The Washington herald., 1907-09-22
HER LETTERS MISSING
CleW to Mrs. Carter'S Iden-
tity Disappears.
MRS. WHITE WILL BURY HER
Wife of Man at Whose Home She
Shot Herself Declines TO Say Why
come by Her Husband-"NeVer Ex-
plain Motto on the Wall.

New York. Sept 21-It begins to look
as If the identity Of Mrs. Margaret Car
ter. who shot and killed herself yesterday
IA the home Of John Jay White. at lO3
East Fifty-seventh street, would remain
a mystery, No one so far has been found
who can throw any light on the woman's
life or just where she came from.
packet of letters addressed TO Mrs Car
ter from HavIe. France, disappeared
from the woman's studio, at "A West
Twenty ninth street, some time on Fri
day night These letters were there on
Friday afternoon, but when Coroner
Dooley searched the rooms to-day the
letters were not found
It IS thought that these letters might
have been used 10 throw some light on
the woman's life. The elevator man says
that a stockily built man came to the
place last night, and, representing him
self as having come from the coroner's
office was admitted to the rooms. Coro-
ner Dooley says that no one was sent
from his office to the studio and he
thinks that some one with a motive for
doing so has impersonated him and Sc
cured the letters
Takes Their Loss Lightly.
However. Coroner Doolcy is not much
worried about the matter. He saws that
the case tS-plainly one Of suicide and
that 1t doesn't make any difference even
If the letters are gone He questioned
Eliza Waters, maid TO Mrs. Carter. 10.
day, but the negro woman didn't know
anything Of Importance. She said that
from remarks Mrs. Carter had dropped
lat various times she gathered that tha
suicide was of Jewish extraction. and
had been reared in France.
Detective Fowler, Of the Tenderloin
police station, was detailed yesterday to
guard Mrs. Carter's studio. lie saws
he saw the letters from Havre. The let
ters, he says, We're in drawer Of the
writing desk Fowler ordered the place
locked uD last night. and told the attea-
dauts in the building that il was the
coroner's orders that no one enter the
rooms
Coroner Dooley found some letters I'm
the studio to-day. They were. so he saws.
.of purely personal nature. and had
nothing to give any clew TO the identity
of the dead woman. The Settlers. accord
ing to the coroner referred 90 little mat
terS such as charitable work and 20 en-
gagements of a social nature
No one connected with the s. p. C. 4.
or Ne Bid a Wee Home for Animals
could be found to-day who knew anything
about Mrs Cartsr's history She was in
terested in the work of both institutions.
The body Of the suicide remained M the
Stephen Merritt rooms to-day. with no
one coming 20 identify t. Coroner Doolev
said tonight that be had been informed
that Mr.. and Mrs White We're roing
away from the CITY as soon as private
funeral is held NJ the Merritt undertaking
rooms tomorrow. Mrs. White viii defray
the funeral expenses. The body viii be
cremated az Fresh Pond.
Never Explain" Her Motto.
Hanging on the wall Of Mrs. Carter's
bedroom at the Twenty-niuth street stu
do is motto. II is in large white let
ters on red card. and reads
Never explain-yOur friends don't need
it, and your enemies viii not believe f."
Evidently Mrs Carter followed this rule
very closely Her maid. the Whltes-who
say they knew her well and befriended
her in a financial way-and all those
identified with her i'm charitable organlza-
tons declare that Mrs. Carter never talk
ed about herself
That the woman was in melancholy
frame Of mind is indicated by sheet Of
music that was found spread open on
the rack Of her piano. II was the fol-
lowing stanza Of "The Last Rose Of
Summer"
Soon may follow when friendships decay.
Ard from loves shining circle the gems fall away:
When true hearts lie vithercd and fond ones are
flown
Oh, who would inhabit this bleak world alone?
The revolver which Mrs Carter took
with her to the White residence. and
with which she killed herself. had been
in her possession for a number of
years. She kept It IN fancy chamois
holster at the side of her bed. Eliza
Waters. the maid SAYS that Mrs
Carter bought the revolver for protec-
tiOn against burglars or any one who
might try to intrude on her AT night
Mrs. Carter lived alone in the studio.
The colored maid did not remain there
at night
Coroner Orders Police on.
Or George V. Foster, who is attend
ing Nlr. White, and who had treated
Mrs Carter. went to the Office Of Cor
oner Dooley to-day and complained
that the police were annoying the
White family in their Investigations.
He asked Coroner Dooley to give him
letter setting forth that the case Of
Mrs. Carter was one of plain suicide
and that there was no necessity for
police investigation. At the request OF
DR. Foster, Coroner Dooley wrote this
letter and addressed II to Commission
ct Bingham asking the latter to call
off the police When Gen Bingham
left headquarters for the day he said
that DR.. Foster had not called on him
with the letter.
The police said that they had not
annoyed the White household
Neither Mrs. White or any other per
son at the house would state to-day
how it was that she and her husband
had cared for Mrs. Carter and allowed
her an income of S200 a month