The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-05
woMAN,s DESPERATE DEED
Determined Effort to End Her Life.
Horribly Wounded With Shotgun,
Tries to Repeat the Attempt.

News has reached the city from the
Rougemont section of an attempted
suicide there on Saturday when a
young lady, Miss Zenobia Franklin,
daughter of Henry Franklin, shot her
self with a shot gun and came near
ending her life.
While fearfully wounded the reports
are that she has some chances of re-
eOyery. The load of shot that she in
tended for her heart went wild of their
mark an dtore away her left breast,
leaving exposed portions of her lungs
ON the left side.
There are different rumors as to .he
reasons that caused the young woman,
who is nov about Is years Of age to
take this rash step. She has said
since the attempt hat she had been
|tmistreated." This is taken to mean
two things by those who know best
the story. One is that she did not get
along very well with her step mother
and another that she had some trou-
BILE with her sweetheart, a young man
well known in that section, a few days
ago and she was respondent ove that.
The attempted suicide occurred at
NA0 hNlAC III LNN yOuhS AUdIOo dAASits
Louis Duncan, about 8 o'clock Satur-
day morning. This vas about three
miles from RougemOnt and her father
lives some two miles from the nome
of her uncle. She was there on a visit
and it is said that she had been there
for some time, this being in connection
with the intimatlon that she did not
get along with her stepmother.
The story that reached The Herald,
which came from a reliable Source, is
that Saturday morning about 8 o'clock
Miss Franklin slipped her uncle's gun
from his home and went out to a to-
5acoO barn some two hundred yards
from the house. She has since told
the story of what then occurred. She
first placed the breech Of the gun
against Il rock, with the muzzle over
her heart. In this position she could
not reach the trigger of the gun and
getting a stick she leaned forward in
order to push the trigger and cause
the gun to fire, having prviously cock
ed the barrel of the gun. In this
leaning position she diverted the fatal
load from the direction intended and
she was not killed Instantly as she
expected. Instead the load of shot and
powder tore away her entire left
breast, leaving exposed the lungs, so
that when she breathed the air es-
capped through the opening made in
stead of through the mouth.
She had but one loaded shell with
her but in her fearfully wounded con-
dition she was still resolved tt die and
started to the house to get anotheI
shell. When within twenty yards OF
the house she tainted and was soon
afterwards found by some member OF
the family. At that time she ~regained
consciousness and then told that her
rash step was caused by "mistreat-
2ment."
Beyond the statement that she was
m1streated there is only a suppOsition
as to the causes. 1t is known that
Miss Franklin had had a disagreement
with her lover and that since that
time she had been in a despondenI
state of mind. The facts hat caused
her to be at the home of her uncle are
also known. Putting these two things
together the neighbOrs have arrived al
what they think is the true cause and
The Herald is printing nothing more
than what is talked in the neighbor.
hood, although it was hard to get a
the facts at this distance from the
scene of the attempted tragedy.-Dur.
ham Herald.