Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-02-23
SOUGHT 70 End LIFE.
PRETTY BETA YERKES, OF CHAP.
MAN NEARLY SUICIDES.
Took Laudanum at Denver and Was
Found on the Street Unconscious
Mysterious Young Man in the Case.

MISS Beta lerkes, Chapman
young lady, attempted to commit
suicide in Denver Tuesday evening.
She is well known in Chapman where
she spent much Of her life but has re-
Gently resided in Denver. The Re-
publican Of Feb. 10 gives the follow
ing account of the affair which seems
to be surrounded with considerable
mystery:
beta Yerkes, IS years old, at
tempted to end her life last night.
The girl was found unconscious be-
side the horse car tracks near the cor
ner of West Thirty.iourth and Clear
Greek avenues. She was carried to a
drug store and the police ambulance
was summoned. Beside the young
woman when she was found was a
two.ounce bottle that had contained
laudanum. When found it was emp
ty but it is certain that the girl took
enough of the deadly drug to kill
dozen men. Timely assistance saved
her life. Miss Yerkes lives at the
Ochiltree block at Gallup avenue and
Dunkeld place. Her mother Mrs.
Mary Yerkes, is stenographer and
is employed in the office of A. s. Car
ter & Co., at 1888 Sixteenth street.
The girl keeps house for her mother
"Last evening, before Mrs. Yerkes
returned from her work, the daughter
left home and when the mother re.
turned she found a note that read as
follows; III Don comes to see me,
tell him III be home at s o'clock.
About 10 o'clock last night conduc-
tor on the Argo horse car line called
attention of passer'by to a still,
dark form that lay almost on the rails.
The stranger picked the unconscious
woman up and carried her to the
drug store at 334l Clear Greek avenue.
DR.. Depeyre saw at once that she was
suffering from poisoning and sent out
to see II a bottle could not be found
near where she lay. Where she had
lain was an empty bottle bearing the
label Laudanum. When the police
arrived the young woman
was semi.conscious.
beside her was young man. She
called him Don, and during the in.
teryals when she could speak she
would speak only to him. He was
the only one that could prevail upon
her to take the physicians antidote,
he was the only one whom she recog-
nized. The young man was Don
Powers, who until week ago worked
as clerk in the Office of the Western
Union Telegraph company. Powers
had been calling on some young ladies
at the home Of Mrs. Mary Brophy at
1899 Clear Greek avenue just above
the drug store.
THAT Don Powers and her daugh-
Ter were engaged to be married was
understood to be fact by Mrs.
Yerkes. She said so at her home last
hight after the young woman was
brought to her rooms. Whether the
,irl followed her lover and found that
he was calling on some one else or
not cannot be learned The fact re-
mains that her attempt at self.de.
truction took place not many yards
rom where Powers was calling at the
inc
"When Police Surgeon Miller ar
ived at the drug store with the am
ulance the young girl was barely
onscious. The two doctors worked
yer her for over an hour and finally
he was brought to herself sufficiently I
0 be taken home. Powers accom- Y
anied her to her home where after
mother half hours work on the part
I the police surgeon and DR.. +. W. 9
'ssig, the young woman was appar- b
ntly out Of danger. i wasn't en- !
aged to the GIRL said Powers, and ..
urned away with laugh" a
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