The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-12
WOMAN SUICIDE READSPENSER
CIGARETTES AND BRANDY ALSO
EASED HER LAST HOURS.

Ruth Rogers, a young woman who had
turnedRnto the wrong lane OF life, shot and
killed herself some time early yesterday
morning in her home on the fifth floor atl54
West Eighty-fourth street. The case IL APP
parently a plain suicide, but the more or less
perplexing features surrounding 1t led the
police Of the West Sixty-eighth street sta
ton to arrest and detain John s. Williams,
a youth of 81 years, who has lived with the
woman for some time and who was IN the
fat at the time Of the suicide.
Very little is known about the Young
woman. There ia u young man suherlnB
from appendicitis in a private room at the
Presbyterian Hospital who can perhaps ex-
plain all. He is Georges Kirby, a clerk In q
brokers' Office at 7 Wall street. he has been
IN n very serious condition for several
weeks.
Kirby had known and lived with the
Young woman for some time. Young Will
Jams. the prisoner, says he first became
acquainted with Ruth Rogers last August,
having met her through Kirby. Williams Is
a demonstrator for a large automobile con-
Germ md took a room with Mrs. Rogers and
Kirby when they lived at so West sixty
fifth street.
H. "DldIDo bola VIC bS'N
vesterday that neither the woman nor Kirby
ever volunteered TO tell anything concern
ing the woman's past and he saw no reason
for inouiring. All he knows, he says, was
obtained through casual remarks in con-
versation. OF this much he IS positive;
That the woman came from Baltimore
and that she had a husband living there
that there Is a fve-year-old child being
cared for by relatives or friends in Mount
Vernon: that the woman was first intro
duced to him as Mrs. Ruth Rogers, and that
abe went under the name OF Mrs. Kirby at
the Sixty-ffth street address. They moved
aeyeral weeks ago when Kirby was taken
Iii and removed to the hospital.
williams saws that he and the woman
went to live temporarily with a friend on
West Hath street. For some reason the
woman took the name Of Bradley when she
went to the Harlem address, and when on
last Wednesday they moved into the Eghty-
fourth street fat the woman persuaded
Williams to take the apartment IN his name
Williams took a lease for a year, His name
IA on the behboard In the vestibule.
Williams told the police and Coroner
Shrady that he came home about IL O'CLOCK
last night and found Mrs. Rogers reading
She was very nervous, not only over the
Z fact that Kirby was seriously Ill but also
haoa,so sbe was to enter Roosevelt Hos
pital on Monday preparatory TO undergoing
an operation for cancer. She had been a
m,farer for some time and the room at the
hospital had already been engaged. WILL
iams talked to her for a time. She was
amoldng cigarettes; drinking brandy ana
reading a book of Edmund Sponsors poems
She told Williams that she was unable to
aleen. He went to his own room and fell
asleep Immediately.
Mrs. Rogers evide ntly went to her own
bedroom in the front Of the fat. The book
Of poems was found on the dresser along
side of her bed. She had smoked more
cigarettes there. 1900,
At o O'Clock yesterday morning Williams
awoke. As he entered the private hall OF
the fat he saw the woman stretched out
en- the q oor, her body in the hall and the
head In the dining room. The floor was
covered. with blood and there we're mars
of blood on the paper on the waA OF lne
/ hallway lust outside OF the dining room
Williams dressed hurriedly and went out
In search Of a policeman. He got Patrol
man Feely, who summoned an aIhput.nce
from Roosevelt Hospital. DR.. Johnston
who responded, said that the woman nae
been dead some time. Feely had notified
the West Sixty-eighth street station ane
Capt. Martin Handy and a squad or detec'
tiyes came to the fiat soon afterward. Int
Coroners' Office was notified and Coroner
Shrady appeared. ~
Williams was locked up as a suspicious
person. BY this time the days session IN
the West Side police court, was over ana
Williams was put in n cell TO await the
hearing before the Coroner this morning
He told the Coroner that the revolver usec
by Mrs. Rogers belonged to him.
1t was thought strange that Wlalam'
= I--- Nha glnf For thu nnnr nj MI
room is less than twenty feet from the place
where the BODY was found. Williams says
he slept very soundly, as he was quite tired
Mrs. Catherine Quigley, who occupies tht
apartment opposite, also was hoV aroaseC
By the shot, nor were the folks on the foo
The people living in the apartment di
rectly beneath hat Of Mrs. Rogers ant
Williams say that they, heard ioots.eP
overhead at II O'Clock and were Kept AWAKE
some time by this noise.
Assistant District Attorney CardoZa ais
visited the fiat and joined in the investlga
ton. Among the wonan's effects was
letter that she had written. very recently
II was not dated and evidently she ma
Changed her mind about mailing it or ha'
written another in its place. 1t read;
To MY DARLING: How happy l shall b'
TO see you and 10 talk to you. Time Is hang
ing very heavily OH my hands since ! say
you last, When it is all over | shall be yer
nADDY L pray ~ W INV 49,
Won. Daring. ! love you and hope the wors
~ will soon be over. was not able 10 sleep Il
ali last night. have prayed God to hear lt
Bear up, sweetheart. All love from your
LITTLE MAN.
The dead woman was p years ole
was a brunette and weighed less TN tnan rs
hundred pounds. Williams says she wa
ri n literary turn Of mind and eXtremel
fond Of poetry, especially ng m sEansepI w SGTs'
mournful nature. In a bookcase in tn
narIor we're many works OF the better clas
~ fiction. The entire fiat had a marke
air of refinement. The clothes OF the dea
woman were exceptionally good n WEI
BEDROOM was a large doll and toy piano
These, according to Williams, we're to hay
been sent to the child in Mount Vernon
Williams comes from n good family
Glen Ridge, n. j. He has been prominei
In athletics. n.
tactive Deyanney was sent to the PresDI
terrain Hospital to get a statement tro
~ e. A.. Inatnra TnfIIaal