Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-21
TAKES HER OWN LIFE
THE TRAGIC DEATH OF MISS AN
NETTE N. DYE.
Deliberate Deed for Which No One Can
Give Reason-Suicide
by Shooting.

MISS Annette N. Dye, VINO occupied an
apartment at the Gloucester, ended her
life Saturday afternoon by sending bull
let through her heart. She was a daugh-
ter of the late Gen. William Nee. Dye, who
was chief of police in this city for several
years after the reorganization of the force.
Miss Dye was thirty-one years old. and
was employed in the Agricultural Depart
ment, being assigned to the bureau Of ami
NAL industry. The deed was committed
with a weapon that had belonged to her ia
Their. Miss Dye proved that she was not a
novice in the matter of handling firearms,
for her aim. when she fired the bullet
which ended her life, was perfect.
Miss Dye had no doubt contemplated the
deed when she returned from office Fri
day. She made an appointment with DR..
Sterling Ruffin to call upon her profess
sionally. This was done, 1t is thought, for
the purpose of having the doctor on hand
in the event the bullet should fail to do the
work intended. Letters were written by
her to relatives and friends, and she did
not forget to leave money for her phys1-
clans fee. One letter was addressed to
Maj. Sylvester, superintendent of police,
who had been an intimate friend of her IA
Their for many years, and who served as
chief clerk of the police department under
him.
Miss Dye remained at home from office
z,
her colored domestic, that she was not
feeling well. Lille was told that Dr.
Ruffin was expected during the afternoon,
and she had the rooms in order to receive
him. 1t is believed the young woman
watched for the arrival Of the doctor in
order that she might take no. chances OF
long suffering before physician couio
reach her.
Lille Fields, the maid, heard mufhed
report, but did not suspect the cause. She
paid no attention to it, and 1t was not I'M
til the doctor had been admitted that sne
knew her employer had committed suicide
DR.. Ruffin and the colored domestc Iouno
the Hfeless body of Miss Dye lying on the
bed beneath the covering, and in her hano
was the revolver Shortly before the 1atai
shot was fired the colored woman entered
Miss Dyes sleeping apartment and saw ner
searching through her trunk for something
1t is believed she was then looking for the
revolver. The letters the young woman
had written were found in her room. One
of them was addressed to Mrs. Susie Bailey,
her only sister, who lives In Chicago.
Cause Of Suicide Not Known.
Miss DYES reasons for ending her life are
not known. She had been sick, but there
was nothing in the nature of her illness to
cause the belief that she would not re-
cover If she had been Respondent, it was
only for a short time, and her many
friends had noticed nothing unusual in her
demeanor Her parents died years ago,
and her brother, Henry Dye, who was a
professor in the University of California,
has been dead about year. She was
moody, it is said, and of a changeable dis
position but she had said nothing to give
her friends reason to believe she contem-
plated self-deStruction. She was school
teacher and her home was at Ann Arbor,
Mich, prior to the time she came to this
city to live.
The young woman had been educated
abroad and was a linguist- Because of her
brilIiancy she experienced no trouble in
getting a government position. which she
held several years, and still held at the
time she took her own life.
General Dye, her father, is well remem-
bered in this city.
1t was during his administration of police
affairs, assisted by his chief clerk, the pres
ent superintendent of police that many re-
forms in the department were made. He
gave up his position, it is stated, because
he was not permitted to conduct the de-
partment according to his own ideas.
A West Point Graduate.
Gen. Dye was a West Point graduate.
He served with distinction during the Mexi-
can war, and took prominent part in the
Indian and civil wars. Shortly after the
close of the latter war he went to Egypt
and commanded the army of the khedive.
He went to Korea after he surrendered his
ployed as military instructor. His son ac-
him there and folloXed civil en-
cheering until the time of his fathers
death, when he brought the body home and
had it inferred in Chicago.
Major Sylvester was one of the first of
Miss Dyes friends to be summoned to the
house, and was given the letter she had
left for him. 1t was few minutes after l
O'Clock when the deed was committed, but
it was not until nearly o'clock that the
police of the third precinct received a re-
port of the occurrence. This report was
received through police headquarters.
Coroner hewitt made an investigation and
gave certificate showing Miss Dye had
taken her own life.
After being prepared for burial at the I'M
dertaldng establishment of j. William Lee
the body was removed to the house of Col.
w. S. McLennan, 1916 F street northwest.
Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Henry Dye are ex-
pected here from Chicago this afternoon
They will return to that city with the body
tomorrow or Wednesday.