New-York tribune., 1912-03-21
HELD AS SMUCCLER,
WOMAN HANGS HERSELF
Mrs. Edwin Carson Drops from
Window in Hotel After Loop
ing Rope to Radiator.
READ SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Underscored Passage About Sui.
eide in Book Found in Room
Left Word to Have Body
Disposed of Quickly.

Mrs. Edwin Carson, Of San Francisco,
ended 4 trip around the world yesterday
morning by committing suicide. She had
been held in 5000 bail for smuggling gems
valued At 10000 into this country on her
arrival Monday. so yesterday. some time
between o'clock anil dawn. she looped a
hempen rope 70 the radiator of her room
on the eighth floor Of the Hotel Broztell.
No East 9th street. fastened It about
her neck and dropped from her window.
Thomas Seey. janitor of the five story
building next door, on the Fifth avenue
corner. glanced from his window on the
roof about $50 o'clock. and made out above
him through the mist the body of a woman
depending from her window sill. He rushed
20 the street and met Patrolman John f.
McGinty. and both ran into the hotel The
clerk there mrlediately reused j. A. john
son. the manager, who led the searching
party
As the building Of which Seery is janitor
completely sCTeered the body from the
street. II took johnson some time to find
the right room. No. sol from the inside.
He let himself and the policeman in with
his pass key. and tpgsther they lifted the
body back into the room. DR.. La Rochelle,
mediately summoned from the New York
Hospital. said Mrs. Carson had been dead
an hour or two. She had on a kmonO, a
skirt and shoes and stockings. Her feet
had hung down d litGe below the top Of
the window of The room below hers. but,
fortunately. this soom was unoccupied.
Science and Health" Factor.
The immediate cause of Mrs. Carson S
act was her despair at having smuGgled
her gems past the customs lines when she
disembarked from the North German Lloyd
liner George Washington on Monday. and
at the publicity which attended her arrest
en- Tuesday and her arraignment before
George J. Smyth. Special Deputy Surveyor.
But contributing factor was the follow
ing passage from Mary G.. Baker Eddy s
book Science and HEALTH" which IS a
lamp unto the footsteps of all Christian
Scientists:
Death is not stepping stone to life,
Immortality and bliss. The so-called sinner
is a suicide. Sin kills the. sinner, and will
continue to kill him so Ions as he sins"
This passage the coroner found deeply
underscored in a copy of Science and
Health" which lay on Mrs. Carsor's table.
1t appears on page 2O3 of the sub-heading,
FOOTSTEPS of Truth" 1t is one Of only
two references to suicide in the whole book.
the other being the mention of J:udas Is
CARROT as a suicide.
Several copies of THE Christian Science
Monitor" were also found in the room. bat
Harrison Osborne of No. 81 Nassau street
who appeared as Mrs. Carsom's counsel be-
fore Deputy Surveyor Smyth. said he did
not think his client had become a full
fedged Christian Scientist. but she, had
told him members of her family were
Christian Scientists and that she was deep
" interested in the subject and was study
ing its doctrines. Mr. Smyth said she had
remarked at the hearing that she had been
reading Christian Science literature all the
way across the Atlantic.
Left Two Letters on Table.
The suicide left two letters on her table
beside her copy of Science and Health >
Both were sealed and addressed IL pencil
one to her brother, Paul r. Maybury. No
9l9 West 23th STREET Los Angeles, and the
other to Mr. Osborne. her counsel on the
envelope addressed to Mr.. Osborne she haG
written in the upper left hand corner -
q. m" This letter read:
Dear Mr. Osborne: My brothers address
is Paul r. MayDury. $40 W. 18th St, Lot
Angeles 7 can never thank you enough
for what you have done for me. Dispose
OF remains here quickly-do not send home
3. CARSON.
'rhe mot" in the last sentence was un
derscored. The whole was written in Z
firm hand in pencil on white note paper
Mr. Osborne said he was not AT liberty t.
make known the contents Of the letter L
Nr Maybury. but he understood it was il
the nature Of brief farewell to her broth
er and other relatives. Mrs Carson wa!
widow and was travelling alone.
About l o'clock yesterday afternoon,
said Mr.. Osborne. II received word by tel
ephone at the ONCE that there was Z