Evening star., 1911-08-19

| found dead in bed this morning, the vic
tim of poison taken with suicidal intent.
She took the poison Thursday night, the
police believe.
The child, crib-bound by the exhaustion
of starvation, had passed tie hours of
daylight and darkness since her dead
mother failed to heed her summons. all
alone in the room, her cries too weak to
bring aid. her vitality slowly ebbing.
| The mother evidently entertained the
| thought that her starving child might
| die before her own death was discovered.
| A message left behind provides for the
disposition of the child in the event that
she should survive the ordeal of waiting
for discovery OF the tragedy.
Accused Another Woman.
Worn with waiting for appointment to
a government position for which she had
| stood examination with splendid success,
and without funds to tide her over the
| interval, and with the notion that she
was the subject of espionage by Pinker-
| ton detectives as the result of the machi-
! nations of another woman, whom she ac-
| cuses of having caused her domestic dis
tress, Mrs Peterson abandoned the wish
| to live. Letters tell Of her struggle and
! despair.
| She had been a divorced woman. Re-
marrying. her second husband had aban-
| doned her.
| Mrs. Peterson was about thirty-five
years old. She committed suicide in her
| apartment at the Riveria, 223 H street
| Her badly discolored body was discov-
| cred about 10 o'clock this morning
Virginia Peterson, daughter, was barely
alive and conscious. Policeman Harry
Evans picked up the child. She made a
feeble outcry.
AS soon as she was turned over to
Preston c. Forrest. the colored janitor.
she looked up and asked: Where S
Mamie?" Mamie is the janitor's child.
Missed Since Thursday.
Mrs. Peterson had been missed from
about the apartment house since early
Thursday morning. The colored janitor
made an investigation as early as 9
o'clock this morning. when he detected
an odor coming from her room.
THAT was before daylight" he ex-
planned later. Il wasn't going into the
room then"
Mrs. Peterson wrote two letters before
she took the acid. One was addressed
to Inspector Boardman, chief Of detectives,
at whose office she had been an almost
daily visitor during the past few months.
The other was addressed to George
friended her.
In the letters she explained some Of her
troubles, blaming them on woman,
who, she wrote. was an apt teacher Of
that husband, it is said.
About six months ago she was married
| in Colorado city to a man named
Peterson. Mrs. Peterson told Inspector
Boardman several months ago that her
second husband deserted her shortly after
their marriage.
II die a martyr to the government my
poor old father fought to save" was one
or fay ont 6A 10, - La
wrote inspector Bo2rdman.
Her father, the police inspector says,
is In an insane asylum in the west, prob
ably Colorado.
Boardman about six months ago, when
Mr.. Spransy referred her to him as the
one man who would assist her in her
troubles. She told the inspector about
Pinkerton detectives following her. She
ai@o told the janitor of the apartment
house that such men were continuously
| shadowing her. She was unable to tell
| why.
Had Few Acquaintance.
In the apartment house she was on
speaking terms with only one occupant,
the janitor stated, and that was because
both We're members Of the Eastern Star.
The janitor's wife frequently looked after
little Virginia when her mother was
away from the apartment
| She took an examinatio for a govern
ment position and made % per cent. She
| had left the employ OF the American
! Federation of Labor before that time.
She stated last week that she hoped
she would soon get her appointment.
Tuesday of this week was the last time
| she was in the office of Inspector Board
man at police headquarters. She was still
| certain that detectives were following her
and expressed herself as hopeful of rid
ding herself of them in the near future.
4 saying nothing to indicate she intended tc
| end her life.
/ After writing Of the woman she blamed
for her troubles. she added:
My husband was an apt pupil OF hers,
and the detectives have done the rest.
1t is hopeless struggle. and 1 will SO
I and relieve you OF the burden.
| IF by any chance the baby does not
i die, have her adopted in some good Ma
sonic family. but l would like you to
take her as your own
i Mrs. Peterson said In the letter she
hoped 1t would not be made to appear
that she took her life because she was
| without funds or that she was crazy,
adding that neither was the case. Life.
she wrote, has long been a burden, and
I death would be the only relief. 1t would
\ put an end to the insults and humilia-
4 tions to which she had been subjected
and would terminate the life Of a woman
who had been murdered by inches.
Il daQ lone der Best.
II have done the best I could" she
wrote. land now 1 can't stay any
longer"
She wrote that she knew death was to
be accomplished by her own hand, bu,
she thought there was nothing wrong
about il. She evidently thought the chile
would starve to death before her body
was discovered. for she wrote that she
wanted Inspector Boardman and Mr.
Spransy to have "our bodies cremate6
and the ashes buried together"
In event of the death of the child and
herself, she wrote. she wanted her effects
TO be turned over to her sister, Mrs
Florence A. Dodge, wife Of Herbert A
Dodge of Congress Heights Should the
child survive she Is to get the effects.
Apartment Neatly Kept.
The front room Of the apartment on the
first floor Of the Riveria. where the wom
an committed suicide. was neatly furnish
ed and presented the appearance OF hav
: ing been occupied by a good housekeep
: er. There was nothing there to indicat,
/ a struggle of any kind and the writint
Continued on Second Page,9