The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-16
TALKS OF SUICIDE.
Mother of Ocey Snead Says She
Would Welcome Death.
She Faints on Being Taken to
the Station House.
A CHARGE OF MURDER
LIS Made Against the Woman i'm
* New Jersey.
Three Suspicious Notes Are
Found In Her Room.


Found In Her Room.
New York. Dec. 1.-two members
| of Ocey Snead's family now are un-
| der arrest on account of her death.
Mrs. Mary Snead, sister of Mrs.
Caroline B. Martin and mother-in-law
of Ocey Snead, was taken in charge
| this afternoon, charged with being
| fugitive from justice in that she was
| implicated in Ocey Snead's death
New York. Dec. 16.-Mrs. Caroline
B. Martin, mother of Ocey Snead, the
East Orange bath tub victim. talked
| of suicide and collapsed as she was
being led to a cell in the Mercer street
| police station early today.
The ending is DEATH" was Mrs.
! Martins reported comment on the an
| swer of the detectives to her questions
| as to what the legal proceedings would
| be in her case.
81 would welcome DEATH" the detec-
tives report her as continuing. 81 am
old and can't help anyone and am OF
no use. 1 want to go to heaven
The womans condition was pitiabie.
When she was brought to the station
/ house and turned over to the matron
she tainted but revived and led to
her cell.
Mrs. Martin was arrested late last
night on warrant issued in New Jer-
sey charging her with the murder of
/ her daughter. Mrs. Martins sister
Miss Virginia Wardlaw. has for some
days been held i'll New Jersey prison
cell to await the action of the grand
jury on similar charge.
Mrs. Martin had been missing since
| the tragedy Ind her unexpected ap-
pearance and the circumstances lead
ing up to her apprehension were dram
attic DEVELOPMENTS of a case sensational
| from the first.
! Three SusDicfous Notes
! In her room in the little hotel
where she was located after a pro-
tracted search, were found three
notes. the wording of which was al
most identical with that of the
| suicide" pinned to the clothing of
! Ocey Snead when her body was dis
covered. The notes were written on
paper of the same color and texture
as that of the original suicide notes
/, and the handwriting was prac-
tically identical Slight changes in
phraseoiogy are all the differences
| noted. ---5=.----.=- zf.s = .
| Taken from the hotel to police
headquarters Mrs. Martin underwent
a brief examination and was then
| transferred to the station house. On
the way she talked ramblingly and
! several times referred to Ocey Snead
as that "poor girl and my daugh-
ter"
The word suicide" was frequently
on her lips.
/
every day. was her comment to the
detectives on the case of her daugh-
ter. and mo attention would have
been paid to this one" she added.
Except that the party had money"
authorities is awaited. whether Mrs.
| Martin would consent to accompany
the officers to East Orange or
would have to be resorted to had not
been indicated prior to her arraign-
| ment in the tornbs police court. where
1t was expected she would be taken
| during the day.
Suicide Letters.
| Further discoveries in the room
vacated by Mrs. Martin were made by
the police today. It was stated that
these included more than 100 suicide
| letters" purporting to have been
addressed to prominent New Yorkers.
among whom were Mrs. Russell Sage
| and Mrs. Clarence Burns. a well
| known club woman.
The letters were varied in their
phraseology. but all of them sounded
the pathetic note of despair. One
addressed "To whoever finds this
expressed dread of pain and con-
cluded:
Nobody has harmed me and have
harmed nobody. I love everybody
and everybody loves me, but can not
| endure physical agony"
1
counsel and attorney was worded to
| indicate that the writer feared the
| lapsing of her endowment insurance
| policies If she lived. through her In
ability to keep up the payments. The
lawyers were instructed promptly to
collect my insurance in cash and pay
| 1t over to my grandmother without
requiring any bond or security from
her." This was signed in full "Ocey
Wardlaw Martin Snead.''
| In another the writer addressed
'tMy family and declares: mo
living person Is to blame for my death
or has had anything to do with caus-
| ing my DEATH"
| Two to Her Husband.
| Two letters from Mrs. Ocey Snead
| lection. One was dated June %. and
the other September last. The batch
| likewise included a will purporting to
have been made by the bath tub VIC
tim. dated September z, last, and
directing that all of her property be
| turned over to her grandmother.
Mrs. Martin, when taken to the
Tombs court for arraignment had
again donned the four. heavy wells
which she wore last night: Not
withstanding this protection when she
saw the group Of photographers about
| the station she protested against their
presence, declaring that she was be-
| ing prosecuted. On the way stop
was made at police headquarters
where the prisoner when asked II she
desired to make any statement, said
her counsel had advised her not to
| talk
/ Kermit Makes Big Killing.