The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-10-01
DIED BECAUSE
OF CLAIMED
NEGLECT
tFrom Thursdays Advertiser,

(From Thursdays Advertiser.)
Sometime between ten and half past
4 en- o'clock Tuesday night Mrs Helen
:. Kelsey, member of the teaching
aculty of Kaahumanu School, commit.
ed suicide, by shooting herself through
! he heart with 32.calibre revolver,
he body being found at six clock
yesterday morning. The deed was COM
nitted on the veranda of the Central
Grammar School in the old High School
! grounds on Emma street. The coroner s
Z ury last night rendered verdict that
he death of Mrs. Kelsey was self
Inflicted during a fit of dependency,
nd letters found in her dress suit case
i've the motive for the act.
That the woman was respondent is
IMPLY borne out by typewriter letters
written on a machine which she kept
n her room at the Methodist Parson-
\ ge addressed to DR.. Frank E. Clark,
enlist, whose office is in the Progress
Block, near to which the suicide oc.
,urred. These letters had been torn
p and the bits thrown into the suit
ase, together with envelopes which
ore DR.. Clark IS addressed and post
Parks indicating that they had been
ent through the mail on September IL.
low letters mailed to DR.. Clark and
forwarded through the mails should
gain be in the possession of the de.
eased was explained by DR.. Clark at
he inquest. He says that she sent
iany letters to him on various sub
s ects but often would call at his office
Or them and take them back before
e reached there himself in the morn
lg.
In one letter, with its attendant en-
ielope dated September IL, Mrs. Kel-
Fey refers to long acquaintance with
ne doctor and to various matters of
.utual interest to them, particularly
pbraiding him for not seeming to take
ny further interest in her. In this
Utter she threatened to end her life
$ it was of no further use to her.
he sets forth in these letters that
he has given much and received little
IA return. Several such letters ad
ressed to DR.. Clark were found.
DR.. Clark stated to the jury that he
new Mrs. Kelsey only in business
& ay and that he had done dental work
pr her besides taking mortgage on
piece of property in Palolo which she
as purchasing from the government.
ccording to memorandum which the
oman left this amounted to $215.
Other witnesses set forth that Mrs.
elsey has been respondent for a long
me and has frequently expressed the
pinion that life was only weary
s ,und of work, eat ana sleep. She
rooded somewhat over financial mat
rs. Several memoranda found by
oroner Rose, probably written on
e tuesday evening, give items of small
lis which she says she owed, while
ne asked that her typewriter be CIV
1 h to certain friends.
Mrs. Kelsey was forty.three years of
+ ge, and has son about seventeen
ears of age, who is said to be now
Mexico. About a year ago she OBJ
lined divorce from Henry E. Kel-
by, who was for some time the man
ger of Wall, Nichols store at Hilo,
nd who is now residing in Hawaii.
Though she had been quite CHEEKY
/ public, yet it was noticed by friends
nat she was in a respondent mood.
ince her divorce she had been depress-
I in spirits and the fact that she
light lose the property at Palolo on
hich she had paid considerable money
.emed to weigh upon her mind.
On Tuesday evening she had dinner
: the Palm, as usual, and then re-
lrned to her room. She spoke of her
undry not having been returned and
lid she would go ont and see the
iundryman. She returned home about
o clock, her return being indicated
D other inmates of the house by her
footsteps, which were quick and we'll
nown to the others. That she left the
7 buse soon afterwards is apparent by
ne fact that her bed was undisturbed,
nd the fact that witness who resides
p; the Kamehameha clubhouse on up
er Fort street, near which DR.. Clark
+ so resides, heard a pistol report about
o clock. She appeared to have been
,tting on chair near a table when
ne fred the fatal shot, for she had
e Dppled over to the floor carrying the
iair with her.
Mrs. Kelsey was well acquainted
Nth the Grammar School building,
aving taught there before going to
,aahumapu.
In one of her letters to DR.. Clark,
ne unfortunate woman stated that she
= puld not make herself return to school
b teach and rather than do so would
+ nd her life.
The deceased besides leaving a son,
lso leaves surviving her a brother,
larry G. Wells, a school teacher on
" laui.
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