Arizona republican., 1911-06-26
VICTIM IF
 CHLOROFORM Tragic Death of Mrs. Wm.
 PierSon WAS SELF ADMINISTERED Whether the Drug Was Used With Suicidal In tent Is Problem for the Coroner's Jury This Aft ernoon.
WAS SELF ADMINISTERED

William PiersOn, died last night, at her home. 330 East Adams street. of chlo rofOrm poisoning, the drug being pre- sumably self f-administered. Whether it was taken with suicidal intent is question to be determined by the cor oner's jury which viewed the body last night and will meet for deliberatiOn this afternoon at 3 o'clock. Doubt in the mat ter is held because of the fact that she was a chronic and severe sufferer of asthma and may have used the drug hoping for some measure of temporary relief from pain, and because when she was last seen alive by friends early in the evening. she seemed to be mentally in cheerful spirits and so far as known was not Respondent.
 MT Pierson is employed by the re- clamation service at d construction camp on section 35, thrfe or four miles north of Phoenix. He was at home yes terday going back to the camp last evening. When the tragedy was re- ported to Howard Reed, in charge of : the canal system shortly before mid night he went after MT. Pierson in his automobile. He was not seen after his return to the city with MT. Reed but it is not believed that he can throw any light on the case, unless he has Knowledge of her use of the drug as a remedy He evidently had no suspic- ion Of any suicidal intent on the part of
 his wife last evening. They were mar
 ried only a few months ago.
 The body was round by Mrs. Mar
 guerite Locker, a young woman who 1 has lived with Mrs Pierson for about a week and who was greatly distressed last night. saying that during their short acquaintance they had become the
 closest of friends: Early in the even ing she left with friend to attend a
 picture show, urging Mrs. Pierson to accompany them. She refused saying
 that she did not feel good and had had very bad day and would retire early. and urged her friends escort to Bring
 Rita home early"
 The couple returned after the pie
 ture show and as Mrs. Locker passed
 through the darkcned room she spoke
 but received no answer. which she re-
 garded as strange inasmuch as Mrs.
 Pierson usually greeted her cheerily
 when sine came in. However she sup
 posed Mrs. Pierson was asleep and
 passed into another room where she prepared to retire Returning to tell her something, the room then being lighted, she found Mrs. Pierson with
 her face buried in the pillow and a bottle in her hand bearing chloroform label of the Rives drug store. the bot
 tie being nearly empty. Fearing the worst she ran to the house of neigh
 bor and summoned Dr Bell by tele- phone but before he arrived someone else summoned Dr. Hughes who lives in the same block Both physicians responded but Mir. Pierson was dead when they arrived and undoubtedly
 was also when she was first found by
 Mrs. Locker. Pending tn arrival or the physicians the family occupying the other part of the house was notified and unavailing efforts were made to restore respiration.
 Mrs. Pierson has lived most of her
 life in California; and her father and mother, it is understood. now live in Los Angeles. She has been q sufferer of asthma for many years though found q greater measure of relief from it here than anywhere else. She came here first in the summer of 1909 in very poor health and was joined the follow ing winter by her mother who returned to Los Angeles in the spring of 1910 be-
 ing greatly restored in health the daughter following later in the sum- mer. A few months ago she returned to Phoenix and shortly after her ar rival here was married to Mir Pier son. So far as has been learned they lived happily together. At the time Of her death she did not have the ap-
 pearance of an invalid though it was common knowledge among her friends
 that sine still suffered severely of her asthmatic truoble. Her age was not
 learned but she was probably between
 25 and 90 years old.