New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-09
FIND WOMAN'S BODY IN
RIVERSIDE DRIVE HOME
Family Troubles Caused Miss M.
E. Rowan to Hang Herself,
She Wrote to Coroner.
MOT CRAZY; HEARTBROKEN'
Her Sister Widow of Samuel
Booth, in Whose House She
Died Ten Days Ago, Says
Troubles Were Imaginary.

Miss Mary =. Rowan was found hang
ing by the neck from water tank in
the top floor Bathroom at The house OF
her sister. Mrs. hngeline NJ Booth, Of
| No 4 Riverside Drive. yesterday after
noon. The body was badly decomposed.
Coroner Feinberg said it had been hang
ing there ten days In a letter 90 the
Coroner Miss Rowan said that family
troubles drove her 10 suicide.
Mrs. Booth who is the widow of Sam
uel Booth. once president Of the Ward
Line Steamship Company, closed her
Riverside house early this season. and,
with Miss Rowan and her other sister
Mrs. Walter Lawrence widow Of for
mer owner Of the Sherman Square Ho-
7 tel went to her country place at Great
Neck. Long Island, 10 live.
The Riverside Drive house is Just south
of the house of Charles NJ Schwab
While it was closed Lizzie French. a
caretaker, remained II charge \ week
ago last Thursday Miss Rowan came up
from Great Neck, and as she entered the
house the caretaker said she exclaimed .
Trouble, Trouble, Trouble
Trouble. trouble. trouble; nothing but
trouble She slept there that night. ana
tn next morning after breakfast said
she was going over TO Newark. y. J., 10
visit a cousin. Mrs. J. B. Fartute.
few days later the caretaker began
10 detect a disagreeable odor in the
house on Monday William s Hill, OF
No 81 West Slst street. son-in-lsw of
Mrs. Lawrence. came over TO the house
at her request to investigate. Mrs. Booth
came over from Great Neck in her auto
mobile that day. too. They went
through all the rooms they said. but
overlooked the bath on the top floor.
Yesterday, however, Mr.. Hill had a
locksmith unlock the room. Miss
Rowan's body. clad in light dressing
sack, lay partly on the floor.
Patrolman Brust. of the West 6Sth
street station. went 10 the house and
took charge until Coroner Feinbergs ar
rival Five letters were found in the
room-one To the Coroner. another to the
caretaker. and one to each of her
cousins, Mr.. and Mrs. J. V. Fartute.
The letter to the Coroner follows:
only family troubles make me DO this
am not crazy / am only heartbroken.
Please ask my cousin. Mrs. !. Y. Fartute.
Of No. 13S Milford avenue. Newark, y. J.,
to take charge of my remains.
A second letter. addressed to the house
keeper, contained this:
Lizzie. thank YOU for Your kindness
TO me Tnclosed find $50 to make your sick
sister happy
Sisters Deny Family Trouble.
Coroner Feinberg got the dead wom-
ans sisters on the telephonH. and
learned from them that Miss Rowan
had been i'm poor health and had be-
come despondeut Of late. They said If
family troubles drove her to suicide they
must have been imaginary. Tho news
of her death greatly affected Mrs
Booth. who. Coroner Feinberg learned.
suffers from uedTl UOAll'. R''Dlu ulllB
TO relatives Mrs. Booth was dependent
upon her sisters.
Mrs. J. V Fartutc was shocked when
told Of the finding Of the body Of Miss
Rowan. She could offer no explanation
for the cause of Miss Rowan act, ex-
cept that she thought she might have
been temporarily insane.
Henry Prosper Booth, whose widow
owns the home. died on January ii,
1909. Mrs. Booths maiden name was
Angelinc Rowan. They were married in
1867. Mr. Booth was a director in the
American Mail steamship Company the
brunswick Lock and City Improvement
Company. the international Express
Company. the New York and Cuba Mail
Steamship Company Ohe Ward Line),
the Federal Insurance Company, the
United States and Porto Rico Navlga-
ton Company and the International Coal
Company.