The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-31
TRIES MURDER AND SUICIDE.
MOTHER KILLS HERSELF, BUT
HER CHILD WILL LIVE.
Mrs. johnson Drugs Her Seven-Year-Old
Daughter. Cuts the Girls Wrists and
Then GRshes Her Own ThrOat--Had
Been Drinking Heavily Of Late.


Then Gashes Her Own ThrOat--Had
Been Drinking Heavily Of Late.
Mrs Kathleen johnson attempted to kill
her vear-old daughter and herself,
Yesterday in their apartments at Fifth ave-
nue. and lOst street. The woman appar-
emily administered drug. probably poison.
and cut the child's wrist. Then, going into
another room, she took poison and cut her
own throat and wrist. The woman's at
tempt on her own life was successful. She
died three hours later in the Harlem Hos
pital without regaining consciousness. The
child will probably recover
The womans desire for liquor, which her
husband had striven in vain TO cure, was
said to be at the bottom Of Yesterdays
tragedy. at least that was the story obtained
by the Coroner, but what her motive may
have been WAS not made clear. Both the
police and Coroner had tho greatest ,iifl-
Guilty in getting az the facts. the husband
absolutely refusing 10 answer more than
few questions.
The Johnsons moved into the apartments
three weeks ago. johnson, 1t was said,
holds responsible place in the Office of
the Fuller Construction Company. Mrs
Johnson was 30 years old According to
those who knew her she was very at =
tractive woman and was tho daughter of
Philip II. Smith. who is connected with
the Boiler Inspection Bureau, and no lives
IN Pleasant avenue. Mrs. johnson and her
husband were married eight years ago.
and the child, Alice whom the mother at
tempted to kill, was the only one they had.
Mrs. johnson is said to have first ex-
hibited craving for liquor several years
ago, but recently. according to one story
told Yesterday, she had made her family
believe that the desire had been overcome
for good.
week ago last Friday her husband
took vacation and went TO Saratoga,
leaving his wife alone with the child. Ac-
cording to people in the apart ments, almost
from the day he left, Mrs. Johnson's orders
from the grocery store we're for liquor,
and they were SO frequent rs to attract
attention. On Saturday when her sister
and father called they we're unable to get in,
They called on succeeding days and
still got no answer to their rings. Then the
anitor tod them Of tho liquor that had
been taken into the apartment and the
sister went over to the grocery store and
ordered II to be stopped.
Mr.. johnson was finally sent for and he
arrived last Friday. What happened be-
tween him and his wife nobody learned,
but the orders for liquor stopped.
Yesterday morning johnson went out
at about 1890 o'clock, leaving his wife
and the little girl alone. little more than
an hour later the womans sister called
She rang the bell and for a few minutes
there was no answer. Then, Just az she
was about to go away. she heard the child
t,atI Ia frtyT n nnf fIs. N
little girl was crying and, when she finally
got the door open, her aunt was Mortified
to see blood pouring from her right wrist
where there was cut extending over sew
eral veins but which, as il turned out, had
not severed the artery.
Mamma cut me- the child said between
her sobs
Her aunt did not stop to hear any more,
but ran through the front rooms into the
| kitchen. There Mrs. johnson was living
on the floor. Her throat had been cut
| almost from ear to ear, but the cash had
not been deep enough to sever the .iugular
vein. Blood was also flowing from her
wrist,
Miss Smith, the sister, saw that Mrs.
johnson was unconscious and ran to the
neaest drug store and called an ambulance.
After the mother and child had been
taken to the Harlem Hospital, Coroner
jackson was sent for in the hope that the
woman would revive sufficiently to make
an ante-mortem statement She did not
| regain consciousness. however.
When he saw that he could get no state
ment from the mother Coroner jackson
| tried to get one from the child but all
| the latter would say was:
Mamma cried and walked around and
then she pushed me on the floor Then
she picked me up and held me in her lap
and took the big knife and cut my wrist
that she had hold of. She told me not to
cry and that | would soon feel all right"
Coroner jackson decided that il would
be useless to try to learn more from the
girl because of her condition. When he
questioned the husband all the latter would
say was that his wife had been drinking
and hat il had affected her brain. He said
that she had been always very fond Of the
child All other questions put 10 him
| about his wife or himself johnson refused
TO answer and left the hospital.
Coroner jackson said that he expected
the police would make an invest gation.
He was disappointed to find last night
that they had not The police did not
search the apartments Of the Johnsons and
knew nothing beyond a meagre report
turned in by Policeman Powers Coroner
jackson said that he intended to-day
to make a fuller investigation and find
out whether the woman had left any letters,