The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-12-17
SNEAD ARREST.
Mother of Murdered YOUNG
Woman a Prisoner.
DUPLICATE "SUlCIDE" NOTES.
Handwriting In Her Hotel Rooms
Like That In Letter Pinned
to Clothes of Bathtub
Victim.
DUPLICATE "SUlCIDE" NOTES.

1NCW AOAh, bCS. 1O.-n1k6. SAIOlluC
B. Martin, who has been sought by
the police ever since the tragic death
Of her daughter, Mrs. Ocey Wardlaw
Martin Snead, who was found dead in
a bathtub in an unfurnished house In
East Orange, N. j., was arrested in
the Hotel Bayard, this city, by central
Office detectives.
Her arrest was due to the discovery
Of three notes similar In several re-
spects to the so called suicide" note
found pinned to the clothing Of the
bathtub victim. These notes were
found in a suit case which Mrs. Mar
tin left in Room S55, to which she was
first assigned and from which she was
taken to another part Of the hotel
The fact that these notes not only
resembled the handwriting Of the sui
eide note so closely as to lead to the
conclusion that all were penned by the
same person, but were on the same
kind of bond paper, points to them as
important, perhaps vital, evidence in
the case in which Mrs. Virginia Ward
law, aunt of the dead girl, has been
accused Of her murder.
Prosecutor Mott Of New Jersey, who
did not know Of the existence even Of
the three notes, was quick to declare
their vital Importance, and he at once
had a warrant for Mrs. Martins arrest
sworn out before Recorder Mott Of
East Orange.
Since the death of her daughter Mrs.
Martin had been in. hiding. The po-
I lice learned that she had stopped at
the Martha Washington and the Aldine
hotels under the name Of Mrs. May
brick" They finall. traced her to the
Hotel Bayard, and she begged the
management to let her escape by a
rear passage. They refused, and she
changed her room.
In the room she first occupied the
police found handbag in which were
three notes, two of which read as fol-
lows:
My little daughter has died. Other near
and dear ones have died. I want to join
them in heaven. l have been prostrate
with illness a long time. When you have
read this 1 will be dead from suicide. Do
not grieve for me. Rejoice that death
DTlnBB ME d painless blcSp, TCiici liOui
sickness, suffering and pain greater than
I can bear. OCEY W. M. SNEAD.
Last year my daughter died. Other
near and dear kindred too, have gone to
heaven. I long to go there. I'd been very
weak and i'll a long time. Death will be
When you have read this I will have
committed suicide. My sorrow and pain
in this world are greater than can en-
dure. OCEY w. M. SNEAD.
In the small letter 'r" and In the
capital 80" the handwriting in these
notes and in that found in the bath
room are almost identical. The letters
are shaded the same, and the punctua'
tion is done with the same care. Even
the color of the ink appears to be the
same.
The existence of so many suicide
notes suggests practice in writing them
until one was obtained to suit; also
that the writer was calm enough to
write until one that contained just the
right sentiment-just the right mean
ing-had been penned. The writing OF
none of the notes showed the slightest
degree of wavering or nervousness in
the formation of the letters. All were
written with a steady hand.
In the suit case were several receipt.
ed bills of the Hotel Martha Washing.
ton. One of them showed that Mrs
Martin had been charged SIS for a
room in the hotel from Nov. 20, the
day Mrs. Snead's body was found in
the East Orange house, until Dec. 6
and that she had paid $3.50 and owed
balance of $1,000.