The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-27
MOTHER AND son SUICIDES
COMPACT MADE AFTER DEATH
or LATTER,S SISTER.


Poverty. sickness md Despair Wipe Ont
. Family m BteekIyn-sca Leaves
Directions for Disposal OF tho Bodies
and inscriptions on tho Cofins.
Discouraged by poverty andntbe poverty
hurried death Of ono who had struggled
with them to a bitter end, a mother and
son committed suicide several days ago
In their apartments on the third floor Of
the four story fat house at 25s Greene
avenue, Brooklyn. When the police OF
the Classon avenue precinct broke into
the place yesterday they found the body
of a girl. Ella Soden, lying on a pallet in
the small parlor that opens into the hall.
while Mrs. Mary Z Soden. the mother.
and her son Edwin were dead from ohloro-
form In the bedroom beyond,
At first 1t was thought That the son had
murdered mother and sister. but Surgeon
Pierce Of the Brooklyn Hospital said that
the younger woman had died Of pull
monary hemorrhage. A note on the
table explained the death agreement 1t
read: ~ h.
My sister Ella. the best. sweetest and
most unselfsh. arectlonate and loyable OF
sisters, Is dead. This world without her
seems uncomfortable. I will follow her and
so will my mother. She 10 III and too ex-
hausted to live. My mother's brothers,
Christopher wetzel of Parma, Cuyaaoga
county, o., and John and Philip Wetzel
Of the same place. will bury US, Please
notify them. EDwss SoDRN.
p. ST. wish very much my uncles. as
above. to have all of my effects. such as
they are, which ! leave II they bury us. III
not, whoever does bury us 10 to get them.
e. 8.
p. s.-Perhaps Major Edward T. Me-
Chrystal Of 1iS East Eighty-third street.
New York, would look after the matter OF
notifying my uncles In Ohio. = only met
him once. but he knew my fathers people.
There is s2i.s4 in the pockets Of the clothes
have on toward the funeral expenses Tin
waistcoat pocketsl.
Another sheet Of paper contained the
following:
inscriptions for the collins:
MARY E. soden. born Parma, o.. May
II. ls47.
Ella soden. born Cleveland. o.. Jan.
4, 1870.
-Edwin soden. born Mansfield. o..
March 70. 1871. One time newspaper
~cartoonist.' t
The apartment was barely furnished
and Soden with pencil and brush mad
made q pityful attempt TO tone down the
palpable cheappees Of things, Ella handi-
work was seen on the walls. on the .sparsely
soattered ornaments and, on the, plain
pine wood furniture whioh'he had painted
cottage style. In the house was much
work OF various kinds that be had done,
-. L. ----~. ALnk --~. IaI ~@,x,a@&A1
him from turning his skill into bread.
While the brother toiled. Ella, the sis
ter, made dresses and died slowly Of
consumption due in part to deprivation,
The knowledge that this was so-that
she was dying and they could no moth
ing for h~er-probably 10 whnt drove the
mother and son to.take the short out
through trouble. That they discussed
ohloroform 10 indicated, the police thought,
by the brand new revolver that war found
living on the table. Soden evidently
had gone out after his sisters death and
bought the gun. but had laid It aside for
the poison.
occupies the apartment below. She
became alarmed at the prolonged seclu-
sion of the Sodens and notified Mrs. Anna
Lynch OF sol C1asson avenue. owner Of
the fat house. Mrs. Lynch notified the
police.
The pride that seems to have handi-
capped the Sodens caused them to hide
their history and their distress from the
neighbors Of the fiat house. II wa known
that the girl took in much sewing but
It is believed that she allowed many bills
to 60 unpaid because she var ashamed
to dun her patrons.
An element Of mystery was added to the
by q woman who lives in the house.
She told a policeman that on Friday
she heard some one moving about
In the Soden apartment, but this Ia dis,
for several days. II any one was NOV
ing about it was q trespasser. 30 to make
sure O detective has been assigned to
the case.