The San Francisco call., 1910-07-08
WOMAN PICTURES
ROAD TO SUICIDE
Daughter of Minister, Returning
From Brink of Beyond, Tells
Tale of Her Despair

On cot in crowded ward of the
city and county hospital. cared for by
the hands of strangers and utterly de-
pendent on public charity, Mrs. Ella
Van Tries, daughter of a prominent
Methodist minister of Texas and once
wife of a wealthy physician of Indiana,
is lying in a critical condition as the
result of q elf-administered dose of
carbolic acid taken Wednesday night.
Since she was removed there early
yesterday morning from the central
emergency hospital her one moan and
prayer, repeated feverishly to each
new person who approaches her bed, is
always the same, a cry from the heart:
Don't let them know. don't want
my people to knoY."
Booked on the hospital records as
ELLA Wilson" the name she gave
when she was arrested Wednesday
night in Pacific street on a charge of
vagrancy, Mrs. Van Tries has done her
best. even in the darkest hour of the
despair that drove her to attempt her
own life, to conceal her identity
x have been driven to it ALL" she
explained. her head framed in it's
masses of luxuriant dark hair, turning
increasingly on her low pillow, ''oh
all my life, 1 think" she exclaimed
wearily. TT has all been a series of
misfoTtunes since 1 was Il and 1 am
3S now. But 1 don't want my family
TO know. They think 1 well and
prosperous and fairly happy. What's
the use of tellin gthem anything else?
I would rather they'd think it,
WEDDING RING SOLD
In the round gray eyes and clear cut
features there are still traces of no
little former beauty, with lines on the
forehead that are the imprint more of
worry than of years. Her hands are
white and well kept, but they bear no
wedding ring.
lost that along with everything else. 1t
has just all been poverty and work of
late-and then this last position that
brought me all my trouble. How did it
all happen? Oh! it's long story" and
she sighed bitterly
DO 1 have TO talk of it? Is it best p?
because my people mustn't know
they mustn't. 1t was only on their ac-
count that 1 took poison. ! thought
maybe death would be better than the
city prison. And then I'm going to be
married in 10 days-and / thought he
WELL, that il wouldn't be ever the same
If he came back and found me in jail!' |
L
fore, and / have a son % who has
made his home with me since the death |
Of his father"
She hesitated a second, and then be- |
gan in clear, steady voice to tell her
tale, the story of a woman who has |
enjoyed many of the luxuries of life,
reigned for brief interval as a queen |
in her own happy home and then gone
down, down. steadily down, until she 1
reached an ebb low enough to seek sui
eide as the easiest and happiest way |
out.
MARRIED WHEN A CHILD
u am the daughter of a Methodist
minister" she said, and was brought
up strict Christian. Ny father is
Rev Austin II. Reat and lives in El
Campo, Tex. DR.. John Hannahan, a I
friend of the family and the man who
showed me my first A, B, C's and
taught me all 1 ever was taught. mar
ried me when / was barely 15." She
stoppe da moment, looking away into
space. When my baby was 2 years
old and he was the only child ever
had" she fent on, his father took him
and ran away, leaving me to face the
world alone"
/ wasn't quite 1ss-and he was tired.
Five years ago he dropped dead, and
then my son came back to me. We
everything l wanted, but IL didn't last
I can work, though, at almost any
thing, and, being a doctors wife. I
knew a number of things about nurs-
ing. I have done a great deal of nurs-
ing. east and in San Pedro, and have
also worked in hospitals. Afterward
when 1 had been divorced long time
from Hiram's father. / married again,
here in California, a man named Van
Tries. He was lazy and no good from
the start, and 1 kept up my nursing.
When / couldn't stand 1t any more, and
he was spending money on another
while 1 was away on cases,
ordered hi mout of the house. 1t was
my house" she ended in justification,
and lapsed into silence.
She turned her head with a half
moan oh, I'm tired of ii ALL she
walled. What is the use of remem-
bering il all? He couldn't get divorce
here-he hadn't any reason, but he
went to Fargo, n. D., and lived there a
few days and divorced me. Then /
lived in San Pedro. where I had my
own home and my own furniture In
the IRE that destroyed 27 houses, my
house and clothes and everything went
Since then my son and / have lived in
4 rented house in Los Angeles and he
has worked on the new wharf, but he
has been looking for new position
and so hasn't had any spare money.