The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-07-19
ONE WAS HAPPY;
THE OTHER DEAD
Startling Contrast Between
SWeethearts of Nicholas
longWorth.
THE FIRST WAS FORSAKEN.
HER LIFE AFTER THAT NOT
WHAT 1T WAS WHEN SHE WAS
THE FiANcE OF OHIO CON-
GRESHAM.

New York, July 18.-Ona charming
and radiant young woman, the focus
of twenty thousand pairs Of admiring
eyes in a scene whose outcome is
eyes in a scene whose outcome was
breathlessly awaited by more than
eighty millions. She was Mrs. Nicho-
las Longworth. daughter Of the, Presi-
dent of the United States at the Den
Yer Convention.
Another young woman, beautiful and
equally charming, dead from a dose of
poison in her brothers New York
apartment. She was Miss Miriam
Frances Bloomer, once the affianced
bride of that same Nicholas Long
worth-and once before, since his
marriage to the Presidents daughter,
mysteriously and very nearly fatally
poisoned.
Was there ever more startling con-
trast between two fates so curiously
linked? One all bright and joyously
secure for the future; the other mex
orably doomed by shattered Illusions,
probably by a broken heart?
The bereaved family refer to an
"accident"-thes second Of two similar
accidents" The coroner permits the
body Of the beautiful girl, with only a
perfunctory inquiry into the cause of
her death, to be quietly taken to the
home of her parents in Cincinnati. Of
ficially it is a deplorable incident that
is closed.
But no one who analyses the circum-
stances of Miss Boomers death, in
connection with that narrow escape of
q little more than year ago from a
like fate, and in the light of mental
Influences easily imagines, can avoid
the conclusion that she found life no
longer supportable.
1t was several years ago that Miss
Bloomer, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. J.
B. Bloomer-a Cincinnati family Of
wealth and social prominence-be-
came engaged to marry Nicholas
Longworth, of another Cincinnati fam
lily of equal social standing and
wealth.
Before it was generally known that
this engagement had been broken off.
Mr.. Longworth's persistent courtship
of the Presidents eldest daughter
made him one of the party visiting
the Philippines, China and Japan, of
which Secretary Taft and Miss Alice
Roosevelt were the distinguished CEN
ire. When the party returned, Miss
Alice had capitulated. She was the
future Mrs. Nicholas Longworth.
This announcement stimulated cur
iosity about Miss Boomers position.
When and why had her engagement
been broken? There was no satisfac-
tory answer to this question. There
was nothing tn the aspect Of the beau
tiful accomplished, high-bred former
fiancee of Congressman Longworth to
indicate that she was in any way dis
turbed by his revised matrimonial ar
rangements
Yet, as the date for this great we'd
ding of the social season drew near,
1t was persistently gossiped in Gin
cinnati and Washington that Miss
Bloomer would be among the few in.
,vited guests who would fail to attend
It was whispered that her love for the
man who had chosen another to be
his bride, having once pledged him.
self to her had not waned, that to ap-
pear at the ceremony uniting him to
another woman would be beyond her
strength.
Whoever believed this was unfa.
miliar with the true ring Of Miss
Boomers mettle. Not only was she
one of the gayest of the charming
guests at the Longworth wedding. but
publicly, and in the most smiling and
unaffected manner. congratulated the
bride and bridegroom.
1t was not until some months
had elapsed that the state of Miss
Boomers mind and heart became
again a matter of speculation. In
March, a year ago, she was myster-
iously poisoned while alone in her
room. For a long time she was in a
semi-unconscious state. There were
deep acid burns on her hands and
face. For six months she was seclud-
ed in the country, under the care Of
physicians.
She finally recovered and returned
to the social circle in which she
moved showing few traces of her ter
rible experience. She, no more th1n
members of her family. seemed able
TO explain now she received TIE luJuT-
les which were so nearly fatal. De-
tectives-even a medium who was
consulted-could discover no more
than was told at the time by her
brother, Ralph Bloomer, the famous
Yale football halfback, in whose New
York apartment she was living at the
time.
Returning to his apartment one eve-
ming a little before IL o'clock. Ralph,
according to his custom raped at the
door of his sisters room to say good
night. Receiving no answer he open
ed the door and looked in. She was
sleeping peacefully. His rap had not
awakened her.
Going then to his own room near
by, read for a while. Twice as he read
he thought he heard low means from
his sisters room. He attributed them
to the restlessness that often goes
with disturbing dreams to which she
was subject, and went to bed. Early
the next morning he was awakened by
his sisters maid, who begged him to
come at once to her mistress room.
He found his sister in agony from