The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-02

6 81
snpsrlntondent Davis, and he inmedi
from the city ,nains. It was shut of
within half an hour after the flndine
OF the hat and umbrella. II has beer
shut of over since.
with I'm appropriation recommended
IN committee meeting Monday night
the reservoir viii be thorough,
cleaned and it's sides covered with CO.
ment. There is about fifteen feet oil
water in the east BASIN and by to.
morrow night IL is expected that 4,
will be emptied. Then the wust basin
will be emptied, and both will be thor
ougly overhauiea and cleansod
How She Crossed Fence.
It is still a question as to how Mrs.
Brown got over the fence and into the
water. Yesterday a small strand of
wire netting at the east side of the
basin was found to be broken, and on
the top railing ire was small
scratch. 1t was OF q few feet from
where the umbrella was found. and 1t
is generally believed now that Mrs
Brown placed one foot in the wire and
climbed TO the top OF the fence, from
where perched for a second, she took
tho icy plunge which ended in her
death She must have jumped at least
the basin and went down without
sound. Her hat, which she wore fast
oned only with rubber band. must
have fallen OFF while she was still In
Inidair.
After disappearing beneath the sur
face of the water there must have been
a sharp struggle, for her body was
found at least fifty feet away from the
bank, and she could not have sprung
half that distance.
Perhaps she screamed for help after
the first ley shock, when she came
again to the surface and when she
realized her terrible plight and that
she was going down to her death. But
there was no one to hear, no one 10
bring help.
only few yards away was the
watch-house, and there Vaughan and
Willis were sitting, But the window
was closed, and they could not have
aeen unless they had stood up and
peered out of the window. The win
dows all around the little shelter are
glass. Looking nortEand south ono
would have full view of the reservoir
and surrounding park, But to looh
10 the east one would have to peer
through the window, and no one peered. |
Suicide Well Planned.
Tho suicide-the suicide theory is
now generally accepted by the polio"
and others-was evidently well
planned Mrs. Brown is said to have
visited Reservoir Park on Sunday. the
day before her disappearance. and
when her husband asked her what she
had been doing she replied. 'lookins
at the water" She had also been to-
Libby Hill Park, and returning from
there she told her husband that she
had run down the hill so fast thar
she had nearly broken her neck On
the morning OF her death she said she
had swallowed a nail file a physician
was called in, but she was not seri-
ously affected, and he advised an out
ing The last seen of her was in the
early morning. when friend accosted
her on the street. Mrs. Brown was
undetermined whether to go on a car
or TO walk. but she finally told her
friend that she would go for walk.
ward to say that he had seen her.
shortly before Il o'clock her hus-
band called up Humphrey Calder over
the telephone and asked him II
woman had been seen in the park.
He told Brown that a woman's hat
With an exclamation, Brown hung UP
the receiver. He arrived a short time
later at the reservoir, and then called
up his home to know whether his wife
left the park on the verge. of col
lapse Since then the search had been
prosecuted in all directions until yes
,erday
Umbrella Left as Clue.
From the time Mrs. Brown arrived
at the head of the cast steps until
she had climbed on top of the fence
and taken the icy plunge could have
hra arH1 mn hop min -,,i-
dences show that she laid her UNI /,
brella down where 1t could plainly be |
seen, and then, without a moments |
hesitation, without backward look, |
wind. driven water. once in the wa
ter there was no chance for escape, 4!
for the most agile man could not
have climbed W, the slippery, mud
zion that Mrs. Brown could not have
climbed and jumped from the TOP of
the fence was destroyed when st was
Learned YESTERDAY that she was of
powerful build and strength and fine
athlete With her feet planted be 1,
tween the spikes on the top rail. the /
leap was easys;af.d she made 1t clear
That She. .wsSlted' her family and
friends to learn of her death is shown
by-the fact that she laid her umbrel-
Va down in a conspicuous place She
knew that she would soon be missed,
md that her umbrella would be a ]
means of ldenuicatio
Depressed b! Suicide.
She had been depressed for TWO
weeks since her visit to her parents
In New York. and she chose dark,
rreary morning. when few people Were
put, TO enact the last tragedy. With
only some small change III her pock-
sts, she left her home, bidding no
tarewells, leaving no message. It was
pnly her strange talk the day before
her very evident detection, that led
70 the idea that she had committed
suicide. That she had never contem-
plated suicide before is proved by the
ebhorrence' she depicted when a man
In he- Immediate neighborhood shot