Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-20
AFTER BEING CONVICTED
OF SENDING OBSCENE
MATTER THROUGH THE
MAILS, SHE CHOOSES
DEATH BY OWN HAND
IN PREFERENCE TO
SPENDING TWO YEARS IN
JAIL.
MRS. MONNISH ALMOST
TAINTED WHEN SHE
HEARD SENTENCE
81 Am Inocent," She Said Between
Convulsive SObs-WiIl Remain at
Home Under Guard Until Attor-
neys Decide About Appeal.


About o'clock Monday afternoon.
shortly after arriving at her home, $40
Peachtree street, mrs. DR.. Rosa p Mon
nish, who was sentenced to Two years
in the penitentiary and fined $4,000,
drank prussic acid and died in few
minutes.
hrs. ATonnish was In her bed room
when she drank the acid, tho naasha1,
G. J. Johnson, being on guard just out
side How the poisonous drug was OBJ
tanned is not known, but it Is supposed
that Mrs. Monnish had It In her Room
when she returned from court after re-
ceiving her sentence.
When the judge pronounced sentences
MRS. Monnish showed great agitation
and had TO be supported from the room
by the court attendants. Several times
later she almost tainted, the courts
sentence having shattered her nervs
completely.
She had not been at home more than
an hour when she was found in q dying
condition.
Blanched and speeches.. Mrs. DIR. Rosa
F. Monnish staggered from the United
States court room at IL o'clock Monday
morning under a sentence of two years
and two days to the federal penitentiary
victed some weeks ago for using the
mails for the transmission OF obscene
letters. Her attorneys having appealed
for a new trial and this having been
denied, she had come into court about
twenty minutes before IL accompanied BY
her little 1s-year-old daughter, jeanette.
a blue-eyed, fair-haired child, and q wo-
man dressed in black The latter was
Miss Lizzie McColgan, who has been her
faithful es1npanion since her recent en-
tanglements began
Mrs. Monnish had come TO learn what
her punishment would be.
On her arrival the court was in the
midst of routine matters. When these
were disposed of, Judge Newman re-
quested that the little girl be escorted
from the room. The group of attorneys
in from curiosity leaned forward expec-
family. Mrs. Monnish steadied herself
where she sat directly under the bench.
Then came the sentence.
SENTENCE PRONOUNCED.
The courts remarks were brief. There
was a concise deliverance on the neces-
sity of maintaining the integrity OF the
United States mails for the high social
blessing for which they were intended.
Mrs. Monnish listened intentIy. Then an
Imprisonment of one year and one day
was pronounced for each of the two
counts in the indictment and also for
each Of them a fine of 81, 900.
One Of the court attendants came for
ward to Leaf her from the court room.
She pressed her hands heavily OH the
arms Of the chair and rose. Instantly
she tottered and swayed and was on the
verge Of falling, when he caught her and
assisted her out
few moments later she was seated
in the United States marshaPs office on
the second floor of the custom house
waiting in a blindness of despair on any
final turn that her destiny might take
On one side of her sat Miss McColgan
and on the other her daughter In the
corridor outside, her attorneys, Col AL
bert H. Cox, his son, John Cox, and Reu-
ben Arnold, were hurriedly comforting.
There were just two things to be DONE
MAY MAKE APPEAL
Mrs. Monnish would have to go to
prison, to the United States penitentiary
at Lansing, Kans., or. If her case
were appealed to the circuit court, she
might within the courts discretion give
bond and be released pending the review
of her case. The attorneys were discuss
ing as to whether or not they would ap-
peal. They did not decide Monday morn
ing and probably will not until Tuesday,
or maybe the latter part of the week.
In the meantime Mrs. Monnish will re-
main at her home, $40 Peachtree street,
under the continuous guard of Deputy
Marshal ]. c. Johnson and an assistant
he will employ.
While the lawyers were revolving these
matters. Mrs. Monnish sat staring hope
IessIy into the distance. She was asked
if she wished to make any statement for
publication.
Nothing she said with German ac-
cent, except that I'm Innocent It's ali
that woman's doing ever since she tried
to take my husband away from me. Now,
I've lost everything 1 have no money, no
home, no health. The physician told me
yesterday that without a change Of cls-
mate I couldn't live three months. And
there's the child
SHAKEN WITH sOBs.
At this point she shook with a volcanic
sob. and falling with her head upon the
table by which she sat, gave way TO
storm of tears. They were the first that
had touched her eyes since the trIeI be-
gan.
Miss McColgan in her suit of alack
wept silently with her. Little jeanette
buried her face in her hands.
Last fall" she continued. II gave my
husband money, ana told him to go out
west and buy. us a place. 1 thought III
leave here for good. and take the child
and raise her. God knows where she'll
60"
III never go with him. said Jeanette,
to her father Il have friends
who will take me-
Half an hour passed and the girl went
into an adjoining room to use the tele-
phone. When she had got the number
she wanted she began talking rapidly in
German (she speaks four different lam
guages). At times she would lapse into
Ell glish.
Two years and two thousand dollars.
Continued on page Three