The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-10
SULLIVAN IS SCORED
JURY BRANDS HIM AS DESTROY.
Err OF WIFE'S LIFE.
SHE LIVED IN CONSTANT FEAR
Return From Jail Mrs. Sullivan
Swallowed Acid-Child Re-
Dukes Father.

This forenoon Coroner Johnson held
| an inquest on the body of Mrs. j Lmes
| Sullivan, who committed suicide at 30
| West Virginia street last Sunday. The
! jury impaneled to decide upon the cause
| of death, said by the verdict that Mrs.
J Sullivan died while temporarily insane,
, and handed Sullivan, the dead woman's
husband, d rebuke that should detain
| him for considerable period. The jury 3
verdict was as follows:
, I'VE, the jury, ind that the deceased
came to her death by taking carboic
acid while temporarily insane. adminis-
tered by her own hand, at 80 West Vir-
ginia street. in the city of Butte, SILVER
| Bow county, Montana, on the Sth day
Of September, 1901. We further find that
the cause of this rash act was the cruel
and inhuman conduct of her husband.
James Sullivan
The verdict was signed by William
Bliss, A. ]. White, S. T. Filchett, ]. Wet
tengel, w. F. Whitley and Robert
! Osman.
| The evidence upon which the verdict
was founded was secured from the witt
nesses examined at the inquest.
| Mrs. Gates, sister Of Mrs. Sullivan,
| was one of the persons examined. She
said Mrs. Sullivan appeared to live in
| constant fear of her husband, whose
| drunken, dissolute ways made him an
object of terror to her. Several times
Mrs. Sullivan expressed fear of her
husband, and said she would sooner die
than live.
Mrs. Gates was deeply moved when
| she gave her testimony and appeared
| to feel the blow of her sisters death
! most keenly.
| Miss Sullivan, niece Of the dead wo>
man, was also a witness. She said she
lived with the Sullivan family, and Mrs.
| Sullivan lived in constant terror Of her
husband. At the time Mrs. Sullivan
took the ADJ she was in an adjoining
room. The little 6-year-old Of the Sui
livan's came running in and exclaimed
that her mother had something in her
mouth that was burning her. Miss Sui
J livan ran to the room where Mrs. Sulli-
van lay, and found that her aunt had
swallowed poison. AS she lay on the
bed dying she exclaimed:
This is all Jim Sullvan's fault"
Mrs. Murphy, a neighbor of Mrs. Sui
Ivan, said that the latter had called at
her house Sunday morning and had
taken breakfast with her. Mrs. Sullivan
expressed a dread of her husband, and
! said she had notion to go and hang
herself"
Mrs. Murphy said she believed at the
| time that these remarks were merely
the extravagant language of unhappi-
| ness, and gave them little credence until
she heard Mrs. Sullivan had killed her
| self
| James Sullivan, the alleged author OF
| the dead wOman's dementia and death,
then took the stand. He was a pitiable
sight. Covered with the CRIME of the
| prison where he was taken last nisht,
he looked the part the witnesses at
| tributed to him. He said he had always
treated his wife kindly.
| Didn't you drink constantly?" asked
| Coroner Johnson.
| Yes responded the witness. But
didn't suppose that would make a wo-
| man kill herself
Sullivan was at the inquest in charge
of deputy from the sheriffs Office. He
| was allowed to attend his dead wife's
| funeral and the officer accompanied him.
| Sullivan stopped over the cold form OF
| his wife as she lay in her coffin and
| pressed kiss upon her unresponsive
| lips. He did this after the other rela-
| tives Of the dead woman had kissed her
| goodbye.
Sullivan then turned to where his little
girl stood with streaming eyes beside
| the coffin and attempted to fbestow
similar mark Of affection upon the child.
But the little one turned away and re-
fused disdainfuly and with loathing the
proffered caress.
The proclaimed destroyer of his wife
and the alleged author of the ruin with
which he was surrounded. pitied by his
fellow-men and rebuked by his child,
Sullivan staggered after the deputy
sheriff in the train of mourners who fol-
lowed the body to the grave.