surrounding
it The woman had a steady hand and
knew where to shoot to produce in
stant death. Mrs. Hickman was shot
through the left temple. and the muir
deress then ended her own life with a
bullet through her right temple.
The scene of the double murder was
the Letter roOming- house, 216 South
Sutter street, at which place Mrs. Has
sell made her home. The intimacy be-
tween Mrs. Hickman and Mrs. Hasseu
had been a source of comment in GER
tai" circles for some time.
Mrs. Hickman was a woman with two
children, a daughter of T. ]. Smith and
related through marriage to one of the
leading families of Stockton OF late
Mrs. Hickman's husband and relatives
have been making strenuous efforts to
keep the women apart Mrs HasseI
never lost an opportunity to
hunt her up and get her out to visit at
the rOoming house. During the last
week the relatives of Mrs Hickman
We're congratulating themselves that
the pair We're becoming less infatuated
with each other.
Yesterday afternoon the two met, and
Mrs. Hassell said she had just received
a remittance from England and in
tended to start back home this morn
ing. She wanted Mrs. Hickman to
spend her last night in Stockton with
her. She also went to the Smith home
and made the same statement, with the
result that the two started for the
private lodging house. The English
woman was seen to mail some letters at
about IL o'clock, and also purchased
some bananas at a stand at the same
time
None of the inmates of the place,
other than Jack" Lawson, remember
having heard the shots when the
tragedy was enacted. Lawson says
that at about 4:30 o'clock he heard
two reports, a few seconds apart, but
supposed the noise was on the street
and was a part of the Dewey celebra-
ton.
The discovery of the crime was due
to the uneasiness of Mrs. Hickman's
father over her having been away all
night with Mrs. Hassell. When the
daughter did not come to the store he
set out for the Hassell lodgings to in
vestigate. He knocked on the door
and received no answer The father
lost no time in breaking the door open
and the sight terrified him.
The bed was in the northwest corner
of the room. Mrs. Hickman was on
the side next to the wall. lying over
the side, with her head turned toward
Mrs. HasseH. Mrs. HasselTs left arm
was under Mrs. Hickmans head,
caressingly, and Mrs. Hickman's left
hand was resting on Mrs. Hassell's
bosom.
Mrs. Hassells head was thrown back
and her mouth was open. She was ly-
ing on her back, her right arm thrown
across, near the face Of her companion,
and the pistol with which the double
tragedy had been committed had ap-
parently just slipped from her lifeless
fingers. The hair of the two women
was matted with clotted blood, and the
pillows on which they lay were satur-
ated. The doors and windows were all
securely locked, showing that no one