The San Francisco call., 1908-03-24
SOCIETY WOMAN
SWALLOWS POISON
Drinks Deadly Acid in Santa
Cruz Drug Store and
Will Die
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

SANTA CRUZ, March 23.-.I have
taken poison. tried it once before and
failed. it's all over now These were
words addressed to a druggist by Mrs.
e. r. Roberts. handsome society
woman of Seattle, whose husband is
manager for the American waiian
steamship company at Seattle. She
took carbolic acid shortly after lunch,
and at 7:05 o'clock tonight is reported
dying. There are no hopes for her
recovery.
At Mayor Palmer's drug store shortly
after noon she had purchased a bottle
of carbolic acid. saying it was for
lotion She passed diagonally across
Pacific avenue into J. G. Tanners drug
store and asked for glass of water.
saying her head ached. While being
waited upon she sat down at an ice
cream soda table deliberately swallow
ing the contents of the bottle. She had
also previously taken 10 grains of
bichloride of mercury. Mr.. Tanner stood
aghast as he turned to pass the glass
of water and heard the terrible words.
At the same instant j. F. Hill, one of
the proprietors of the st. George bar
ber shop, ehanced to pass and rushed
to assist the woman. II have got TO do
it / am alone in the world with two
Cn1ldF6ut Suc SActalLieu IA Aooi III
shrieks.
ANTIDOTEs IN VAIN
Physicians were hastily summoned
who worked over Mrs. Roberts admin
istering anttdotes in vain effort to pre-
vent death.
Local society folk with whom she had
become acquainted were greatly
shocked Only this afternoon Miss~Pearl
Ewanton, daughter OF Fred Swanton,
had an engagement with Mrs. Roberts
to take her for an afternoon drive.
Family trouble is the direct cause
for the terrible tragedy. Two children.
the eldest of whom is only two and a
half years old, are bereft of their
mother in a strange city
Mrs. Roberts is a brunette, of petite
figure, only "a years old and moved in
Seattle's best society circles. She came
to Santa Cruz several weeks ago With
servants. occupying cottage at Ocean
villa She had received two letters to-
day, the contents of which are with
held from the public. One is from
Roberts, in which he is stated to have
made declaration of breaking all re-
lations with her. The other was from
a woman of Seattle which bore out
the statements of the letter from the
husband. who is said to have brought
suit for divorce. The poor woman was
distracted and, before committing the
awful deed, handed letters to friends,
which included farewell letter to her
husband. Going to a telegraph Office
she sent message to Roberts to come
Immediately for the children.
MADE FRIENDS IN TOWN
Miss Swanton said: Il met Mrs Rob-
erts some week or so ago, through our
having mutual friends In Seattle. She
is a sweet little woman and as she
was here with her two little children
seeking health. and being a stranger.
we tried to make her visit q pleasant
one. She called at our house a couple
Of times and I had taken her driving.
She told me that her health had been
very poor and that when she was with
anyone she did not worry go much
about It. She was "a years OF age and
was born in Montreal, Canada. and was
prominent in social circles In Seattle.
Her husband is an agent Of the Ha-
waiian- American lines In Seattle. She
never seemed Respondent and / was
much shocked to hear of what she
had done"
ANOTHER SUICIDE
Rose Rodriguez, who committed sui
eide Saturday night by taking carbolic
acid and gas. was only Is years old.
She saw IN front of her home, a week
ago. six small boys whom she asked
to be her pail bearers, pinning a rib
bon on each one Her mother is pros
trated Dime novels are said to have
led the girl TO do the rash act.