St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1912-03-09
DRIVEN TO SUICIDE.
Tragic Death Of Hammond. La,
Girl in Texas Hotel.

Galveston, Tex, March "A few
weeks ago d young woman named
Lanier, whose parents live near Ham
mond, La, committed suicide in the
bridal chamber Of the great new hc-
tel in Houston, the Bender. Three
OR four days before she took her life
she had registered there with Henry
w. Dickson as Fl. w. Dickinson and
wife, of Waco. The couple were
young and good-looking. The wo-
man was real beauty and not mere
~ so for purposes Of newspaper de-
scription. They apparently had plen-
= OF money with which to enjoy life
The woman was not more thsn 20
years of age and appeared to be of
good breeding, but of a disposition
TO see more of life under the electric
lights than with the aid of the sun.
After her death her body was re-
moved to an undertaking establish
nent and there Dickson saw her,
looking coldly at the remains and not
even rendering payment for the flu
neral, though he had several hun
dred dollars in his pockets and was
told by the undertaken that the par
ents of the dead woman were people
in such circumstances that to pay the
expenses of bringing the body home
would compel sacrifices. Dickson
walked away and gave no further
heed. The body of the dead girl
tiyes.
r Law REACHED FOR MAN.
Then the law reached for Dickson.
His father being prosperous cotton
man living in an interior town in
Texas, the boy has never known
work. His widowed mother continu-
ed to support him with money and
Dickson flourished and learned. Af-
ter the suicide had been laid away
in her quiet grave in the Louisiana
cemetery the officers learned that the
night before she had taken her life
she had been given terrific beating
by the fellow who was imposing as
her husband. The officials of Harris
county secured an indictment charg-
ing Dickson with aggravated assault
and battery and hope to send him
to the county road for long term.
But in the meantime Dickson was
arrested in Galveston two weeks ago,
and the evidence adduced in court
was to the effect that he brought the
young woman from Houston to Cal
weston, compelled her to give him
money and to pawn her own clothes,
and finally beat her when his de-
mands for money were refused. The
recorder fined him the maximum on
a charge of vagrancy, $500. and the
court costs amounted to SIS. The
court instructed the chief of police
that this man would have to either
pay the fine or work it out On the
streets, which meant Els days labor
for the prisoners are allowed 81 a
day. The court instructed the police
department not to release this man
work him or get the fine.
1t came to the knowledge of the
court some days ago that the young
man was in Jail, but had not been
taken out to work with the other
prisoners. He was convicted on Feb.
A. and has spent fifteen days in the
Jail.
MUST WORK ON STREETS.
Dickson was brought into court,
and the recorder asked Chief Wegen-
er and Police Officer Henry Wisrodt
why the man had been permitted to
stay in Jail for fourteen days, and
not worked as other prisoners. The
chief said he had instructed Wisrodt
to work the man. Officer Wisrodt
said the man was wanted in Houston,
and he didn't want to take him out,
because he might run away. Any
way, we have no work for the pris-
eighteen prisoners at the jail, and no
work for them"
The court said he begged to differ
with the officer, as casual inspec-
ton OF the esplanade on Broadway
and other places showed that large
force Of prisoners could be employed
on the esplAnade and parks.