The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-15
Drowning CAUSE
OF GIRLS Death
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

much water, indicating that the cells had
Of respiration.
mo external marks of violence have
been found, and apparently no struggle
of any kind preceded death. Neither was
there any cerebral hemorrhage. nor proof
of any physical condition which might
constitute motive for suicide"
William Crispell, the girls father. to-
day made the following statement:
Victim Of Night Life.
my daughter is dead. a victim of the
life that lures young girls from the path
that God marked for those who would
follow the teachings of His Son. She
was never bad girl. She died good
girl, but a wilful one. She had a taste of
the life OF the cafes; just taste, and
desire for more was born.
Alice had never been In a city larger
than Wilkesbarre. To her New York was
a dream. and l noticed the change In
the girl after she remarked one night
last spring that she would love to see
Broadway and the cafes in New York.
She already had visited the cafes of
wilkesbarre She had. thereby. tasted of
the tree of knowledge. 1t opened to her
eyes a world far apart from that in
which she was born and raised. i, her
father. have seen New York but once.
But she was of the newer generation
and the call of the white lights had
reached her.
Il was always a man of few words
and of little religion. Like all farmers.
/ sent my children to the meeting on
meetings were far from my thoughts,
however. but last spring there came to
me a great light.
Converted nv Eyauuelfst
II saw my girl Alice coming home
late at night. Now and then she did
not come home at all. l saw her In the
company of young men whom l dis
trusted. l began to think of her future.
BILLY Sunday came to Wilkesbarre and
I went to hear him. / began TO see that
there was but one solution to my per-
plexity. and that 1t lay in the Gospel
taught by Jesus Christ.
THE power and the comforting phi
losophy of the message brought me by
Billy Sunday showed me a path in life.
In the word of God | saw a solution to
my problems. l inaugurated services in
my home and prayed Alice would he
shown the folly of her way and forsake
II. / spoke to Alice and she listened.
but did not heed. My conversion was
complete. saw in cafes, theaters.
cards. dancing. and liquor nothing but
the face and hand of mammon.
One night after she had been away
from home for a day and a night I
went TO her. The spirit was within my
heart in all its intensity. / struggled
with myself. tried to tell her OF her
folly, but she showed little interest. 1
took my gun from the shelf above the |
fireplace and pointed it at her.
Did Not Plan Murder.
1T would be better that the bullet in |
this gun should pierce your heart than !
that you should sell your soul TO the |
devil" 1 told her.
Il did not threaten to shoot her. Muir
der was not In my heart. The gun was |
not loaded, and ] knew II. i was merely |
trying to impress the relative value OF /
her life and soul upon her. That Is ali. |
Il have prayed for the soul OF my girl |
ever since her body was found. l know |
that she was not a bad girl. Goa Will
not judge her Tor the rev sins that shE
had committed. She was weak. uncer-
tam. Undecided. In ner was the longing
for the garish life that leads to dark
ness, but in her heart was a great space 4
Tor the word of God. / would have |
come TO her once she saw the emptiness 4
of the life for which she craved. But
now she has gone. and 1 believe that
God has taken her to his side. where II
the wicked cease from troubling and the
weary are at rest"