The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-16
JleeENs' DEATH.

GonGon Cable Chicago Tribune)
Walter Jiggens. the latest admirer
of Edna May. the popular young Amer
Ican actress and singer, has commit
ted suicide. and Miss May herself has
sailed for New York almost Frustrated
with grief. The story is one Of the
most romantic that has come TO light
IN London for many a day.
Walter Jiggens is described in the
city directory as meat salesman, but
he has long been a familiar figure
among the PiccadiIly chappies. With
his brother Henry. Jiggens conducted
butchers business at 81 Central
marketplace. and both were remark
ably successful.
Walter Jiggens. though only 35 years
old, decided about a year ago to par
tally retire. He had an income of
$4,000 year, and fitted up bachelor
quarters in PiCCadilIy and began to
enjoy life as man of leisure. He was
rather short of stature. but was al
ways we'll dressed and had pleasing
manners. He vas soon taken up by
some other young swells of the neigh
borhood, among the number being
Harry Cavendish, who is credited with
spending $4,000 for jewels for Edna
May.
Cavendish introduced the actress to
the butcher, and not long afterward
the young nObleman ceased his visits
to the May home in St. Johns Wood.
Jiggens has ever since been Edna
Mays devoted slave.
On the night Of Tuesday a week ago
Jiggens dined at the Cafe Royal where
he met several friends and appeared
to be in the best of spirits. Later he
changed his evening clothes for a
tweed suit and disappeared.
er became alarmed and engaged detec-
tives to search for him. Sunday last
the body of a man dressed in a tweed
suit was found on the sands of Mar
gate. Every clew which might lead to
identification had been removed from
the clothing, and the coroner's jury
brought in the simple verdict I'm
known. found drowned
On Tuesday a clerk in Henry jig
gems office showed a newspaper para
sraph about the mystery TO his en-
Dloyer, and the next day Henry Jig
'-ens arrived at Margate and Identified
the body as that Of his brother Just
in time to prevent its burial in the
potter's field. r ia
When the news reached London it
caused general regret in Piccadilly as
general as it was sincere. It was
decided to keep the matter from Edna
May. She sails tomorrow for New
IN " AANLC o4AS II ~ pay tAltuCA
Charles Frohman's management. and
it was thought that she had better
hear the news on that side of the At
tantic, but one stupid young man who
called on Thursday night to say fare
we'll dropped a word which revealed
the secret.
The gloom which settled over the
actress home was pathetic. Jane May.
her sister, and Mabel Power. her
friend, appeared to feel the blow al
most as keenly as the object of the
suicides devotion. Today the three
young women took the train at Water
loo for Southampton. Several oId-time
friends, among them John Tenant,
manager of the Empire theatre; John
Sterrett, Monte De Lisser and Wini-
fred Chancellor were present at the
station to bid the party farewell. It
was fearful gathering. Edna May
was hySter1Cal and weeping bitterly.
She had to be half carried into the
train by her sister and a physician.
of the causes assigned for the sui
eide one is that Jiggens had spent al
most twice his income the last year.
and was respondent over the debts
which naturally resulted. This theory
his brother disputes. for the rea son
that within a fortnight hence Walter
would have had a fresh supply of
funds. f-FZ
The second explanation is to the eff
LCNt tudL the young man was 0eSDer-
ate over the departure of his sweet
heart, and the third and least proba-
bic of all, is that he worried over
rival sutton
Miss Mays friends insist that her
grief is due to her tender heartedness
over the loss of a faithful friend. The
actress herself was in no condition to
talk, but those best acquainted with
her insist that Jiggens was the most
honest Of all her many admirers.