The Washington herald., 1907-05-10
CRIME WAYE GROWS
Capital Now in the Grip of
HOmicidal "Brain-stOrm.
TWO MORE DEATH ATTEMPTS
Thaw Expert Interested in Condi-
tiOn PreyaiIing-Physicia At
tending Conventions Here Discuss
Causes of Crimes-Insanity Runs
at High Tide During May and June.

Two attempted suicides yesterday added
10 the long list of homicidal crimes that
have stirred Washington for the past
i've days, have aroused the public to a
| discussion Of the question: rs Washing
ton in the grip of a crime waveT'
Seven persons have come to their death
! through violence since Monday, and one
OF the two attempts at suicide yesterday
Is expected to prove fatal. that Of Mrs.
Christie l. Porter. wife OF the assist
ant superintendent OF the Reform School,
who cut her throat and wrist arteries
with a carving knife at 942 o street. and
is in a dying condition at the Emergency
Hospital Charles Ross, who attempted
suicide by drinking ether and chloroform,
Is expected by the officials Of the Homeo-
pathic Hospital TO recover.
Such a record of homicide and suicide as
has been the lot Of the local police depart
ment to handle during the past five days
would be remarkable even in a city Of
much greater dimensions than Washing
| ton. Here it IS without parallel Physi-
| clans. city authorities, and visiting med
ical and insanity experts, who have been
attending the various conventions here
this week, advance many theories as to
the cause Of the epidemic OF violence,
but all agree upon the unusual severity Of
1 the wave"
A review Of the record shows that since
Monday there has been a suicide every
| day. and Ia two cases self-destruction
1 followed murders.
The suicide of John Mottau. committed
Sunday night. was the first Of the series.
The body was found Monday morning in
/ the Commercial Hotel Grief and III
health are supposed 10 have been the mo-
tlves that led to the man taking rough
on rats" On Monday John Koehler, a
furniture fnisher killed himself by in
haIng Illuminating gas. at 113l Tenth
/ street. after having led a double life for
! several months.
Tragedy on Monday.
The record Of Monday was capped by
the tragic double shooting at the Sol
diors' Home. where William Parks, a
/ former hospital orderly, attempted, ip a
drunken frenzy. to shoot a nurse, Sister
Paula, and killed James Leslie, another
orderly. who attempted to interfere. then
/ turned the revolver upon himself and
committing suicide. Parks had been dis
charged from 6uty at the hospital the day
before for drunkenness. and he attacked
Sister Paula, in the belief that she had
! reported him 20 the superintendent
on Tuesday Washington was shocked
/ by one Of the most horrible double TRACE
fdies In years William Rice, a telegra-
pher, shot and killed his wife while she
held their infant child in her arms, the
bullet penetrating the child's leg and
passing through the woman's heart Rice
committed suicide. His frenzy was occa-
/ stoned, IL IS said. by some trivial discus
/ sion with his wife.
! Wednesday, Jonathan B. Donaldson, n
I civil war veteran. discouraged AT not be
/ ing able 20 get an increased pension. kill
ed himself in his lodging house, SG D
/ street northwest.
Six Buried Yesterday,
The bodies Of six OF these unfortunates
we're buried yesterday Funeral services
! for AIottau were held at Wises undertake
/ ing establishment and interment In Rock
/ Creek Cemetery,
| Mrs. Koehler and many friends attend
/ ed the services for her husband. at 1852
/ New Jersey avenue, yesterday afternoon.
The interment was IN Prospect Hil Gem
/ etery
Parks was buried in the morning at the
/ Soldiers Home, while the body of the
man he slew, Leslie. was being inferred
/ in New York City. The body of Rice was
/ buried IN Monocacy Cemetery, Bellesviile,
/ Md. and that of his wife, in Glenwood,
/ after services had been held in the room
/ in which she was killed at 131 Hickman
/ street southeast
The attempt Of Mrs. Porter 20 XIII her
/ self yesterday was marked by unusual
/ deliberatiOn and grewsomeness. She was
! suffering from neurasthenia. and her hus-
/ band had engaged Mary Nichols, a color
/ ed girl. 10 spend the night with his wife
while he went to the Reform School.
Hatchet Hidden in Bed.
According TO the girls story. Mrs. Por-
! ter had hatchet and knife hidden In the
/ bed clothes. She is said TO have told sew
| eral ether inmates Of the rooming house
/ that she intended to kill herself. Yester-
/ day morning she went down TO breakfast
and into the kitchen. The boarders saw
| her rushing upstairs with large carving
knife in her hand.
They followed. but Mrs. Porter sue
! ceeded in locking and bolting the door
OF her room. After some delay. an en-
trance was forced 10 the room through
another door. Mrs Porter was found ly-
ing on the floor, with her throat cut and
the arteries in both wrists severed. The |
hospital ambulance was called. and Mrs
/ Porter rushed TO the operating table She
was unconscious before she reached the
| hospital. The physicians worked over
her for nearly two hours. Salt solutions
were injected 10 keep life in her body.
The severed arteries are considered more
serious than the cash in her throat, which
alone was not deep enough to be fatal
Little hope is entertained Of her recovery.
Ross Drinks Anesthetics.
Charles Ross. a photographer in the en-
ploy OF the Geological Survey, made a
futile attempt at suicide by drinking two
small phiaIs OF ether and chloroform. in
J. Donovan's saloon. 152S Seventh street
northwest When he entered the place |
about noon he attracted attention by his
strange behavior. Going into the rear
room Of the saloon. he drank some Of |
the contents of the two phials. and re-
turned TO the front OF the place. throwing
the bottles upon the bar.
A policeman was summoned, and on his |
arrival found Ross succBnbing to the |
effects OF the poison. He was taken to /
the Homeopathic Hospital, where prompt /
treatment quickly brought him out OF |
danger. Ross told the physicians that |
he tried te kin himself because he had |