The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-17
DEAD WOMAN'S
HUSBAND FREED
Investigation by Police and
Coroner Establishes Fact
Suicide Was Committed. :
DECEDENT WAS DIVORCE
AND WAS SUBJECT TO FITS or
MELANCHOLIA.

An investigation which occupied the lar
scr part of yesterday. and which was con-
ducteo by Acting Coroner Stanley s
Hanks and the police department. estab-
lished conclusively that Mrs. May Hedge
Wood. who died in her room at No. IS
East Second South street Monday night.
under somewhat peculiar circumstances,
committed suicide. and also brought to
light number of facts not given public
ity at the time of the death.
The main feature of yesterdays pro
ceedinSs in the case was the release from
custody of the husband, EDWARD Wood.
who had been detained in the police sta
ton over night pending the investigation.
In vitw of the fact Of the death without
the presence of a physician, the removal
/ of the body to the undeTtakeTs without
official sanction and the conflicting stories
told by the relatives of the deceased wo-
caution.
The forenoon and part Of the afternoon
of yesterday wGs taken I'D by Coroner
Hanks and the police department in prob
1 ing the affair.
Among the facts brought out We're that
despite the statement of the husband Mrs.
Wood. tie suicide. was subject 20 meian-
choia and fits OF dependency. IN q
statement made 70 the coroner yesterday
Dy Andrew JorgesOn. the friend Of Wood.
who attended the woman after she was
under the influence of the Opiate. the mo-
| tive for the self-destructioa was found in
D
/ son said to the coroner that he had gone
I to the rooms occupied by Mr. and Mrs.
Wood in the afternoon, along about
/ o clock and that Mrs Wood had sD-
/ peared then to have been under the influ-
/ ence of liquor A row started between the
/ husband and wife in which Mrs. Wood
/ threw a beer glass at Wood. When this
happened JoTgesOn left the room and en-
\ tered the one occupied by the mother of
/ Mrs Wood, Mrs. Hedge While he was
talking with her he heard the bTea king OF
another glass. but shortly afterward
Wood came out and the two. Wood AMI
| Jorgeson. left the place 1t was after 6
o'clock when they returned to find the
| wife unconscious under the effect of
morphine.
The dscedent was 2 divorce. having
married at the age Of IS years, and haV-
/ ing been divorced last August. Her first
| husband. who remarked. is said to be now
residing in Bingham. She was married
to Wood within three months after legal
/ separation and took her own life within
/ the same space of time following the seq
/ ond marriage. Wood. her second nus
/ band. was a former soldier at Fort Doug
las and just a few months before the
marriage was releas ii after serving SIX
/ months sentence for desertiOn.
/ II was also learned from the mother
! that twice before the young wife had at
| tempted suicide. once choosing chloTOfOrH
| and again stTychnine.
| The body is still lying at Halls mOrtu-
| arv. but so far no arrangements have beef
| made for the funeral
In connection with this suicide justice
| of the Peace Hanks. who in that capacity
| is coroner, finds criticism IN the laxiJy OF
| the enforcement Of the law covering tht
/ sale Of poisons or drugs. In the case o
Mrs. Wood it is practically established
that she sent a messenger to some drug
store Monday afternoon for the vial Of
morphine tablets. yet no record has beer
| found in any drug store that sucr wer'
given out. The empty vial was found IT
the room occupied by the suicide. but its
label bore only the mark Of the manufac
| turers and not of the drug store wher;
il was obtained.