Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-21
SCHOOL GIRL
OF 13 TRIES
TO END LIFE
RUTH SARGEANT SHOOTS HER
SELF IN BREAST
STOPS TEACHER WITH POINTED
PISTOL
Student Rushes from San Pedro School
Into Rear Yard and Fires Bullet
Into HerseIf-Condi.
ton Serious

Ruth Sergeant, aged 13. residing with
her parents, Mr.. and Mrs. w. r. Sar-
geant at 747 East Twenty-first street.
shot herself in the left breast with sui
cldal intent at 1:30 o'clock yesterday
afternoon while in the rear yard of the
building of the San Pedro street school,
where she is student, inf1icting a
wound that is serious, but not neces-
sarily fatal. She used a 80 caliber
pistol.
Just prior to shooting herself the girl
drew the pistol from her shirtwaist and
pointed it at her teacher, Miss Dodson
of 1896 Arnold street, when the latter
tried to stop her as she was leaving
the school building.
There We're no eyewitneSses to the
shooting, but children in the room
which the girl had just left, looking out
of the windows when they heard the
report of the pistol, saw her fall to the
ground. The girls teacher, the princi-
pal of the school, Prof. B. w. Reed,
and some of the pupils, rushed out to
the assistance of the girl, but by the
time they reached her she had arisen
to her feet and started to walk toward
a rear gate of the school yard.
She Alone Is to Blame
To questions asked her by Prof. Reed
she answered only:
mo one is to blame but myself
She then complained of suffering
great pain, and, taking her in his arms,
Prof. Reed carried her to the Angelus
hospital, two and a half blocks away.
There an examination of her wound
showed that tho bullet had passed
within two inches of the heart and
lodged in the back about the same dis
tance to the left of the spine
The girls teachers and parents de-
clare that they do not know the motive
which prompted her to try to end her
life, and the girl herself has made no
statement about the affair.
Yesterday the Sergeant girls chum.l
a girl of about her age, left for some
point in the east and Ruth was greatly
grieved because she was refused per-
mission to go with her.
The fact that she failed of promotion
in school last month was source of
trouble, also, to the girl In addition
she has been for months voracious
reader of books of a more substantial
character thai. girls of her age usually
enjoy. These things, or some one of
them, may have been the basis of her
motive.
Had Told Her Chum
1t is said, however, that the Sergeant
girl had previously confided to her
chum information that she intended to
secure pistol and kill herself.
When and where the girl secured the
pistol is a mystery. She was quoted
as saying that it was her fathers and
that she obtained it at home. This
her father denied yesterday afternoon,
however, saying that the only pistol
which he possessed, a large one, was
then in his room, while the small one
with which the girl shot herself, was in
the office os the principal of the school,
The home of the girl is less than
three blocks from the San Pedro school,
and yesterday at noon she went to her
residence, as has been her custom, for
lunch. Nothing unusual was observed
in her demeanor and in no way did she
convey the slightest suggestion that
she intended 10 try to commit suicide.
From her homo she went next door
and tried on a dress which was being
made for her. From there she went
directly to the school building, SO far
as can lie learned, arriving earlier than
usual in the study room OF grade Is,
CT which she is member.
Reproved for Misconduct
Soon after the session of school was
resumed, the girl was reproved by her
w
across the rom. The offense was not
such a serious one and the reproof was
not unduly severe, but the girl immedi-
ately left her seat and walked rapidly
from the room through rear door into
the hallway.
Miss Dodson, her teacher, observing
her action, went as quickly through
FROM door into the hall. and inter-
cepted the girl as she was proceeding
=. o,,1 "a cta
Placing hand upon the girls shoul-
der. her teacher directed her to return
to the schoolroom and resume her
studies. Instead, however. the girl
thrust a hand into her shirt waist and
drew forth pistol. which she pointed
at the teacher threateningly and said:
"Get out of my way or you will be
shot You cannot prevent me from
going"
Naturally, the astonished teacher
stepped aside out of range of the pistol,
the hammer of which was drawn back
and which wanted but the pressure of
the girls finger, all ready upon the
trigger, to explode.
Fires Bullet Into Breast
The girl then passed quickly down the
stairway and out into the rear yard.
She walked to the front of small
building, about seventy-five feet away,
and, stopping, placed the pistol TO her
left breast and fired.
While she was being carried TO the
hospital a messenger was sent to her
home with information of the occur
renee, causing the greatest surprise as
we'll as grief to her parents and brother.
w. r. Sergeant, until lately a real
estate agent, is recovering from seri-
GUS illness of nine weeks duration. once
during which time it was thought ne
could not recover His daughter be-
came very Respondent at one time be-
cause of his Illness, but her usual good
spirits returned as he progressed to-
ward recovery Both the father and
the mother think that the girl was
harmed by reading too much and be-