The Wichita daily eagle., 1901-06-04
DIED FROM POISON
Jealous Mrs. 0'Brien lakes
Her Own Life.
USED CARBOLIC ACID
Threw Some ofIt in the Face
of Her Husband.

eide at her residence, s2s South Fern
avenue, on the West Side. at O'Clock
Sunday night. Mrs. o'Brien drank over
an ounce and half of carboiic acid and
died from the effects of the poison at
1:4O O'Clock Sunday night
The reason of the woman's rash deed
was jealousy caused by the supposed at
tentons CT her husband to another wo-
man. Mrs. O'Brien's family was compos-
ed Of herself. her husband. John O'Bnen,
a journeyman carpenter. and their five
children, Nathan, Dillon, ldanley, Sylvia
and Zella-
1t appears from the testimony of the
neighbors and that OF the husband that
Mrs. OrBren had ben insanely jealous Of
her husband for the past five years, and
he says. without cause. The dead woman
claimed that her husband had been too
friendly with another woman for whom
he had done some carpenter work and in
consequence they had Quarreled at sew
eral TIMES in their home.
On Sunday the alteration between man
and wife was resumed and at little az
ter O'Clock when all Of the family were
preparing TO go to bed she went upstairs
to his bed room with a bottle Of carbolic
acid in her hand and the lamp in the
other, and tried to throw lne contents of
the bottle of acid in his face. Some Of it
spatered on the side Of his cheek, infict-
ing severe burn, and some fell on his
chest and neck, and some on his right
hand and arm, burning the flesh quite Sc
verely. She then ran out of the room and
locked the door on him and dashed the
lighted lamp down the stairs and ran on
down and out into the street. In the next
house north of the O'Briens lives the
family Of Mr.. Ed. SaBender who is en-
ployed at the Wichita Wholesale Grocery
company. Mrs. Sollander had retired for
the night and she and her little girl heard
the fuss in the next house and saw the
lamp fall and go out, and then saw Mr..
O'Brien come to the upstairs window
and call for help. Mr.. Sanender aroused
her husband and the LITTER came into the
room, and O'Brien called across to Sal
lender that the crazed woman had thrown
carbolic acid at him and had locked him
in the room. Mrs. Sallender immediate
~ went Downstairs and went across to a
neighbor's, William BeaI, to arouse some
of the folks at his home. As she was
going TO Beals she met Mrs. O'Brien on
the corner of University and Fern ave
nues.
Mrs. O'Brien stood and looked at her
for few minutes. and then ran down
towards her own house. It seems that
Mrs. O'Brien's daughter. Sylvia, had fol-
lowed the woman out of the house fmme-
diately after the former had thrown the
acid at her husband and after a hard
struggle with her mother had taken the
bottle containing the balance of the acid
away from her and had thrown it away.
Her mother declared she would get more
and had gone up to a neighbor's, Mr.. J.
p. Parkhursts, and had asked him If
they had any carBolic acid in the house.
that she wanted to use some in a weak
solution to bathe tho face Of her child
who had the muuDs.
Mr.. Parlyhurst says that e he had no
ticed anything out q The way with the
womana, or if she had seemed hustered
or excited. he probably would not have
given her the poison. Dut she did not.
She asked for the acid in a matter OF
fact way. and without thinking Of any
thing being wrong or that she had the
remotest idea of drinking it. he gave it
TO her. She must have walked down 20
her house after she met Mrs Saiander
and got a tin cup at the pump and poured
the acid into that ana then drank il.
She called her husband shortly after sne
was seen on the corner and told him
that she had taken carbolc acid and ask
ed him to get her into the house.
Her husband at first did not believe /
that she had taken the acid, as he knew /
there was none in the house after his /
daughter had thrown the first bottle I
away. but he soon saw that his wife had
taken the poison, ana he threw UP the
window and asked Nr. Sallender in the
next house TO get help, that his wife was
dying and that she had taken carbolc |
acid AIr Sanonder's wife had left him I
in charge OF their young baby. but he /
Immediately started out across the street /
carrying the baby, to leave II with his 1
wife III BeaTs and TO so on and ind a /
doctor The fact Of his carrying the baby
was evidently the means Of saving him 1
from trouble. His wife, Mrs. Saauender. /
had aroused Mr.. Beal and told him that /
there was trouble in the O'Brien house, /
and as she was very much excited and \
nervous NIr. Bea1 took It from her story
that il was John OBrien who had gone /
crazy ard was trying TO KIN his wife and .
the whole family Beal armed himself +
with a revolver and started across the /
street, and as he came along in the dark +
ne sew Sallender coming running towards 4
him. He thought II was O'Brien. and as
he had gathered from the story told by /
Hrs. Sallender that II was O'Brien who /
was crazy. he prepared himself for
trouble If the insane man should attack
him. There is no telling what might
have happened If Sallender hadn't had
49, L-LE N Is er-ns Ea c.--a5 -