The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-08-16
Girl DRINKS ACID
Lydia Jenson, Eighteen
Years Old, Commits
Suicide.
EPIDEMIC IN THE CITY
Third Young Woman to End
Her Life Recently = No
Apparent Cause.
EPIDEMIC IN THE CITY

Miss Lydia Jensen, eighteen years old,
of No 1863 Columbia avenue, this morning
committed suicide by drinking carbolic
acid. The girls. body was found at o'clock
in ar unused bed room by her mother,
The girls parents can give no cause
for her rash act. They knew of no reason
why she should wish to end her life. She
was very healthy girl and was great
favorite among her many friends and -ae-
quaintances. Her manner was always
vivacious and she was the life of large
parties.
Miss Jensen was at breakfast this morn
ing and seemed as happy as usual. She
joked with her mother and even talked of
plans for the near future. There seemed
to be nothing in ,ne world causing her
any mental pain or trouble.
Shortly after eight O'Clock she left the
dining room and her mother and went up
stairs to arrange some things about the
rooms. She hummed an air as she as
cended.
About nine O'Clock Mrs. Jensen went up
stairs to her room She came out after a
few minutes, started down stairs. On
her way she had to pass a room which
was formerly bed room, but which has
lately been used to store things away.
AS Mrs. Jensen opened the door the
room was rather dark. She could see
only family the objects in the room. A
little to one side in the left hand corner
of the room Mrs. Jensen saw what looked
like a bundle of clothing. She stepped
into the room and walked toward the
supposed bundle of clothing and saw it
was her daughter.
Mrs. Jensen's first thought was that the
girl had tainted. She stopped to shake
the girl. Placing her hand on that of her
daughter she knew by the coldness of the
skin that something was radically wrong.
1t was some time before Mrs. Jensen could
realize that her daughter was dead. When
she did she became hysterical and scream
ed for help. She soon recovered. however.
and then she informed the police of the
Fourth prscinct station, at Gator and
Ocean avenues, of the suicide of her
daughter
policeman was Immediately dispatch
ed TO the house to make an investigation.
He found the body just as it had been
found by Mrs Jensen. In noting the sur
roundings it was seen that the dead girls S
face was badly burned as if by acid Then
an empty bottle which had contained the
dead fluid was found under Miss Jen-
sens skirts. tt had evidently fallen from
the hand of the girl, as she was dying,
and rolled under her skirts
DR.. Converse was notified. Preparations
were made for the funeral.
Judging from the position in which the
body lay it is thought that the girl went
straight to the room afer leaving her
mother downstairs. Then standing in the
centre of the room she drank the deadly
poison. Death must have come shortly
after, because she was cold in death when
found.
The news of the suicide spread quickly
through the neighborhood. 1t was sew
ere shock to the dead girl frieds. None are
able TO account for the rash act. The
Wnole affair is surrounded by an air of
mystery which it may take some time to
unraVel
This suicide recalls the two similar
cases that have come to the attention of
the authorities recently The girls were
Kate FIFTEEN, eighteen years old, a servant,
OF No. $50 Newark avenue and Agnes
kastenschmidt, sixteen years DID, of the
Hudson City section. Both used carbolic
acid, just as did the Jensen girl.
Miss Fitten's act was committed be-
cause she was alone in the world
Miss kastenSchmitt was not allowed to
marry her seventeen year old lover and
preferred death to life without him