The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-14
ENDS DISGRACE
WITH A BULLET
Girl Who Eloped With Mar
ried Man, Kills Herself
When Discovered
HE is INDIFFERENT AT
INQUEST OVER HER
Husband and Father Unaffected
by Suicide of 13-Year-Old
Lass Who "Was Stuck on
Me from the Start.

ALEXANDRIA. VA. September IA.
Apparently unaffected and indifferent,
William Firth. Jr. married man of
family. walked to-day beside the bier
of Ethel May Pierce, 13-year-old girl
of Chester. Pa, who committed sui
eide in preference to being captured
after clipping with him. He calmly
offered to testify at the coroner's
inquest.
Firth and the child-eloper arrived
at the Hotel Rammei here yesterday.
having fed from Chester. Pa. where
he was "A Pennsylvania railroad ticket
agent Police dispatches soon follow
ed them, and Chief of Police Goods
last evening sent word to Firth that
he wanted TO see him. When the
chief forced open the door of their
room, pistol shot rang out Behind
the door he found the crumpled form
of a little girl, who died about mid
night in a hospital. She had sent
bullet through her brain. The man
stood bewlldered in the centre of the
room.
Firth admitted to-day that he had
a wife and child in Chester.
The coroner presented slip of
paper. found In the girls handbag,
on which she had written
ItSdItSt hthI. tHF EItdu6S Va btNht az
softly falling,
The golden sun is sinking down the
West.
It's then for you my heart liz yearning
calling, calling.
| For I'm dreaming of the one I love
the best"
Would Steal Her.
| When / met this girl l told her
| that some day i would steal her, and
| about a week ago We framed up this
! elopement," said Firth. Il got q pass
to Jacksonville, where I expected to
| get Job for short while. Then we
were going to Mexico, from there to
! Frisco. and from there we were go
! ing to China.
Monday night the girl called me
up and said she was ready to go,
and then she left the receiver off the
hook to keep central from tipping her
father off. In twenty minutes the girl
was al the station, and to keep the
negro porter from giving the alarm
l locked him in the cellar, where he
had fallen asleep.
Thinking they might be on the
lookout for us in Washington. we
dropped off at Baltimore. There We
had breakfast. and then we decided
to come on to Alexandria.
when we left Chester the girl said
she would never go home alive, but
| thought that was bluff. She knew
l had the pistol in my overcoat pocket
and she must have slipped it out
and jumped behind the door when |
opened Ii for the officer.
III go back to Chester and plead
my own case before the trial Judge.
III never suffer for this, but some
one else will.
, INV Fan MO ie xxYs1lf, - Y-;,.1z
and l am n years old have a wife
and a six-year-old daughter at 234
Patterson street
| I was introduced to this girl last
June by mutual friend. l advised
my friend to tell her / was married
when she expressed desire to meet
, me, but he didn't do it. She found II
/ out later. but that didn't make an,
difference to her. because she wa,
: stuck on me from the start"
Jurys Verdict.
At the conclusion OF the inquest
! the coroner's jury returned the follow.
, ing verdict:
Vie, the jury. find from the evi.
dence that Ethel May Pierce came K
her death by pistol shot wound in.
ffcted with suicidal intent from hel
own hands"
, The body of the girl will be sent Il
Chester this afternoon.
William Firth viii go back in the
custody Of Chief of Police McCarey, OF
Chester. without any extradition pro
! ceedings.
"All i want to do IL to wait hers
: until they can send her body home,
he said to Police Chief McCarey
Then i will be glad enough to ge
, home and get this affair cleared up.
Firth was this afternoon taken bacl
to Chester by Chief of Police Edware
MeCarty, of that place, on a warran
sworn out by W. w Pierce, father
of the girl, charging him with abduc
ton.