Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-09-17
PLANNED DOUBLE SUICIDE.

The woman who was the companion
of Henry Grosvenor Barbour when be
committed suicide in the st. Charles
Hotel, Brooklyn, Thursday night, was
found on Saturday in the Seney Hos
pital, with bullet wound in her breast.
She ls Helen Southeate, formerly the
adopted daughter of Mrs. Southgate,
widow of Bishop Sontbgate of Astoria,
l.. l.
After mnch evasion she admitted
that she had been with Barbour In the
notel ami that he had shot her before
killing himself. They had planned to
die together. She stood before him to
meet The shot aud he fired, but the bull
let shattered the l)wer end of her
breast bone and glanced inward, and,
| it is thought, downward. Then he turn
| ed the weapon on himself and shot him
self 10 the mouth.
The woman said that she had known
Barbour since he was 16 years old.
He was an infdel, she said, and fre.
quently talked of committing suicide.
After being shot she covered up the
| wound, and, leaving the hotel, took a
Court street car to her lodgings, No.
| 1872 Second place, two miles distant. An
hour later she came downstairs and lold
the landlady that she hsd accidentally
| shot herself. A physician was called
| in aud dressed tue wound, and then, by
| dis advice, she went 20 the Seney Hos
pital and took a private room, under
4 of IIola,, ID .rH ~
age aud endurance amaze the pbysl-
clans, for il is not at sll certain that
-he has not received her death wound.
Rev Mr.. Barbour, the dead maU's
father, says the girl vas born Helen
Forbes, but on being adopted by Mrs.
| Southgate took that name. Sne was
so beautiful that his sons infatuaticn
aid not surprise him.
There was a disagreement in the
family. and the adoption wes legally
| auuulled. After that the girl went
| West, but she returned week ago
| Thursday and went to visit her former
foster-mother at her home at Good
ground.
The girl lett Mrs. Southgste's home
last Monday, saying she was going TO
visit some friends in Brooklyn. The
| New York Barbours arrived from their
summer home the following day.
Saturday afternoon Miss S0utbgate
maze this statement: -Four O'Clock
| Thursday afternoon we went TO the ST.
Charles Hotel, While he was getting
the pistol ready l opened the waist OF
| my dress, and when ne was ready he
held the pistol close to me and fired. |
did not fall of feel any pain. An in.
slant later noticed couple OF drops
of blood on my corset, and while l was
stariog at them there was another shot,
and saw Barbour sink to the floor.
"Then l rang the bell for the porter,
intending to tell him what had hap
pened, but when he came to the door
| my courage failed, and l asked him
| what time it was, instead.
| "Then l dressed myself and went
out and got out on a car and went
home. When 1 reached home l told
Mrs. Schell, who is my aunt, that l was
tired aud wanted to go 10 bed. BY this
time my wound had begun to pain me- e.
and called my uncle, asking him TO
send for physician.
81 told my uncle that l had acci-
dentally shot myself and thrown the
pistol away.
The physician came and advised me
to so to a hospital :,
| With acid the couple burned out ali
the Laundry marks on their clothing to
prevent Identification, but forgot to
burn q Lumber of pawn tickets which
Barbour had 10 lis pockets, and these
ed to the Identification and unravel'
ing OF the mystery.
| OF the antecedents of the girl, Rich
ard K. Southgate, foster brother,
saws she was one of the five daughters
of New York druggist, now dead
Her mother remarked and now lives II
Denver.