Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-05-01

Chicago, H., April 23.-Mrs. Jessie
Lewellyn Call. daughter OF a former
governor OF kansas who committed
suicide at the Newberry hotel Easter
afternoon. left an unfinished novel
which her friends believe would have
made her well known had she lived to
finish II.
The manuscript. which is said to be
In the keeping of Miss Louise Llewellyn.
Mrs. Calls sister, now in Oskaloosa,
Ia, deals with the political life that
conferred around her father. 1t was
partly because OF the existence of this
manuscript that Mrs. Calls intimate
friends base their belief that she made
up her mind to take her own life sud-
denly after a sleepleus night, or
she had been made especially despond-
ent by an acute attack of a ervou
malady. They believe that the period
of generalization was not longer than
q day or two.
In addition to the unfinished novel,
Mrs. Call left a set of tales called the
Papa, dear series, as yet unpublished.
iowan Chief Witness.
AT the inquest James Dewitt, husband
of one of Mrs. Calls sisters, who lives
at Oskaloosa, Ia, was the chief wit
ness. A verdict OF suicide was re-
turned in accordance with letters left
by Mrs. Call.
Mrs. Call appeared at the hotel short
ly after noon when the Easter crush
was on its way from church and regis
tered her full name, giving her address
simply as ~. s. A" She paid for a
week in advance and went to her room.
About 6 o'clock Margaret Haley, a
maid, thinking Mrs. Call might require
something, knocked at her door. There
was no response. The maid turned the
handle and entered the oom
She found Mrs. Call lying dead on the
floor. Beside her was a small empty
vial which was ~unlabeled. but Is sup
posed to have contained prussic acid.
The body was full dressed and appar-
emily death had occurred several hours
previous to the coming of the maid.
Three letters and q telegram were
found In the room. The telegram was
addressed to Mr.. Dewitt. at Oskaloosa,
and read:
Jessie Llewellyn Call died here to.
day-Hotel Newberry.'
Letter Coolly Explains.
A letter addressed to Miss Pearl A.
Billings, proprietor of the Newberry
hotel, gave Mrs. Calls explanation for
the ending of her own life. 1t was as
follows: +.
My Dear Madam ask your pardon for
causing you this temporary inconvenience.
Enclosed, however, is the receipt for one
weeks payment, $3.50. and, as ! only ar
rived today at noon, you Will be repaid for
small services. such as summoning the
necessary functionaries and sending my
telegrams: / inclose or leave other money
in my purse which you can make use OF X
necessary. or turn over to my brotherin-
law when he arrives.
please see that the letters 1 leave are
sent. You will see that the letters j leave
the seal is criminal. This is not for you.
but for the servants or others who might
be curious. There will be no scandal fol-
lowing my resignation, as 1t is only a
case of HOPELESS Illness. This only pdtho-
logical experts and my near relatives will
understand; so 1t Is useless to explain
further.
Say to the coroner that /, Jessie
Llewellyn Call, died of premediated sui
eide planned for several days and exc
cuted in dispassionate reason: cause, a
nervous malady Of long duration. To the
newspa pers say the same, though In JUS
tlce to my family you might add tina
every sacrifice has been made by them to-
wards my recovery and that the reason
i am alone is because / refused further
sacrifices from them. j believe this COW
ers everything. Allow me TO thank you
in advance for the unpleasant task / am
thrusting upon you-J. l.. c.
One OF the sealed letters was a6-i
dressed to her sister. Mrs. James Al
Dewitt and Miss Louise Llewellyn at
Oskaloosa. The other sealed letter was
addressed TO James A. Dewitt. In Mrs
CaInpbells purse was $6.01.
Witty and Brilliant.
Mrs. Call was about 40 years old and
a widow. When her father was gov
ernor OF Kansas she lived in Topeka.
She received her education at the uni
versity at Lawrence, Kan. She was a
brilliant woman intellectually and et-
tractive. She had a varied experience
in newspaper writing.
She succeeded the late Harold Vynne
In 1903 as the writer OF the society coll
umn on the Inter Ocean, under the
pseudonym of Willie Dearborn She
handled her pen with a peculiar deli
cacy and displayed a wit peculiar to
herself.