The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-02-17
Universe Is Badly Out Of Joint
saa@ in Her Opinion.
Lies Sad Story Revealed in a
Letter Left Behind.
Laudanum Dose Ends AII-.Hap.
pened in st. Paul.


obtain employment as teacher in the
st. Paul public schools, Flora l. Bah
cock, a young woman who graduated
from the Mankato normal school, COM
mitted suicide in the Sanity City yes
terday morning, taking dose OF laud-
anum.
The story of the sad experience of the
girl is related by The Dispatch:
81 letter containing an obituary notice
and long complaint against the heart
lessness of the world was received by
the editor of The Dispatch this morn
ing, and, two hours later, the writer,
Miss Flora I. Babcock, teacher, was
found lying upon the bed in her room at
l57 West College avenue, unconscious
from laudanum poisoning.
The woman had been acting in an ir.
rational manner for some time, and
such an action was feared by all who
knew her. The receipt of the letter led
to the sending of reporter to the
premises named, but it was learned that
the woman had arisen as usual and
seemed to be in her usual spirits.
Shortly afterwards Mrs. F. P. Wright,
who had befriended the woman and to
whom similar letter was addressed,
made her appearance at l57 College ave-
nue. and asked Mrs. Thomas Haggerty if
she might see Miss Babcock, from whom
she had received a strange letter.
The woman thereupon went to Miss
Babcock's room and found her lying on
the bed unconscious. Beside the bed
was an empty laudanum bottle.
A physician was hastily summoned,
but his efforts to revice the sleeping
woman were unavailing. The doctor call
ed the police ambulance and the woman
was taken to the city hospital. Her re-
covery is improbable. !.
The attempt at suicide was not sur.
prising. All who knew the woman, and
through her own efforts her a4uaint-
ance has been extensive, agree that she
was mentally unbalanced.
Her one aim since her coming to st.
Paul, in 1900, has been to secure po-
sition in the public schools. In pur-
snance of this aim, she has made her
self nuisance to members of the
school board, the superintendent and his
assistants and to various local polit
icians, whom she hoped might aid her
to realize her desires.
So plainly was her incapacity as a
teacher revealed by her actions that
none who listened TO her sought to aid
her to materialize her dream. All treat
ed her with courtesy which strained
their patience because of her evident
lack of sanity.
Although constantly rebuffed, she
never relaxed her efforts and by person
al interviews, letters and petitions, con.
tinued her attempts to secure admission
to the teaching staff. During all this
time she had apparently no means OF
support. Her little fund of money had
dwindled away and for several years she
has been on short rations, eking out her
existence on milk and crackers, where
nothing more substantial could be Sc.
cured. At one time, for period of sew.
enteen months she existed on bread and
milk, and of late she has had nothing
substantial to eat beyond what charit-
able persons gave her. Members of the
House of Hope Presbyterian church
which she attended, assisted her, pro.
viding her food and clothing.
j. For the past year she has been occu.
uping a, room at the home of Mrs
Thomas .Haggerty Several times during
the lifetime Of her husband, Detective
Thomas Haggerty. the detective sought
to have her removed from the house, but
the distress and poverty of the woman
appealed to his heart, and he permitted
her to stay. For the past five months
she has had mo money wherewith t.
pay for her room rent, but she was al
lowed to stay, because Mrs. Haggerty
could not bear the thought of turning
the unfortunate woman adrift. :
From her first appearance in st. Paul
it has been evident that something wa.
wrong with her mind, and, of lat,
constant brooding over her affairs anc
gradual starvation have completed til,
wreck. A brother Of the woman killet
himself and his wife during a 1T of in
sanity, ten years ago.
So far as is known, the woman has n,
relatives, except a sister whe aiyss, nea
Dodge Center. ssa N
Because of Metaphysical condition, ii
is. improbable that she will recover.
The letter written to The Dispatcl
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