The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-30
VERDICT OF
CORONER'S JURY
Miss Fife Gertrude Givsns Killed
Herself While Temporarily
Insane.

The jury impannelled to inquire into
,.le causes of the death of Miss Elde
Gertrude Owens, the fifteen year old
daughter of Mr.. Givens, recently of Olaa,
rendered verdict yesterday afternoon
to the effect that she came to her death
from injuries to the brain caused by a
gunshot wound inflicted by her own
hand while temporarily insane.
The theory that the girl may have
been murdered by some one unknown to
the family police was discredited by
Mrs. Givens, the young girls stepmother
and also by her father. Mrs. Owens,
although laboring under the sorrow
which has come to the family, bravely
told the story of the girls life and her
own theories as to why she killed herself.
Mrs. Livens believes that in a moment
of temporary insanity Effie deliberately
planned her own death. The fact that
she mad used but one cartridge in the
revolver was sufficient to Mrs Given to
show that Fife had intended that that
one bullet should end her life. Mrs.
Givens also shattered the theory thatEffie
was standing up before the lookingglass
when she fired the fatal shot into her
brain. To the contrary Mrs Givens is
of the opinion that Effie laid at full
length upon the floor, arranged her cloth
ing neatly about her limbs and lay in a
position such as would be assumed by
those laid out for burial.
The testimony of Mrs. Givens was to
the effect that on Saturday morning last
they began to move to a new house on
Young street. Effie was bright and cheer
full all morning. She was left in charge
of the house. The girl prepared lunches
for Mrs. Givens and her husband and
sent them to the new house by a jap
anese servant. Miss Felker during the
afternoon heard the telephone ring often
and finally went into the house to an
swer it, Some one was asking for
Effie Miss Felker replied she was not
in the house. She went from room to
room afterwards looking for the girl and
suddenly came upon the PROSTATE body
in Mrs. olvens' bedroom. She was lying
upon the floor, but Miss Felker thought
that she lad been attacked by asthma.
She ran out of the house and rushed
down to the house for Mrs. Givens. A
doctor was telephoned for and Mrs Civ
ems hurried to the house to find Effie ly-
ing on the floor, her head in a pool Of
blood. the revolver lying upon her
stomach She took the revolver away
and laid lit On the bed.
II thought it must have been done by
some other hand than her own, but l
feel now that it was done by her own"
said Mrs. Givens. II have been told that
the girl nad peculiar shaped head, and
people with heads like that have mental
arrangement A gentleman friend re-
marked some time ago that the girl
would go insane. Many people have
made the same remark although of
course, we did not observe this. 1t seems
to me that something must have happen
ed, something in her brain snapped, and
then she got this insane idea into her
head to kill herself.
IT don't think she stood up to kill her
self. She was lying so naturally on the
floor that 1 don't think she could have
fallen into that position, and the revolt
yer certainly would not have been lying
on her stomach. Her skirts would 9TH
erwise have been disarranged and her
limbs. not so perfectly stretched OUT
DR.. Burgess testified to having been
called to attend the girl and to extracting
the bullet from the skull. He gave it
as his opinion that the wound was self
inflicted Miss Kreuger and Miss Felix
err both gave evidence touching upon the
case Miss Felker being the one who
discovered the girl after the shot was fir
ed She knew of no one who had been
at the house except members of the
family during the day