The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-29
lad AFFAIR IN FAIR HAVEN
MRS. ALMIRA EYARTS AND HER
SON FOUND DEAD IN THEIR ROOMS.

SON FOUND DEAD IN THEIR ROOMS.
Cause of Their Deaths Not Definitely
Known but 1t is Thought That They
Committed Suicide -Despondent Be-
cause of heir Poverty-MedicaI Ex-
aminer Investigating Other Fair Ha-
ven News.
Early yesterday morning Mrs. Almira
Evarts, who lived on the third floor
of the building at the corner of Quin-
nipiac avenue and Grand avenue,
was found dead and her son,
Charles, a man about fifty years Of age,
was in a dying condition and expired in
few minutes. The EvartS have been
quite destitute of late and several or
the neighbors have ministered to mem.
One of the friends called Sunday even
Ing and Mrs. Evarts was sitting up eat
ing her supper. The son was i'll, but
was not considered in a serious condi-
ton. Mrs. Evarts death is believed to
have been due to old age and general
weakness. Her husband died about
year ago. The remains of mother and
son were taken to the undertaking eS-
tablishment of HI. w. Crawford last
evening. Medical Examiner Bartlett
viewed the remains and had not yet re-
ported his finding last night.
1t is said that Mrs. Evarts had been
affected with heart disease and that
her son was just recovering from an
attack of grip. She was about eighty
years of age. She and her son have
been in very poor circumstances, he
having been employed at small wages
in wood yard until about a week ago,
when he became i'll with grip Friday
evening last the old lady summoned
DR.. Burdette Adams to attend her son
and the physician called and left some
medicine for him. DR.. Adams saw that
they were in destitute circumstances
and suggested that town physician be
called, but his advice was not acted
upon.
The neighbors of Mrs Evarts and
her son, knowing that they were very
poor and that the son was i'll, nave
been very kind to them and during the
past few days neighbors have called to
see that they had food and fire. sun
day evening a neighbor, Mr. Hills,
called at their rooms and found that
thew had no fire. He lighted fire and
cleared up the rooms and then left
them. He said yesterday that when he
called Sunday evening Mrs. Evarts was
apparently in good health for woman
Of her age and the son although suf-
fering from a severe cold did not ap-
pear to be seriously i'll.
Yesterday morning about $3.50 Mr..
Hills again called at the rooms OF the
Eyarts and found the old lady sitting
In a chair with her head dropped on
her chest, apparently dead, and her
son sitting on sofa apparently dying.
Mr.. Hills hurried out and seeing Hen
nv Shannon sent him to the Evarts'
rooms and telephoned for DR.. Adams.
when Mr.. Hills left the house the son
was still breathing, but when DR..
Adams arrived, about fifteen minutes
later he was dead and had been dead
five minutes. He was sitting on
q sofa with his arms resting on table
close by and his head resting on MS
arm. Dr. Adams examined the OLD lady
and thought that the indications were
that she had been dead half an hour
or an hour. Her body was still warm
Some Of the neighbors thought last
night from the fact that the mother
and son had died about the same time
that they had taken some narcotlc
noison to end their lives together, nav
ing become respondent and discour-
agad because of their destitute cond1-
Hons. IT is not thought that they died
of starvation since when they were
found dead some bread and crackers
were found in their apartments ana
their neighbors had furnished them
food.
IT was also reported in the neighbor-
hood that they had died Of coal gas
asphyxiation but DR.. Adams SAID that
when he was called yesterday morning
he detected no odor of gas In the rooms
and that he did not think that the hre
was burning up strongly enough to pro-
duce gas sufficient to cause asphyxla-
ton.
n is said that the family was for
yner1v in good circumstances and that
+heir moor circumstances in recent years
had preyed upon their minds and caus-
Cd them to become very respondent.
THE old lady was proud and disliked to
accent charity. When DR.. Adams call
Cd Friday evening and saw that the
rooms were in dirty condition because
of the inability of the old lady to take
care of them and that Mrs Evarts was
NOT receiving the care which one OF her
wears should receive, he asked her II
She would not prefer to go to an old
ladies' home or some similar 1nst1tu-
tion He said that at this suggestion
she fared up and her pride asserted It
self She Indignantly told him that she
nreferred to stay where she was and
said that she void not leave her son.
The doctor had, however intended to
arrange for her to go to some 1nst1tu-
+inn and would have done so had she
lived.
Medical Examiner Bartlett had not
co,nnleted his examination of the case
last night and until an autopsy is per-
formed it will not be known whether
thew committed suicide or died OF nat
ural causes.
one of the most pleasant gatherings
~ the season occurred at the nome or
Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Miller, 70 East Pearl
street Saturday evening Mr.. and MIS-
Miller are about to remove TO New
london. as Mr.. Miller has lust been
onnointed chief train dispatcher at that