Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-31
KILLED SELF FOR LOVE
GIRL WAS TO HAVE BEEN MAR.
RIED LAST MONDAY.

BALTIMORE, January 31.-Her young
life clouded when her promised husband
failed to come to her on the day APP
pointed for their wedding, Miss Gertrude
Lamkin. twenty-five years old drank a
giassful of wood alcohol Tuesday noon
and died exactly twenty-four hours later
at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The circumstances leading up TO the act
OF se!f-destruetion are touching. After in
vestigating the case carefully Coroner
Caruthers of the northeastern district
gave certificate of death by suicide.
Miss Lamkin was employed as a waitress
in the home of Prof. Robert w. Wood. SIS
st. Paul street. Several times Tuesday she
intimated to the cook employed in the same
mouse mat she was thinking of ending
her HE because she was unhappy, but no
attention was paid to her threat at first
FINALLY her statements reached the ears
OF Mrs. Wood. and fearing the girl CON
tempiated doing herself bodily harm. she
telephoned to Mrs. William Dorsey 3alS
East Baltimore street, and asked her TO
pay Visit to the young woman Mrs
Dorsey was a close friend of Miss Iamkin
and was her neighbor in Virginia Mrs
dorsey immediately responded to the ap-
peal ana started for the st. Paul street
nome. Before she arrived Miss Lamkn
mad carried out her threat.
Miss Lamkin and the cook We're at work
IN the Kitchen. when, It is said the young
woman went into the pantry She came
PACK .a INTO the room with glass filled to
the Dram with wood alcohol. She raised
IL TO her lips. hastily swallowed the con-
tents and fell to the floor
MRS. wood was notified and sent for a
physician. Upon his arrival the doctor
tried 10 administer an emetic. but Miss
Lamkin fought him off, and it was only
Dy force that the dose was given her
mrs. Dorsey arrived short while later.
and to her Miss Lamkin who had not lost
CONSCIOUSNESS. related bpr ctr
removed to the hospital and every effort
was put forth TO save her life, but in
vain.
Was to Marry Washington Man.
1t was declared that Miss Lamkin was
engaged to marry Mr.. Ernest Read of
Washington. but her friends did not know
the ceremony was to take place last Mon
day. Her fiance was to reach Camden
station that morning.
The waitress told Mrs. Wood that she
wanted to be excused from work that day,
as she wished to have her eyes attended
at the Eye. Ear and Throat Hospital on
Baltimore street. Instead she went TO the
depot
The time and train arrived and joyously
she awaited to catch Il glimpse of her
promised husband. One by one the pas
sengers hurried by her and finally the last
passed through the gates. but Mr.. Read
did not come. She did not lose faith how
ever. believing that he had been detained,
and sat down to wait the coming of the
next train from Washington. This and
many others rolled into the station. and
each crowd was eagerly scanned. but each
time she met only disappointment: Until
late in the evening she watched and wait
ed. only to return home eXhausi ed. her
head aching and her young heart nearly
bursting with grief.
No message came. and the unlimited trust
that she had placed in the young man
slowly ebbed away. Handsome wedding gar
ments that hung in her ROOM for which she
had worked and saved. made the blow fall
with greater force. To her friend, Mrs. Dor
sey, who had known her when but a child
in the old Virg na home she said that she
could not bear up under the disappointment
and wanted to die
On Tuesday letter postmarked Washing
ton and addressed to her in the fami lar
handwriting of her lover was placed in her
hands and her heart gave a great bound
The few words penned within, however
We're the last drops in her cup of misery.
The young man wrote that he did not want
to come to Baltimore because he had no
friends here, and that she should come to
Washington.
Miss ktm ki4fs' pa ressts are both dead. She
is survived by two sisters-Mrs. Rosa Fisher
and Miss Viola Lamsin of Lancaster coun-
ty. Virginia-and by three brothers-Messrs.
Herbert and John W. Lamkin of Washing
ton, and Fitzhugh Lamkin of Westmoreland
county, Virginia, her former home.