Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-22
WOMAN, SUICIDE IN CELL
FACING DISGRACE FOR SHOP
LIFTING, HANGS HERSELF.
Rips a Rope From Her Prison Cot
and bitches End of It
Around Jail Bars.

NEW YORK, August Correspondent
because of the disgrace attending her ar
rest as shoplifter, Miss Marion Des.
mond. thirty-six years old, of 116 West
65th street, hanged herself in the Jeffer-
son Market court prison last night by rip
ping a rope from her cot. and. after at
taching one end to her cell door, jumping
from her cot She was dead when found
by Night Matron Elizabeth Kelly, who
was making her regular half-hour round
of the woman's prison.
Only little more than half an hour be-
fore the suicide was discovered the Des-
mond woman was seen sitting on her cot
reading THE Final Reckoning a short
story in a current number of maya
zine.
1t was within a few minutes of O'Clock
when Night Matron Kelly started her reg
ular round of the prison and came upon
the body of the woman. She appeared 10
he standing with her back against the
door of her cell. and at first the matron
did not see the rope above her head.
When she discovered the womar's condi-
ton she called Keeper John O'Connor.
who united the rope and summoned an
ambulance from Bellevue Hospital.
Body Warm When Found.
DR.. Bradley answered and found the
woman's body still warm, although he
said she was probably dead when found.
The rope from the cot had cut through
the skin, and the ambulance surgeon said
death was due to strangulation. The wom-
an had not broken her neck when she
jumped from her cot
Coroner Hamburger was summoned, and
he at once made the style of cot used in
the prison an object of criticism. Only
recently, he said. he had spoken to Com
missioner of Correction John r. Coggey
about the frequency of suicides in various
city prisons. and suggested a change in
the style of cot. The coroner said he could
not understand how any one could kill
himself between the regular half hour
rounds of the keepers.
Warden Peter Mallon called Coroner
Harburger's attention to the fact that
eighty-siX cots of different styles had just
been installed in the prison. These new
cots are OF steel frames and are attached
TO the cell walls. They have no ropes
attached that might be used by pris-
Oner in self-deStructiOn.
Charge Against Woman.
The Desmond woman was arrested in a
department store at 18th street and 9Th
avenue yesterday by Central Once De-
tective Baker upon the complaint of Mae
V. Walsh. a store detective, who said
she saw the woman ''smuggling'' short
store The prisoner was later arraigned
before Magistrate Crane in the Jefferson
Market court and held in 500 bail for ex-
animation today on a charge of petit
larceny.
She was not an unattra ctive-looking
woman. and was we'll dressed. During
the afternoon yesterday she spent much
of her time reading, but appeared de-
spondent. Keeper OConnor said he had
been told earlier in the day that the Des-
mond woman wrote a letter during the
afternoon. but it was not to be found
In the cell last night.
The cot from which the woman secured
the rope with which she hanged herself
consists OF steel frame, with a strong
heavy canvas suspended from the sides of
the framework. The mattress and blankets
are placed on the canvas. The latetr Is
fastened to the frame by means of two
ropes. running one each side from end
TO end of the cot, passing through eye
rings In the canvas and attached to the
sides of the frame.