Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-06
AN ACTRESS SUICIDE
Tragic Death of Clara Blood
good in Baltimore.
CHARGED TO ILE.HEALTH
Fired Three Shots and Died in Very
Brief Time.
IN WASHINGTON LAST WEEK
Left Letter to Husband-Former
Society Woman of New York.
Successful Dramatic Career.
IN WASHINGTON LAST WEEK

BALTIMORE. December, 6.-While an
eXpectant audience waited in the Academy
of Music last night Mrs. Clara Bloodgood
the actress. killed herself at the Hotel
Stafford by firing q. bullet into her brain.
The only cause given by members Of her
company for the tragic act was that Mrs.
Bloodgood was in poor health and In
highly nervous state due to the worries
incident to the road tour of her play,
"The Truth In her room was found
letter addressed to her husband, William
Lambier of New York. 1t was sealed,
and Coroner Hayden of the central dis
trict took charge Of it and will give 1t to
Mr.. Lambier.
Mrs. Bloodgood fired three shots in end
ing her life. One. bullet did not touch
her. but crashed into the ceiling. The
second or third ball-nlaybe both-passed
through the roof of her mouth in front. Of
the soft palate into the brain. Coroner
Hayden did not make a probe for the
balls. deciding that it was plain case OF
suicide and that the question of whether
one or two bullets took effect was not OF
sufficient Importance to warrant an ex-
new one. Mrs. Bloodgood had evidently
bought 1t only a few days before. with
the intention of ending her life. It was
a. 32-caliber hammerless. double-action
Smith & Wesson. and three of the cart
ridges in full cylinder were empty.
Mrs. Bloodgood was found lying in he'd
in her room dressed in a wrapper. her
arms folded across her breast and the
pistol lying in the pit OF her elbow. She
lived minute or two after firing the
shots. The actress had to all intents
planned the deed for a week or more. In
her room was found a medical book. and
marked by slip of paper were para
graphs treating of parts of TIE brain. The
coroner said that 1t was plain she had
made a. careful study of these paragraphs.
with the hope of ending her life in a
flash when the time came to fire pistol
ball into her head.
Shock to Members of the Company.
Members of the company knew that
Mrs. Bloodgood was run down in health.
and that she was unusually nervous, but
news of her suicide came to them as
great shock.
| Mr.. John Emerson. the stage manager,
| was the only one who said last night that
| he had been anxious about Mrs. Blood
good.
For over a week / had been with her a
great part of the time" he said. trying
! to cheer her and relieving her of as many
details possible. The long road tour.
| through the south had completely worn
| her out She was the sort of a woman
who would worry herself sick over details
and at times she seemed almost ready to
collapse
IT did everything I could to make her
| stay in Baltimore cheerful and was be-
| ginning to think that she was feeling
better. when 1 learned by telephone that
| she had killed herself
Bellboy Last to Sc Her.
Mrs. Bloodgood killed herself almost in
the presence Of Bernard Wess. bellboy
at the Stafford. At s O'Clock telephone
message was received at the Stafford
from the Academy of Music saying that
Mrs. Bloodgood had not arrived for the
evening performance of THE Truth
Thomas Nelson. the clerk, sent WEISS to
| the actress rooms. He knocked on the
knowing that the case was urgent, he
opened the door, but there was no one
there. He then stepped over and knocked
at the bedroom door. He got no reply and
tried to open the door. 1t ould not open,
and he threw his body against it with
force. 1t gave way few inches and he
saw Mrs. Bloodgood standing in the mid
die of the room with her back to him,
holding wrapper in front of her. He let
the door slam shut. and a pistol shot
sounded almost on the second.
Breathing When Found.
The boy ran down stairs and told the
clerk and Manager Downs of what he had
seen and heard. Both went up in the ele-
vator and forced open the door Of Mrs.
Bloodgood's bedroom. They found the
actress. gowned only in a loose wrapper,
| lying on the fiat OF her back on the bed,
the blood running from her mouth over
the bed clothes.
She was still breathing. and Manager
nj Male oil for
three or four doctors from the different
telephone booths. But before Mr.. Nelson
could summon a physician Mrs. Bloodgood
breathed her last.
She never spoke, and the pistol lay on
her arm where it had fallen after she had
pulled the trigger the last time
Coroner Hayden, who arrived in a few
moments, took charge of the case. He
was astounded to find that Mrs. Blood
good had fired three shots two Of which
possibly lodged in her brain. He ex-
planned by saying that she had held the
pistol close to her lips-her mouth open
but that extreme nervousness had caused
the first ball to miss her head and inbed
second shot, if lit had gone into her head,
would. have ended her life but that 1t
was possible for her to have pulled the
trigger again, sending the third ball into
her brain also. All three shots, he thought,
were fired in fraction of second. and
what sounded to Wess, the bellboy. like
one shot doubtless was three shots fol-
lowing each other SO close that they
sounded like one explosion
Wore Costly Rings.
AS soon as Coroner Hayden had inspect
ed the body he took charge Of the per-
sonal property of Mrs. Bloodgood. This
consisted Of a bag of valuable jewels, pri-
waite papers and other small articles
When she killed herself the actress wore
several costly rings and small watch.
When the coroner had satisfied himself
that everything was intact he turned the
jewels over to Manager Downs. who said
that everything would be kept untouched
for Mr.. Lambier on his arrival.
The body was taken to undertaking
apartments and prepared for shipment at
once. No feuneSal arrangements will be
made until MT. Lambier arrives
Members of the company gathered in
the lobby of the Stafford and talked over
the suicide among themselves. Every one
said that Mrs. Bloodgood had given no
intimation of taking her hfe.
Manager Downs said that half an hour
before the shots were heard the actress
had appeared at the counter in the lobby
and had greeted the clerk cheerfully
1t was mentioned that yesterday after
noon Mrs. Bloodgood had occupied a uox
at Albaugh's Theater. where Society
and the Bulldog was the attraction she
seemed to enjoy the performance, and
appla uded several times.
However, a friend who spoke to Mrs
Bloodgood few minutes at the matinee
said that she complained Of feeling badly