The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-07
HATED DEATH; LSHERSELF
LAST NIGHT SPENT WRITING
FAREWELL LOVE LETTERS.

Leaving letters behind her which, In
addition TO evidences Of education, reveal
mental distress 10 the last degree pitiable,
a woman known a. MRS J. w. Gray
OF "ollvia Gray an ootoroon, shot and
killed herself early yesterday morning In
a room in tho Imperial Hotel which she
had been occupying since April 20. The
letters were addressed TO Charles A. Stone
ham, who Is a broker in partnership with
J. j. Bamberger at ~ Broadway, and Who
lives at 81 Clerk street, Jcr~ey City, with
his mother, his wife and infant child. Some
Of these letters were sealed and some Of
them were left open, with a mass Of other
papers, on the writing desk Of the room.
The woman apparently spent the greater
part Of the night in writing her farewell
communications before shooting herself.
All the hotel people know about MIRA
Gray Is that she went there on the date
above mentioned, accom- anied by MAJ
supposed TO be her husband, who registered
y. w. Gray and wife They were assigned
10 room 700, on the ninth floor. The woman
was good looking, with very dark hair and
eyes, and she was apparently about 30 years
Of age, She was richly tut not eItravagantly
dressed, and she had a good deal Of jewelry.
The man was younger in appearance than
the woman. He had a full, round, smooth
shaver face. He was well dressed and had
every outward indication OF prosperity,
Up to Tuesday last he was about the hotel
a good deal, and he and the woman fire.
quently went out together Ethel French.
the chambermaid says that on Tuesday
she heard "Mr. and Mrs. Gray quarreling.
Gray has not been seen at the hotel since.
n
irritable, a condition quite at variance with
her usual moods She had as a rule been 90
cheerful and kindly that the chambermaid
had become much attached to her On
Friday night, however, she seemed COM
posed enough, and sat In the Palm Room
until nearly midnight listening to the music.
Her letters show that she had then fully
determined to commit suicide and had pur-
chased a new revolver for the purpose,
HER LAST MONT
II was nearly an hour after sunrise yes
tertiay morning, about o'clock, before Mrs.
Gray finished all her preparations for death.
From the position in which she was found
lying. 1t is believed she stood before mirror
at the foot Of the bed when she fired the
pistol. The report was so loud that II was
heard not only by q night Waterman In the
hall below but by several guests. Thomas
Powell, the Waterman, climbed up and
looked over the transOm Of the room. He
saw the won an lying face down on the floor,
her right arm stretched out straight from
the body and clutched in the right hand
a brightly polished nickel plated revolver
He detected a slight movement OF the
woman's body and saw that she was still
alive. He called to her but got no response.
When he communicated with the hotel
clerk and the room door was smashed In,
Or. Gilday, the hotel physician found the
woman still alive but unconscious and evil
IDENTIFY past all hope Of recovery. A IA
caliber bullet had entered the temple just
back Of the right eye and had passed through
the skull in almost a straight line TO the left
side, where 1t lodged, The pistol was brand
new. Apparently It had never been fired
before All the chambers we're loaded
save the one on which the hammer rested
and which contained the shell Of the recently
discharged cartridge
An ambulance wss summoned and the
woman was taken 10 the New York Hos
pital where an attempt was mhdc TO probe
for the bullet, but without result. Mira
Gray died five hours later.
From the appearance Of the hotel room
II was evident that the woman had been
up the entire night She was undressed
and in her night gown when found, but
the bed was entirely undisturbed, showing
that she had not even lain down upon II.
The writing desk was Uttered with papers
and among them were found the open
letters which told the story Of the woman's
desperate frame OF mind. One letter, a
very thick one and evidently made up Of
many sheets OF note paper, was carefully
sealed and addressed 20 Charles A. Stone
ham, a. Broadway, Across the sealed
flap Of the envelope, on the side opposite
the address. was written In a steady, flowing
and very handsome hand:
Il would Ike this letter to be opened only
by the person TO whom II IL addressed
The other letters, the open ones, were In
the nature partly of a farewell TO the persons
addressed and partly by way Of last viii
and testament, with requests as TO the dis
position Of her body, touching In their
tone and all a-qldver with the shuddering
dread Of what the unfortunate woman
was about 10 do, an act, as she frankly says,
which she dreaded.
FARKwELL LETTER.
The letters, however, were all written
in the same steady hand az that on the
sealed envelope. The open letter reads a.
follows:
CHARLIE SWEETHEART: How can you
treat me In this wEyf What nave l donei
/ am half crazy At your treatment Of me.
1 went out this morning. walked about untn
my feet - well a. my heart were sore. And
the cross way you talked 10 me over the
telephone and your promises not kept with
mel / have been reading over your letters
10 me. and wonder how you can treat me
this way.
Surely . man could not write such letters
and not care for . woman. and have suf-
fered In the past for days. How / am now
st this moment GuneriuRi God forgive me.
Your dear heart, always 20 good and kind.
90 forgivinR in all things. 90 different from
any man that have ever known. Just cannot
think why you act this way. How can you
do ~
/ love you better than my life; how love
you; love you 20 much and 10 think hAvs
given the love 10 you hate 10 10 die. This
morning whon FIRST got up I thought would
XIII myself the first thing. and then said
I viii Try again OnOe more, and when you
spoke 90 cross over the telephone 90 me
went right away and bought revolver.