Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-16
Two Sisters Driven to
Suicide BY Poverty.
Give Both Their Bodies to the
Surgeons. Knives.
PATHETIC Case in New York City-And
There Are Others!

years old, and Valerie Abel. 80. sisters
some time. Saturday night. lay down
OH the Dare floor of one of the rooms
IRON which they had been dispossessed
at NO. 33S East 51st street, put their
arms round each other as they lay
lact TO face and placed tubes leading
10 a chandelier gas jet in their mouth his
1hey were found in the disnantled
nat. sunday morning. LII the hand OF
. the Younger WAS Il letter in German
| winch Coroner jackson translated as
! follows:
ont our requests. w. beg OF Won. for
IN" love of humanity. do not separate
~. Tor We have loved each other through
life and nave decded 10 ,Ii. ,np.t her
We nave talked this over for a week
and tiiod that life is not worth living.
some people are afraid to die. We are
not.
We have had much trouble and very
lttlc joy and happiness in this world.
Our last request is to bury us in one
Sravt u 70" do. our spirits will be hap
Ply. For this consideration We give our
bodies for the benefit OF medical Science
Ih"E may be of us" tn tn medical pIo-
frSsioI-perhaps TO Noun; Sinai hospital
forgive us oar faults. for We forgive
these who have Sinned against us.
We leave money for YOU to send these
letters. We beg o: you AIR. Rohkohl
ithe ]anifOl). to forgive MS :Or causing
you 50 much trouble and unpleaSantI.aGS.
"" have lived long enough. w. love All
mankind. but nobody loved or cared fai
us. GOCd-hy. all.
/ LOUISE AND VALERIE
I The women We're clothed in night
gowns. with their outer clothing I'M
Gerneath and above them. as a pro-
lection, apparently. from the cold of
the unheated room. They We're dis
possessed Oh Friday. having failed to
pay their rent. while on the Same day
the furniture of the flat, which they
had bought from AZ Installment com
p.iry. was taken away in default of
payments. Their clothes and sl.G3 in
cash seemed TO be their only remaining
possessions.
Increasing poverty. with no friends
tC wnom they could turn for aid. and
the dispOssrssion. it is supposed, drove
the sisters to suicide. According to the
janitor. Frederick Eohknhi.~ They had
no visible occupation. but seemed to
have money in plenty up to the last
SIX weeks.
Although the police and coroner ac-
ccpt the statement that they were Sis
tfrs. they We're SiSterS-in-laW, if relat-
ed at all, for he says he had heard the
elder of the two speak of her husband
and a son. HOW said to be ut Heidel-
berg University. Germany.
According to Rohkohl. the two
women Went to the house three months
ago and rented fiat on the second
floor. The rent was SIS month. They
furnished it comfortably. putting into
the six rooms and bath furniture worth
y+1,t a <
from an installment company.
| Rohkohl learned little as to their
friends in this city. He gained the inn
preston that they had previously lived
near 11th street and 5th avenue. They
aDDarcntly had no occupation. but ne
found nothing to object to in their de-
pertinent. About two weeks after they
had been in the fiat the elder sister
asked the ianitor if they might let Il
room to Il man. as they did not nced
the entire fat. He refused the request.
They made no further demand, ana ac-
cepted his ruling without unpleasant-
ness.
When tie rent for October fell due
they did not pay on time. When Ron
kohl complained. the older woman.
who always did the talking. said that
by Nov. she would have plenty or
money and would pay him everything.
. He consented TO wait. ON Nov. the
money WAS not forthcoming. Rohkohl
smoke about it, and the elder sister
again asked him 10 wait a few days
l.. lgrr.
He refused. and got summons IN "
/ r.,ni,.;ral court against her. return-
49, NtN1l "a -
tnnjjnr 20 il. ana warrant for dis
passion was issued Ii was served. fte
Friday afternoon At the same time
the furniture company. hearing OF the
dispossess proceedings. was on hand
with Il truck to take the furniture
aw..y. The women were behind on their
PAYMENTS on il. and its removal had
been threatened.
Although their furniture was gone
and the rooms were bare Miss Louise
asked RohkOhl for permission to keep
n little clothing in the rooms until the
next day He was willing. The two
women then went out. and ROhkOhi
does not know where they spent FRI
day night
on Saturday afternoon they returned
to the house. and Miss Louise told
Rohko OIL that she ould like to keep the
keys of the fiat a day longer promis-
ing for the privilege that the next day
she would pay all that was due. ROh-
kohl supposed that they merely wanted
to keep Il few articles of clothing in
the fiat for the night and let them keep
the keys. They went out again.
: About midnight on Saturday, the
janitor heard them return. AS he was
sleepy. he paid little attention to them.
He says that when they left him i'm
the afternoon they said they were go
ing to spend the evening in a Broad
way theater and afterwards dine
sumptuously somewhere. They had
apparently raised a little money. he
thinks. by pawning some of their jew
elry. The elder sister told him that
she had pawned a ring in a Third
avenue shop for Sc. II
<Conffp,,aA IN, VI