St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1912-11-30
FROM
10Th STORY
1OGROuhD
Possessed With Idea She is
Sought for Slavery.
Miss Van Duesen Jumps to
Her Death in Preference.
Says in Note Left, Il Pre-
fer Death to Dishonor.
Police Do Not Understand
Spiritual White Slavery"

the idea that she was pursued TO,
dishonorable purposes, Miss Maudt
Van Duesen, IS years old, today leap
ed from the twentieth story of the
Mccormick building and was crush...
to death on the stone pavement of ar
alley. She jumped from fire escape
nearly ESQ feet above the ground
Her body struck another fire escape
at the first floor and bounded int.
the alleyway. Nearly all her bone:
were broken.
Miss Van fDuesen, acconrding tc
papers found on her person, was E
school teacher in Humboldt, Neb. l.
appeared that she had been seekin;
e position here and had been obesscd
with the iiea that she had been ir
danger from white slavers Sh.
wrote that she had been driven tf
appeal for protection from Chief o,
Police NcWeeney to the Federal De
par1ment OF Justice. and to the social
settlement workers
She had prepared for her death
by pinning across her bosom a STRIP
Of white linen which had been stained
crimson at either end and on which
she had printed in large letters
Death before dishonor." She had
tied around her neck a copy of the
New Testament, in which she Eaa
marked passages in John. She held
her handbag In her hand as she
jumped, and it was picked up nea,
her body. In it was another marked
Bible and q typewriter statement
several thousand words, entitled !:
Part of My Life's History" '''
will die clean, If l have to kill my
self," was written at the head c.
one of the sheets.
A strip of bacon, a small paper oe
nepper, an ounce of tea and $3.1a
in currency also were found in the
handbag. The police assert tha.
Mis- "an Luesen was der .lgel wher
she ieaped from the .lildibg. 'rh.
landlaiy Of the house in which .lis:
Van Dl@scn had been roomiue saia
that tho young woman haG been
without employment for some time.
Il am tryin gto write this without
the least emotion" her typewriter
statement began, 'sand, though the
following statements may seem dra-
matte. your reason will assure you
that they contain only common sense.
Il have very little money and ar
not allowed to hold a position. /
will accept no money but that l
earn
''If do not get help it will be a
certainty that l cannot escape fall
ing into the hands of the spiritualist
white slave trade and that will force
me to self-destruction"
The police do not understand what
Miss Van Duesen meant by spirit
ualish white slave trade
A copy of a letter in her handbag
addressed to Miss Jaen Adams, Of
Hull House, says:
II wonder il this note will ever
reach you. Coed people nowadays
are protected by secretaries, SO that
1t is hard to get to them. l shall
love If you are good really or intend
to be as you determine"
Miss Adams in reply, stated that she
was too busy to see Miss Van Queen
at that time. but would make a later
appointment with her.
One passage marked in the Testa.
ment referred to was from the four
teenth chapter of John. Let not
your heart be troubled Ye believe
Fathers house are many mansions
in God. Believe also in Me. In Ny
II 1t were not so I would have told
you so. go to prepare a place for
YOU"
The young woman is said to have
been harassed by hallucination that
she was pursued by the representa-
tives of this cult.
Miss Van Duesen came to Chicago
from Cincinatti, June Is, 1910
While in the Ohio city she worked az
stenographer, and lived at the Young
WOmens' Christian Home.