Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-12-04
YOUNG WIFE TAKES POISON
Pearl sadowski Bowerman of Council Bluffs
Destroys Her Life,
DIES IN DODGE STREET RooMlNG HOUSE
Sends Her Room Mate 10 Telephone
Relatives and Takes Fishberries
Solution while AIOne-she
Craved the stage.

without one afliction to distress her.
so far as her friends know, Mrs. Eugene
Bowerman, who was Miss Pearl Sadowsk
Of Council Bluffs until she married a bill
ing clerk Of the Burlington freight house
force in that city a year ago, committed
suicide at I'LL Dodge street, at o'clock
last night, by taking fish berries, a poison
Gus and powerful sleep drug. An inquest
will be conducted at Coroner Brailey's un-
dertaking establishment at 10 o'clock this
morning.
Mrs Bowerman was but 10 years old
vivacious, educated and entertaining with
the further charm of girlish beauty and
exuberant spirits. After the death of her
parents she remained in Council Bluffs,
where she had been reared making her
home with her grandparents, John H. and
Mrs. Skindel Of 202 South Eighteenth
street, and with her brother-in-law and
sister, William and Mrs. Kirkland, at the
Ogden house. She became an active men,
Der of the Fifth Avenue Methodist church,
sang in the choir, taught a Sunday school
class, led in Epworth league work and
made friends on every hand. She was
married to Mr. Bowerman December 7 Of
last year and lived with him until April
26, when she Joined the Van Dyke & Eaton
Stock company and went to Denver, assum-
ing Beatrice Davenport as her stage name.
She remained in Denver playing until Au>
gust 8, when she returned to Council Bluffs
and lived with her husband at her sisters,
until three weeks ago Mrs. Kirkland
states that Mr.. Bowerman was afectionate,
temperate and attentive, but that at the
end Of that time her sister, impetuous and
too young to appreciate her responsibilities,
IN m would leave
him, which announcement it is said by
Mrs. Kirkland, so affected Mr.. Bowerman
that he tainted and for some days re-
mained away from his work, despondent.
Comes to Omaha Friday.
Mrs. Bowerman came to Omaha. Be
fore she left the Iowa city, 1t Is said by
Mrs. Kirkland Mrs. Bowerman met her
husband on the streets several times, but
declined to return his friendly salutatlons.
Late in the afternoon of Friday of last
week she applied at III Dodge street for
a room for herself and her friend, Miss
Margaret Ferris, formerly Of st. Louis.
She paid in advance the price of weeks
rent and incidentally remarked that both
were to enter the employ Of the Kelley
Stiger company next Monday.
People at the rooming house and at her
boarding place, 1715 Dodge, state she was
cheerful and even exuberant in her de-
meanor until last evening. when she com
planned of feeling i'll and asked Miss Ferris
ITO 20 out 60 some telephone and sus1mon
Mrs. Kirkland from Council Bluffs.
This was shortly after o'clock. Before
Miss Ferris returned from a drug store
two blocks distant, where she had done
her telephoning, Harry Gibson and Fred
Asmus, young men who have occupied fol-
some months a room on the second fool
near that taken by Mrs. Bowerman, heard
her breathing so laboriously that 1t excited
their fears and they rushed to her door just
| in time TO catch her as she was falling. She
never regained consciousness and died at
| o'clock shortly before the arrival of DR.
Fitzgerald who had been summoned as
| soon as it was discovered that she had suf-
| fered something more serious than faint
ing spell.
Takes Unusual Drug.
After her death her room was searched
! but there was found no note and no indi'
cation of long premeditation, but in hel
/ commode drawer there was an eight-ounc'
bottle of cocculus indici more commonly
known as fshberries. The berries occu
! pied one-half the bottle and above then
which occupied one-half the remaining por
tion of the bottle. From this it is inferred
that the woman swallowed about one
fourth the total contents.
Fish berries are known to pharmacist
! by the latin name, cocculus indicus. and are
a powerful narcotic poison. They are used
very little in medicine, but occasionally ar
! infusion Of the berries in alcohol is used as
an insecticde mainly for the destruction
of vermin that infest the body. Amateur
/ fishermen use the decocti infusion. some
times prepared with hot water. to saturaJt
/ bait and by the means stupefy the fish
| Any one asking for fishberries at a drui
store would be readily furnished with the
same and no questions asked, but chem
! ist, when told of last nights suicide
marvelled that the woman knew of the
drug and its possibilities as a destroyer
| OF life.
Husband Much Affected.
Mr.. Bowerman, who came to Omaha Will
Mrs. kirkland last night, was much af
fected by his wife's death. To a reporte
for The Bee he stated that they had neve
had any Berious quarrel, but that she hat
never been content with quiet domesticit!
and had always craved stage experience
: Their hnal separation three weeks ago fol
lowed an interchange of words that wer,
heated but, he states, not at all bitter. H
is a resident on Sixteenth street, Council
Bluffs, but spent last night with the Kirk
lands at the Ogden hotel. Mr.. Kirkland Il
In the employ of the II. H. Van Brun
Carriage company of the Iowa city.
Their wedding, Mr. Bowerman said, wal
very quiet one At Eer request tn,
license was secured in Avoca that thei
Council Bluffs friends might not be In
formed through the papers, and the eere
mony was performed by Rev. E. w. Erick
| aon ~ the Fifth Avenue Methodist church