Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-03
SEEKS REFUGE
FROM TROUBLE
WOMAN WRITES PlTlFUL NOTE
AND DIES
Wife Of Long Beach Man Who Is
Charged with Being a Hope
less Drunkard Commits
Suicide
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
LONG BEACH, Jan. 2.-IIaving
known only poverty and care for years,
during which time she made three UNI
successful attempts at self-destruction,
Mrs Mabel Innskeep, 30 years old,
committed suicide this morning be-
cause, It is alleged, of the prolonged
spree in which her husband, Cash Nj.
Innskeep, had lost himself for two
weeks. She drank two ounces of car
bolic acid and was dead within fifteen
minutes Her drunken husband,
painter who for some time had been
unable to secure employment, and TO
feed whom the wretched woman had
toiled for the past month in q local
laundry, stood close beside her In their
squald home at 2S Golden avenue when
she took the poison. He at once stag
gered from the house and down upon
the beach, not to return until long
after his wife was cold in death. He
then cried incoherently, admitting that
his drunkenness had prompted the
suicide. But, even as he stood by the
bed where she had died, he begged
piteously for more liquor.
Mrs. Inskeep ran into the grocery
store of Charles Obermaier at 28 Col
den, when she had swallowed the pois-
on Throwing down two letters and
note, she fell heavily to the floor, cry
ing: "Send these letters away. 1 have
killed myself with carbolic acid"
When Obermaier and other neigh
bors carried her back into her little
home she begged not to be taken there
to die. And when they bore her in in
spite of her resisting efforts she seized
a lamp and the glass from which she
had drained the poison and sent them
crashing to the sidewalk, where they
were shattered.
Deed Was Premeditated
Two physicians vainly tried to save
the woman's life.
The two letters were written Decem-
ber 81, showing that Mrs. Inskeep had
carried the plan of suicide two days
One of the missives was addressed to
Mrs. Frank Voss of Eldorado and the
other to Mrs. Inskeep's nephew, Ralph
C. Young, of Craftonville. The note
thrown upon the grocery floor con-
tained instructions that her body be
given good care and that the two let
ters be mailed. Upon the back of the
note was found the words:
Death is the liberator of her whom
freedom cannot release the physician
of her whom medicine cannot cure, and
the comforter of her whom time
cannot console" The letter to Mrs.
Voss indicated that the Inskeeps'
married life had been unhappy because
of the disparity in the ages of husband
and wife, Inskeep being more than a
score of years older than she.
Portions of this letter follow:
my Own Dear Sister-Your dear let
ter was received this morning and l
was overjoyed when I found it in the
box Shall I tell you why. dear? Well,
it was because it will be the last letter
shall ever receive from you. Because
no longer face the world. / am not
fitted for it, my darling. 1t is so hard
and cold and my strength is so slen-
der. All, mel l have fought so hard
to help Cash. and now, what do you
think, Pearl? Yesterday he started to
drink and you know what awful agony
that is to me. 1 thought 1 could stand
anything but that and 1 have stood
everything in the way of poverty and
trouble. Do you remember how papa
warned me against marrying an old
man and told me 1 would regret it?"
well, 1 have, ah. God! 1 have, until
at the age of 30 1 am broken both in
health and spirits. l wouldn't like you
and my other sisters to see me now,
dear. Do you remember how pretty
was, dear, and how lighthearted and
gay? All, God! If you could see me
now, worn to skeleton and tired, so
tired of this life.
my husband has been kind to \me
and has done the best he could, so he
is not to blame for everything. And,
poor dear, old man, he cannot last long.
l will give your address to the under
taker for of course you and the rest
do not want me buried by the county.
So good by, my own, dear. baby sister,"
The letters were taken in charge by
the police and will be mailed as di-
rected.
Mrs. Mabel Inskeep was born in Ne
vada. When she was years old her
parents moved to Grass Valley, Cal,
where she was married to Inskeep
twelve years ago. Before coming here
six months ago they lived in Redlands.
Mrs. Inskeep's parents are not living.
Besides the sister named above, she is
survived by another Mrs. Richard Sey-
more of Grass Valley. She leaves no
children.
Coroner Trout held an inquest this
afternoon. Nothing new was brought
out. Inskeep was arrested this after
noon on a charge of drunkenness and
lodged in Jail.
JEFFRIES AND TAYLOR TALK