Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-07
TRIES To DIE
ON EVE Of
DIVORCE
Phone Operator, DespOndent Over
New Love Affair, Fails in
Suicide Effort.

Propped up in a bed at Grady Hos
pital. Miss Catherine Reese, the pref
ty telephone operator who tried to end
her life with strychnine Sunday, told
a pathetic story Of two disappoint-
ments in love.
1T just seemed that there was
nothing left to live for" she moaned,
but am sorry did It now"
Miss Reese was still white-face
and weak Monday from the effects Of
the poison. 1t Is believed that she
will have recovered within two or
three days.
She told a graphic tale Of the de-
spondency that led her to the attempt
at elf-destruction and OF her bitter
grief and despair as she snatched a
pad of writing paper to write a las.
message to her sweetheart even while
the poison had her in its grasp.
Unable to Write Death Note.
Sweetheart. you will never
know" she wrote in a scrawling
hand as commissions seized her. She
was unable to finish the sentence.
Il know it was a foolish, foolish
thing for me to do she said at the
hospital. But everything was going
against me. My mother was sick.
My marriage was unhappy. for it is
true that I have been married and
that my case for divorce was TO have
come up to-day. Then came this
other disappointment in love. was
tired and exhausted. Everything
looked dark and so l Just swallowed
the stryChnine.
MY husbands name is w. A.
Skeene. He has been in the navy
and we used to travel about the
country quite lot. He did not treat
me kindly, though, and I left him
soon after we came to Atlanta. l met
a young man my the name of Col
den Studstill about six months ago.
He is a private at Fort Mcpherson.
He paid me a good many attentions
and 1 was attracted by him. He is
the one who caused me to try to
Kill myself. We had a little quarrel
the Fourth of July, but we made up
afterward. On Saturday 1 worked
on a switchboard from early in the
morning until about II o'clock at
night. When I came out Golden was
waiting for me with three other fell
lows-Patrick StudstiIl, his brother;
a young man by the name Of Wood
and william Briggs.
0uarreIed on Auto Ride.
we went automobile riding for a
long time. Golden got very angry
with me about something and was
angry when he left me early Sunday
morning. I tried to call him at Fort
Mcpherson Sunday, but I couldn't get
him. They were provoked at me out
at the fort for calling 80 often.
finally became desperate and when l
went TO my room in Mrs. Bowers
house at 81 Fraser Street swallowed
the strychnine tablets. There must
have been 25 or 30 of them
in a few minutes l was in terrible
uain. l wanted to send a message TO
Golden, who was to have married me
after l got my divorce. I thought II
would be the last ne ever would hear
from me. tried to write him, but the
pain overcame me before ! was fin
shed"
Since her separation from her hus-
oand the young woman has been
Known by her maiden name she
lived for some time at 26 Capitol
Avenue. She had lived at the resi-
lence OF Mrs. Bowers only a week
She was left partially paralyzed BY
the commissions induced by the poi
son, but this condition Is wearing off
gradually and the physicians expect
an early recovery Her attorney N
the suit for divorce is ". H. Lewis
She was married May 81, 1909, and
separated from her husband July :.
1912
While Studstill was in Waco at the
Continued on Page 2, Column 5.