New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-01
DREAD|NG INSANITY
KILLS BABE AND SELF
Mother, in Despairing Letter,
Says She Fears Little One
Will Share Her Fate.
USES POISON FOR DEED
Note Pinned to Door of Room
Begs Husband Not to Enter
It to Find Victims Of
Double Tragedy.

i
Double Tragedy.
Because she was constantly fearful lest
she and her two months old baby be-
lett. the young wife of George F. Catlett
of No. 337 West 14th street. killed herself
their home, by taking poison When her
husband and her brother returned to the
home, shortly after O'Clock in the even
ing. they found the bodies of the mother
and child lying on the floor Of the he'd
room. Beside them lay an overturned
glass, which is said to have contained
cyanide of pota ssium.
! II was a little more than a year ago
! that JEANNE Hodgson, of Falls Church,
Va, was married to young George Cat
/ lett, of North Carolina After the mar
riage the young people came to New
York City, where they set up house
keeping in the West 18th street apart
ment house. They seemed to be ideally
/ happy, and when, two months ago, the
baby, JEANNE, was born, they thought
| there was nothing to be desired.
The recent period Of hot weather, how
ever. seemed to have a bad effect on
mother and child, and the baby cried
constantly and seemed to grow weaker
each day. The mother. too. appeared to
be affected by the child S illness. and
was greatly worried for fear that it
would not survive its sickness, To her
husband and friends she often spoke of
the baby. and frequently remained up for
| long periods in the night, watching over
and ministering to the infant This APP
parently wore out her strength and she
became melancholy and restless.
The husband tried to cheer his wife
| and had planned a trip to the country in
the hope of lettering her health. Re
Gently he telegraphed TO her brother,
/ Thomas Ho0gson, to come to New York
and take place as his assistant in the
| chemical department of the Western
Electric Company, of which he is the
head. He thought that the presence Of
her brother would do much to Tighten his
wife's spirits, and she did seem to gain
better control of herself after his ar
rival.
Yesterday morning the young wife
( seemed To be in better health and spirits
/ than she had been in for several weeks.
and when her husband left her she chung
70 him and kissed him with fervor- This
did not create any suspicion OF what was
/ to occur so soon, for it was the daily
habit OF his wife.
Neiahbors Had Complained.
The neighbors in the apartment house
where the Cadets lived, had complained
often of the babys crying. This was an
added source of worry to Mrs. Catlett'
/ and she seemed to take the matter
! greatly to heart. But the thing which
principally worried her and made of her
life a thing to be dreaded, was the
/ thought that she was losing her mind
and that little JEANNE, If she lived would
inherit her mothers weakness.
Just what happened after she closed
/ the door behind Catlett and her brother
Yesterday will never be known, but it is
! certain that she went to the bathroom
and found the cyanide in the medicine
chest. She poured out sufficient guam
titv of the powder to kill dozen per-
sons. and then filed the glass with water.
This she must first have given TO the
child. and then, making sure it was
dead she swallowed the rest herself
The woman's body was found just as
she had fallen after taking the poison
The child's body was lying on two pill
/ lows. the lact act of the love which the
mother bore it, and one arm of the
woman's lay stretched across the little
! form, as though placed there To protect
! #
Before taking the drug Mrs. Catlett
! had pinned a note on the outside door
! of her apartment, apparently with the
/ idea that she would spare her husband
the first shock of finding her body The
/ note read:
"George-Don't come in; let some one
! else one of the boys. Not Tomsey.'
.sTomsey" was the pet name Mrs. Cat
| lett used for her brother. When Catiett
and Hodgson arrived at the door and
read the note they. We're at once sus-
picious that something had happened
and opened the door. When the husband
| found the body of his wife and child, he
reeIed and fell. AS soon as he had re-
covered from the first shock. he sent his
| brother-in-law out tn summon a physi-
! clan.
! Young Hodgson rushed to the street
end called DIR. Leroy Sherman, of No.
I 225 West 18th street. and with him ran
back to the CatIett apartment A single
/ glance at the bodies of mother and child
was sufficient TO show the physician that
Continued fifth page.