Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-01
RETURNS FROM
His GRAVE AND
KILLS HERSELF
WIDOW OF SCENIC ARTIST
TAKES CHL0ROFORM
SUPPORTED INVALID HUSBAND
MANY MONTHS
Pathetic Career of Unfortunate Couple,
Given Wide Attention in the
Press, Has Truly Tragic
Close
n ErURNING from the burial of

n ETURNING from the burial of
X, her husband in Evergreen cene-
~ terry, Mrs. Anna Tomlinson, aged
q, yesterday afternoon committed sui
eide by taking quantity of morphine
and inhaling chloroform at her home,
1871 Wall street.
The death of her husband, a scenic
artist, whom she had nursed and sup
ported for months, and the tragic end
of the wife mark the closing of a hard
struggle against poverty.
While her husband was suffering and
unable to work, Mrs. Tomlinson left
her home the morning of July 9, to
seek employment. After several hours
of unsuccessful search the woman,
overcome by hunger and exhaustion,
tainted at Third and Spring streets
She was taken to the receiving hospital
for treatment, and told a palmetto
story of her struggle to support her
invalid husband and their two children.
AS a result of accounts of her dest1-
tute condition being published in the
newspapers they were given assistance
by the charitable. Tomlinson was
offered employment, but was unable
to work on account of his health.
For the last two months the nus
band has been near death, and the
wife has been unable to leave his bed
side. The two children, Frank, aged
g. and George, aged 5, were sent TO
live with Mrs. L. E. McCann, sister
of Mrs. Tomlinson, living at ontario.
Kind hearted neighbors, moved to
sympathy by the brave efforts OF the
wife to nurse her husband back to
health, prevented the couple from
starving, providing them with food.
Tomlinson's burial took place at
Evergreen cemetery yesterday morning
at 11:30 o'clock. The heart broken
wife, accompanied by her brother-in-
law and sister, Mr.. and Mrs. L. p.
McCann of ontario, and Charles p -;
Howe, a step-brother, living at TIC
Lamar street, was present when the
funeral services were held over the
body.
After the interment, while returning
to her home, Mrs. Tomlinson told her
relatives not to plan for her future,
and remarked that she would be with
her husband in a short time. Nothing
was thought of this, and the sister
arranged for her TO leave in the after
noon for Ontario.
Reaching home, Mrs. Tomlinson said
she would lie down and rest While the
others were getting her belongings in
readiness foS the afternoon train.
The unfortunate woman sank on a
COQCH III AOOIll CAi NAAO ~ ~ ~~N-0
placed a cloth over her face. She re-
fused offers of assistance from her
relatives and declared she would feel
all right in a short time.
The room was darkened and the
woman was left alone. AS soon as she
found herself alone she rose and Sc
cured, from medicine chest in a
closet, a quantity of morphine and Q
bottle of chloroform.
She swallowed the morphine, lay
down on the couch, saturated a cloth
with the chloroform and placed it over
her face. Shortly afterward her sister
entered the room, but, thinking the
woman asleep, did not disturb her. On
re-entering the room several minutes
later, about 2:30 o'clock, she heard
Mrs. Tomlinson groaning and breathing
in gasps. She called her husband, and
then summoned DR.. Albert Scholl.
The physician soon arrived, and
found the woman had taken poison and
inhaled ,chloroform. They worked
over the unconscious woman for sew
eral hours, but were unable to revive
her and she died at 6 o'clock.
The two children were not brought
home to attend their fathers funeral,
and they are ignorant of their mothers
death.
The body of the unfortunate woman
was taken to the undertaking estab-
lishment of Riedeman and Meyer, and
the coroner probably will sign GER
tificate of suicide, without holding an
inquest,