The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-12-06
CLARA RLooDGooD KILLS HER
SELF WHILE AUDIENCE GATH .
ERs IN THEATER.
FEAR BREAKDOWN
while Bell Boy is Calling Her to go
to Theater She Places Muzzie OF
Pistol in Her Mouth and Fires
Three Bullets Into Her Brain-Pos-
sibility Of Nervous Prostration.

Baltimore, Dec. 5.--Mrs. Clara
Bloodgood, the actress, committed sui
eide by shooting in her room at the
Hotel Stafford here, this afternoon.
Mrs. Bloodgood's body was found
lying on the bed with a bullet hole
through the head into her mouth BY
| her lay a book entitled, "How to
Shot Straight" and .38 caliber re-
volver with three chambers empty.
She attended a matinee perform
| ance at Albaugh's theater this after
noin, and returned to her hotel about
o'clock, seemingly in the best of
spirits. Later, when it was time for
the curtain to rise for her own show
at the Academy Of Music, where she
vas appearing in The TRUTH she
had not put in an appearance. Word
was sent to the Stafford hotel and the
bell boy was sent up to her room.
Just as he approached the door he
heard pistol shot. Hurrying back
to the Office, he notified the clerk of
what he heard and an investigation
was made and Mrs. Bloodgood was
found stretched out on the bed as de-
scribed.
Before retiring to her room she had
a talk with her stage manager, John
Emerson, who declares that he OBJ.
served nothing unusual in her de-
meanor. The only motive he can
ascribe is, that Mrs. Bloodgood feared
an attack of nervous prostration. She
had been working very hard, he said,
and she feared breakdown.
Note for Husband.
Mrs. Bloodgood left a note ad-
dressed to her husband, who is said
to be on his way to this city.
The audience at the Academy Of
Music was dismissed with the an
nouncement that there would be no
performance tonight, owing to the
sudden indisposition Of Mrs Blood
good
Bernard S. Wess, the bell boy who
was sent to Mrs. Bloodgood's room
upon the request of the manager OF
the Academy of Music when she
failed to appear at her usual time,
found no difficulty in opening the
outer door of the suite, but the inner
door at which he knocked without re-
ceiving reply, resisted his efforts to
open it. He persisted. however, and
finally managed to open it slightly.
Through the aperture he saw Mrs.
Bloodgood standing with her back to-
ward him. She was quite naked, but
holding revolver in front Of her. AS
Wess hastily closed the door he heard
the report of a pistol.
Help was hastily summoned and
the door forced. Against it trunks
had been piled. The body OF Mrs.
Bloodgood was found on the bed near
which Wess had seen her standing,
and upon which she had evidently
fallen after firing. Three shots were
heard, according to the coroner, one
Of which went into the ceiling and
the two apparently into the roof OF
Mrs. Bloodgood's mouth. The revol-
yer used was new .32 caliber and
would seem to have been purchased
for the especial purpose for which it
was used.
Husband Goes to Scene.
Coroner Hayden after viewing the
body, pronounced it an unquestiona-
BILE case of suicide and gave a permit
for its removal to an undertaking es-
tablishment. The shots having been
fired to all appearances with the muz-
zle of the pistol in the mouth, the
wounds did not disfigure the body
greatly. Word has been received that
Mrs. Bloodgood's husband, William
Laimbier, is hurrying here on spe-
clal train.
Mrs. Bloodgood's room was in great. !,
disorder. articles Of apparel, toilet ar
ticles and other things being scat
tered about. On table was book
on anatomy opened at page on
which was described the brain and
the most vital parts thereof. This
was evidence of generalization, if
needed, supplemented by the fact that
the pistol used was purchased last
Tuesday by Mrs. Bloodgood, who al
the time asked how to use it. Mem
bers OF Mrs. Bloodgood's company are
a unit in declaring that they can as
Asign no cause for her act ether than
azIsa nnssihla one OF a narvous hraak-