The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-09-15
Lying Articles In a News
paper Drove Her to End
Her Life Father Tells
Story.
WAS MISS ELLEN BERRY
YOUNG WOMAN WHO SHOT HER
SELF IN THE HOTEL MANHAT-
TAN IDENTI FLED AS THE
DAUGHTER OF LORENZO D.
BERRY. OF WEST MEDFoRD. A
SUBURB OF BOSTON.

S'AA = LIZ ~ AOAL1NLO ~.
BERRY. OF WEST MEDFoRD. A
SUBURB OF BOSTON.
1T was a slanderous report that drove
my child to her DEATH" said Lorenzo D.
Berry, boss carpenter of West Med
ford, suburb of Boston. this morning,
after he had identified the body of the
| young woman who shot herself at the
Hotel Manhattan on Wednesday, under
the name of Miss A. W. Wildey, of
Washington as that of his daughter,
Ellen Berry.
Early this morning two men went into
the undertaking place Of J. Aldred, 359
Fourth avenue. where the dead girls
body had been taken from her room in
| the hotel. They were Lorenzo Berry and
his son. Elmer L. Berry. of Boston. The
| contents of which made him well-nigh
certain that Miss A. w. Wildey'' was
his own girl, who had been missing from
her home since Tuesday. The younger
man stopped at the door, overcome, and
hesitated about going further; but the
| elder man went back to where the body
had been laid out. His features twitched
as an attendant uncovered the face of the
suicide.
That's my Ellen" he said. Then he
broke down and sobbed brokenly When
he had somewhat recovered Mr.. Berry
told of the thing which he felt sure had
hurried the girl to her grave.
My daughter was q years old" he
said She lived most of her life in West
AIedford, but had lately been in Maiden.
About year ago a story was printed in
| Boston that was cruel slander against
her. The story said that a certain busi-
ness man who was married had eloped
| with his stenographer. Ny daughter
was that mans stenographer. There
was not a word of truth in the story
My daughter had not been away from
home at all and it was shown that her
employer had simply gone to Maine.
alone, on his vacation. The newspaper
printed a full retraction of the story,
| denying everything, but Ellen never got
| over the slander. She had been promi-
nent in church work and popular among
| her friends, but she then became morbid
and melancholy, declaring that her life
had been ruined and her good name de-
famed by lying article and that she
might as WE'LL be dead.
Lately we had been fearful that she
would try to kill herself. Tuesday she
disappeared from home and when she
failed to return that evening We became
alarmed, but could get no clue to her
Whereabouts We had not heard of any
suicide here which we could connect with
her disappearance and never dreamed Che
would come to New Aork Yesterday
about noon l got letter signed Ellen,
| saying she was at the Hotel Manhattan
and that she was about to kill herself
| She did not tell her reasons; but we
| knew them.
"The letter went on to say that she
had registered under the name of Miss
A. W. Wildey, and was known at the
hotel by that name. She asked me to
claim her body promptly. The postmark
| showed that she had mailed the letter
little while before she shot herself
Immediately on receiving the letter 1
notified my son, and he wireu here ask
ing that the body be held. We left
Boston last night.
MY daughter had never been in Wash
ington in her life, and do not know why
| she registered as being from that city or
how she came to pick out the name Will
dey.'
The son spoke but once while the
| father was making his statement.
Ny sister was a good girl" he said,
| then, "and she needs no vindication now
! that she is dead.n
Lorenzo Berry told his story conyinc-
/ ingly. He is tall man. with an ron
gray mustache and kindly. rather intel-
Iigent face He was well and quietly
| dressed, as was the son. Elmer. who
seemed to be man of excellent educa-
tion The father impressed one as a
type of the well-paid, high-class master
| workman.
The pair left the undertaker's together
| to find Coroner Scholer and establish
their clsim to the body. They expected
to return to Massachusetts with it this
| evening
The girl, who is now known to have
| been Ellen Berry. shot herself at the
Hotel Manhattan on Wednesday after
| noon. She was fornd on the floor of her
room, with chean new revolver by her
side and a bullet in the brain. She had
| tried to remove ali lharks of idantihca-
| tion from her undergarmcnts, but on one
of her SKIRTS the initial "B' was found,
! She was plainly and tastefully dressed
and looked like Young woman Of refine
ment.
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