Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-01

Life.
CHICAGO, April S0.-Standing be-
fore a mirror in her at the Pal
mer house. Minnie NJ. Wray. a beauti-.
full young woman. pressed a revolver
to her temple and sent a bullet into
her brain. Scraps of a torn letter
found in the waste basket and put to-
gether said the writer had wrecked
too many lives already and must
cease" The letter was addressed TO
A. n. Ohler, of Moline, III.
Miss Wray came to the hotel last
Friday. She carried a small hand grip.
She gave her name as Miss L. Gray"
to the clerk, who registered for her,
and when asked for her address re-
sponded that Chicago would do as well
as any. She handed him the check for
her trunk, and asked to have it brought
TO her Immediately.
The death was eneompassed by a
number of theatrical features, the
young woman having taken every pre-
caution to render impossible the dis
covery of her identity. While she en-
tered the hotel attlred attractiyely and
wearing a number of diamonds, moth
ing was found in her but
A Coarse Black Wrapper.
which she wore when she killed her
self. Her diamonds were gone. only a
single unset stone being found upon
the dresser where Ii had dropped un-
noticed from her purse. She left a
note to the management of the hotel,
1fnnnEsr@ +knr, 20 NnN~A ehn FaA&.
her pocketbook to settle the hotel bill.
She requested especially that no effort
be made to find her relatives, as she
did not wish them to know of her
deed.
Later it was learned that she had
on Saturday sent her trunk to Mr..
Ohler, at Moline. lie is the cashier
of the American Express Company at
that place. She also wrote to him
the same day. telling of her intention
TO kill herself. Ohler received the let
ter yesterday. He wen. to Davenport,
some miles distant, and called up the
Palmer House by telephone, thinking
he might prevent the suicide IL he
could communicate with Miss Wray.
Unable. TO make the Palmer House
clerk understand him, he gave up. A
few hours later he was told of her sui
eide. 1t is supposed hat the satchel
carried by Miss Wray when she en-
tered the hotel, with her rings and
the dress she wore, were packed in the
trunk and sent to Moline.
Ohler says he had known Miss Wray
for ten years, but he claims to know
Nothing of Her ~Antecedents.
He says she came to Moline about two
weeks ago and stayed at the Windsor
Hotel, registering under her own name.
Where she came from he does not
know, but she told him she had been
travelling for the past two years in
California, New Mexico and Arizona.
Ohler is of the impression that the
girls parents live at Leesville, Ind,
and he has heard her speak of a
brother in Lincoln, Neb. Further than
that he says he knows nothing Of her
history.
Miss Wray was last seen alive Sat
urday evening by a waiter. who took
her supper to her room. No response
to knockings at the door Sunday after
noon aroused the suspicion Of tho
ehdmbermaid. The hotel Office was no.
titled and the private detective burst
open the door and found the woman
dead on the floor. A small pistol lay
near her. There was a hole in her
right temple and it is evident she had
been dead several hours. On the lin
on Of the dresser were blood stains,
showing she had stood before the mir
ror to take aim. Where the bullet
had entered the skin was powder bnrn-
ed. In her purse, where the suicide
had left money to pay her hotel ex-
penses, were found the cards OF several
persons living in Los Angeles, Cal,
Albuquerque, n. NJ, Williams, Ariz..
and Cleveland, 0. The letter pieced to-
gether from the fragments In the
waste basket read as follows:
1All my regret is of no use. You will
be sad, / have tried to muster the
nerve to live to fight on, but IL fails
me. ! have
wrecked FOO Many Lives.
already and must cease. / cannot be
happy with so many mistakes in my
memory nor can / forget them. The
world has toe many sad people here
now. | have no ambition. so end all.
If | fail in my attempt to-day, per-
haps | shall forget. but / hope TO be
successful in ending all. II may be
some one will write you regarding me.
as | have TO put an address on my
trunk, but / will send it to the Amer
Jean Express Co, thereby avoiding
embarrassment to you, II possible.
will send an order for it and the key
to you"
The letter was signed "Leona
Graves"
LINCOLN, Neb., April 3O.-George
B. Wray, of this city. brother OF Min
ME NJ. Wray, was unable to advance
any explanation for his sisters suicide
She resided here with him until six
months ago, when she went 10 Lees
willie. Ind, where her parents reside.
While in Lincoln she did not appear
to be respondent. Her brother suppos-
ed she was still with her parents until
he was informed of her death in Chi