The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-02
MOTHER FINDS
GIRL DEAD
BY GAS
Lena Pulls Had Been WOr-
rylng- s. Her Sweetheart
Denies Lovers Quarrel.

Knowing that her father intended to
open a saloon in Orange and that it
would necessitate the family's removal
to that city Is the only reason gwen
by he friends of Lena Pulls, II years
old. of 2541s South Orange venue for
cor hitting suicide by inhaling gas last
n sht in her home. Several relatives of
: me girl were indignant today over the
report that the girl took her own life
and brand the report as false. They
claim that while her mother, Mrs. Hen
rietta Pulls. was in a nearby store
last night the deceased, after heating
some water. was about to empty 1t
into the bath tub when she was seized
with spasms and unconsciously
grabbed the gas pipe while the gas
was turned on.
The young woman's relatives sdmit
that the girl was not anxious to move
out of the city n leave her friends.
hut claim tina she did not commit sui
eide. When an EVENING STAR re-
pa N1A Ill ot lC 4 All iHbillI "
day John Pulls, father of the lead girl,
was not there, and the girls mother
was too grieved to be seen. others
who claimed to be related denied that
it was a case o fSuicide. and remarked
that limitations that the deed was
caused by. a GOODNESS with her sweet
heart were untrue. 'Lena's gentleman
friend was here a few minutes ego"
said one land he cried and said that
he and Lena were on the best of
terms"
County Physician Elliott said today
that death was caused by gas Olson
ing, and that the girl had inhaled the
deadly fumes from a hose which she
placed in her mouth.
Until recently Lena Pulls had been
employed by Louis Franzblau. q mil
liner, on Springfield avenue, but when
the season ended she sought eiriploy-
ment in a Market street five \ ten
cent store Inc worked yesterday as
usual, but her companions say che APP
peared to be brooding over something.
She passed the store last night IN her
way home and spoke to her late en-
ployer.
When Lena's mother returned to her
home about 10 o'clock last night she
discovered her daughter lying on the
floor in the kitchen with the gas tube
in her mouth. Mrs. Pulls became hys-
terical n rushed to the front win
dow and cried for help. Among others
in the vicinity at the time was Rupert
e. Griffith, head of the local Dowie con-
gregation, who rushed through the
crowd that gathered in front of the
Pulls home and went upstairs and
found the girl as already described.
He removed the tube from her mouth
and carried her to a f1re-escape. and
there did what he could to revive the
girl, but it was useless, as she was
dead. In the meantime some one sent
for DR.. Louis Weiss, of 27 South
Orange avenue. a block away, and he
hurried to the place n Immediately
saw that the girl was dead, but to
calm her mother and other he made an
attempt to bring about the circula ton
of the blood, blu found hat the heart
was not beating. BY this time the
City Hospital ambulance. with a ply
stefan in charge, arrived, and shortly
after the county physician was noti-
fed.
The Pulls girl left a note which was
written In lead pencil. The letters were
about an inch and a half in size, and
appeared as though it were written in
a hurry. AL but the name was written
legibly, but the signature appeared as
though 1t had been scrubbed while the
girl was partly overcome. The note
read
Go and get my wages at the rate of
81 a week for four days.
LENA PULLS"
Policeman Byrnes, of the Fourth
Precinct station, gave the note to DR..
Elliott.
When seen at his office today DR.,
Weiss said that he was called to the
house shortly after 10 o'clock last
night. When he arrived the. girl was
dead. but to satisfy her mother he set
about his useless task. He described
how the girl had no doubt unfastened
the tube from the gas range In the
kitchen and held 1t securely in her
mouth and inhaled the gas. His opin-
ion was thai the girl died a few minutes
after, for she inhaled the gas. He
added that as the heart was not beat
ing 1t was unable to determine whether
the girl suffered from heart trouble.
IF she was affected with heart
trouble" said the physician, 1.-The gas
would have affected her more quickly"
DIR. Weiss also condemned the FIVE and
ten-cent stores, saying that owing to
the poor ventilation the girl might have
been slightly affected by heat, and the