Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-24
SUICIDE USED
HUSBANDS
Pts 7 OF
Mystery Of Death of Woman at
Suburban Sanitarium Cleared
by Her Physician,

Mystery surrounding the death OF
Mrs. Pearl Locke Thornton. wife of
Henry o. Thornton, Of Dawson. Ga,
at the DR. James y. BraNner Sani-
tarium Sunday, was dissipated Tues
day when new details of her tragic
end were made public for the first
time.
II was shown by Or Brawner that
he had duly reported the death to the
authorities Sunday, following his
usual custom Of obtaining a death
certificate. The certificate gave the
cause Of death as suicide by wound
caused by pistol bullet" DR., Brawner
insists that 1t was not necessary for
him to report the death to the Coro-
ner, as the cause was plainly known.
The death has cast a gloom over
the sanitarium. which is located at
Greenwood, short distance from
Smyrna, on the Marietta interurban
line. The pistol which Mrs Thornton
obtained from her husbands grip was
the first weapon which had ever been
in the sanitarium, and its being there
was not known TO the hospital su-
thorities.
There is absolutely no mystery
connected with the death of Mrs.
Thornton" declared DR. Brawner 1T
was duly reported to the proper au-
thorities and a death certificate taken
out in Atlanta Sunday. plainly stating
the cause Of death as suicide from n
wound caused by a pistol bullet.
did not report it to the Coroner be-
cause it was not necessary. as the
cause of death was clearly known.
Saws She Was Depressed.
Mrs. Thornton had been patient
here for about six weeks She was
not insane, but was depressed
frame Of mind She displayed i'm
provement and her husband called
Sunday morning at O'Clock to take
her home Mr.. Thornton and myself
went to her room and chatted a while
She seemed slightly depressed then,
but was yisibly delighted at seeing
her husband
After talking while, Mr.. Thorn
ton told me that he wished to settle
his account, and We went to my Office
together. He waited there for two OF
three minutes while ! finished trans
acting some business with a patient,
then came into my private Office.
We had been in there b.. a very
short while when my brother called
me and said that Mrs. Thornton nae
shot herself. one Of tbs nurses heard
the shot, rushed into Mrs Thornton's
room and found her lying across the
bed and Immediately reported 10 my
brother
MT, Thornton and myself rushed
to her room, but she expired jus is
we reached there. She shot herse.f in
the right temple, the bullet passing
through her head and entering the
wall.
Mr. Thornton was completely pros
trated and it was necessary for me
to work with him for some time. Ap-
parently he loved his wife dearly. and
she often remarked Of his tenderness
to her
Didn't Know of Gun in Grip.
when we left her room to go to
my office she was packing her clothes
preparatory to leaving. ! had no idea
that Mr. Thornton had a pistol in
his grip. We are extremely careful
not to allow any weapon about the
place, for fear of an accident 10 pa
TENT. and would not have allowed Mr.
Thornton 10 have carried his grip in
had we known it contained pistol"
Mr. Thornton's custom for many
years has been to carry a pistol in
his grip. as he travels a good deal.
When he came 10 Atlanta Sunday he
had it in his grip and thought moth
ing Of it. When Mrs. Thornton pro-
ceeded 90 pack her clothes Sunday
morning it is presumed she opened
her husbands grip which he had left
in her room, and upon discovering the
weapon suddenly decided 10 end her
life.
During her stay at the sanltarium
Continued on Page 2, Column 2.