Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-10
Belle Carmen, Snake
Charmer, Takes
Strychnine
Fonnd Unconscious by
Night Clerk, Who
Answers Call
Girl Who Recently Attempted to Take
Life and Who Has Met Many Ac-
cidents, Swallows Poison,
Then Summons Aid

Belle Carmen, who has had more
accidents than any woman in Los An
geles since her advent here some
months ago, again broke into the spot
light this morning shortly after mid
night when she attempted to commit
suicide by swallowing strychnine in her
room at the Brennan, a rooming house
on South Main street.
Miss Carmen attempted to kill her
self last winter. and that time she was
nearly successful.
In her latest attempt it is thought
that she took the poison about mid
night, and 1t is known positively that
she did not take 1t before 10 O'Clock
last night for the reason that a re-
porter was talking with her on the
telephone at that hour. She spoke of
an interview which recently was printed
about her, and she seemed in excellent
spirits, although she complained OF
being ILL.,
"GirI in Red" Her Sister
Miss Carmen spoke to the reporter Of
the statements of an evening paper
which, in printing the story of the
suicide of Nellie De Vaughn, asserted
that it was the Girl in Red who had
committed suicide.
Miss Carmen stated that the "Girl in
Red was her sister, who now Is in
st. Joseph, Mo.
Miss Carmen said she regretted the
action of the evening paper in publish
ing the story that her sister had com
nitted suicide when such was not the
case.
1t must have been shortly after she
loft Aol1 kl.af rl, H. "a
poison. Immediately after she swal-
lowed the strychnne she pushed the
button in her room, which rang bell
in the hotel office
is Found Unconscious
The clerk of the rooming house went
to the room to see what was wanted
and he found her unconscious. She was
taken to the police station, and after
the police surgeon had worked over her
for about half an hour she was re-
Stored to consciousness.
Miss Carmen declined to make any
statement why she tried to kill her
SELF and the accepted theory is that Ill
health and encouragement had driven
her to take the poison.
The woman had been i'll for the last
three weeks and had been attended by
DR.. Finley. For nearly ten years she
had been a snake charmer and many
times she has been bitten by poisonous
reptiles. The poison injected into her
blood by the snake bites gradually
weakened her heart, which effected her
mental condition and depressed her.
Continuous Round of Trouble
Among the accidents which Miss Car
men has had during the few months
that she has been in Los Angeles are
the following: WI IN Miss Carmen
had snake charming and contortion
act at the Chutes she was choked
Almost to death by a large python.
As she lay unconscious on the floor
of the cage in which the reptiles were
confiI ed she was struck on the neck
ty a copperhead. From the double
effe ct of the two accidents she was i'll
for several weeks.
Later she broke a muscle in her leg
while performing her contortion act. A
few days after that the woman received
a letter from her home in New Orleans
stating that her mother was dead. She
then attempted suicide by cutting her
throat. but was prevented from con-
summating the act. A week later she
was riding with a party of friends
near Eastlake park when the animal
which she was riding stumbled and she
was thrown to the ground. She was
SONSiCAJ " uiSSu NY lllC ldAis
Suffers Another Fall
A few days later when she was
living on Seventh street she tripped on
a mat at the top of a flight of stairs
and fell the entire distance to the bot
tom.
In attempting to kill herself this
morning Miss Carmen only carried out
a threat made to a reporter some weeks
ago. shortly after she tried to cut her
throat. At that time she said that 1t
was very probable that she would kill
herself some time.
Before she was taken i'll the last time
the woman worked in a 10-cent show on
Spring street. This was very ex-
hausting and it possibly was the in
direct cause Of her illness.
Miss Garments action in ringing for
help after taking the poison is believed
to prove that after she took the
strychnine she repented. but before the
clerk could arrive she became uncon-
scious.