Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-21
THROUGH HEART.
Suicide of Miss Pearl
Stevens, Wednesday.
Shot Herself at 4 AM at Home
on Franklin St.
Left Note Saying She Was Tired of
Life-Made Deliberate and Ample
Plans for Death-Age Was 23-Death
Was instantaneous

Pearl Stevens. aged % years. and a
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Frank E.
Stevens, living at 4S Franklin street
committed suicide at about 1 O'Clock,
yesterday morning, by shooting herself
With a revolver. Death was prac-
tically instantaneous.
No cause can be assigned, and COM
ing as il did at such an early hour.
nothing is known of events which i'm
| mediately preceded the commission of
the rash act. Miss Stevens was said
not to have been in really good health
for some time past. but whether or not
That had anything to do with the case
is a matter of conjecture.
For the past few days. she had been
taking care of her grandfather, Who is
sick at the house, and at midnight,
Tuesday, she was up, waiting on him.
What happened afterward is not
known, until Erwin Stevens, a brother
of the young woman. who sleeps in an
adjoining room, WAS awakened at 4
o'clock, by pistol shot.
Fastening to her room, he was horri-
fled to find her on the floor in front of
her bureau, just breathing her last,
| while on the floor beside her. lay a
revolver A burned place in her waist
| over her heart. and wound in her
left breast, showed plainly where the
| leaden messenger of death had winged
| its way.
On seeing what had happened, Erwin
called his father, and DR.. ]. E. Tuell
and Coroner Plummer were notified 10y
telephone Both arrived soon after
| but there was not much to be done,
except to prepare the body for burial.
| because life was extinct long before
the arrival of the physician, and every
thing in connection with the case
showed it to be a suicide.
DIR. Tuell made an examination of
| the wound and found that the bullet
had penetrated the left breast, just be-
low the nipple, passing through the
lower portion of the heart, and after
| ward emerging from the back, just at
the left of the spinal column. The
| bullet was afterward found on the
| floor, and with the exception of being
flattened a little On the point, was in
| as good condition as when it left the
pistol 1t is probable that it passed
between the ribs both on entering and
| leaving the body, without touching a
| bone.
| When found the body was in Il
crouching position. in front of the
bureau, and from the fact that the left
| gers by powder smoke. it is thought
| that the unfortunate girl stood before
| her mirror. and after locating the
] position of her heart with her left
! hand, had placed the muZzle of the
! revolver close to where she felt the
| throbbing, and pulled the trigger.
| The bullet. in its passage through her
body, followed almost a direct course,
coming out at point but slightly low
| err than that at which it entered.
That the deed was premeditated.
there is no doubt, from the fact that
the young woman left a note addressed
| to her brother. in which she stated
that she was tired of life, and also
gave him instructions as to the dis
position of her belongings. The note
was written in a clean, legible hand,
with no suggestion of nervousness on
the part of the writer and would seem
| to indicate that the commission of the
deed was the result of calm 'deliber-
| alton and ample preparation.
Miss Stevens was young lady well
| known i'm the city, and respected by al
who knew her. She was formerly en-
ployed in the Vickery & Hill publish
ing house, where she had many friends.
who will be grieved to learn of her I'M
timely death. Her death was also a
great shock 20 her family, especially to
her mother, who was at Old Orchard
at the time, and the sympathy Of all is
extended to them in their bereavement.
GOVERNOR WILLIAMS.