The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-27
VIRGINIA GIRL
TAKES OWN LIFE
Miss Bessie Elwell, of Winches-
ter, Commits Suicide in
Washington.
SHE WAS TRAINED NURSE
Love Affair Believed to Have
Been Cause of Her
Dependency.
SHE WAS TRAINED NURSE

Washington, January 26.-Miss Bes-
sic \ Elwell, thirty-fOur years old, OF
Winchester, Va, graduate nurse VINO
recently inherited modest fortune
Yesterday committed suicide by drink
ing carbolic acid in her apartment AT
the Plymouth. after penning number
Of farewell missives. in an enort 10
avenge herself on her erstwhile lover.
Her lifeless body, clad in street attire,
was discovered stretched at run length
on a couch in her room when Bicycle
Policeman Fleet Hughlett, of the Sec
Ond precinct. standing on chair. IN
the corridor. peered through the glass
transOm into the darkened room. on
the corner of a mantel, just above the
couch. was an empty tbree-ounce bottle
that had contained carbolic acid.
Upon a table. and opened that all
might see. was brief message addressed
70 Coroner hewitt" and reading as
follows:
Notify ..... .........., OF
Riverdale. Nd. by telephoning .....
that the body of one of his sweethearts
is ar the morgue. He has the price. so
ask him 10 have it cremated not let IT
be sent away. lie will be there by
: 30 this p. NJ. or early Sunday A. Nj.
Respectfully.
BESSIE y. ELWELL."
Il have known Miss Elwell for num-
Der OF years. ~ SAID the man named IN
the note when he was called on tele-
phone Il called on her for about four
years and suppose / could be placed In
The category Of her sweethearts. | am
married and Miss Elwell threatened TO
tell my wife of my attentions. The
price of Miss Elwells silence was 3 800
did not have the money. told my
wife of my attentions to Miss Elwell
and the. trouble that resulted has now
Studied Nursing Here.
Miss E,lWell studied nursing at the
Homeopathic Hospital from Septem Der
p. 1905. until November 30, 1905. being
practiced nursing in Washington for
some months. went TO Baltimore TO
continue her profession. and more
recently is said 20 have been In charge or
a small private hospital in Florida.
II is related that Miss Elwell made
desperate attempts to regain the love
She talked freely among acquaintances
of the wrong that had been done her
il If said, and only q fortnight ago
threatened TO end her life and Kill the
man she loved.
In the apartment in the rear of the
seventh floor of the Plymouth in Elev-
enth Street, between y and o Streets
Northwast Miss Elwell lived with four
other women. and when she uttered her
threats they took alarm and sought to
dissuade her from acts of violence.
She listened to arguments but gave
them little heed, and only week ago
turned on the gas in her single room
An occupant of the fat, who succeeded
in shielding her identity. detected the
odor of gas and saved Miss Elwell from
death.
Hardly had the nurse been revived
than she declared she would again at
tempt suicide. She spoke bitterly of
the man to whom she ascribed her I'M
happiness.
She began her plans for self-des-
III. = h.
nearly all night writing letters How
many letters Miss Elvell wrote is
conjectural. but the number if vaguely
placed by her friends as many
Notifies Newspaper.
a letter addressed to the editor of
an afternoon newspaper, postmarked
80 p NJ. was delivered about thirty
minutes after that hour and informed
the newspaper man of the act she con-
templated. Miss Elwell also inclosed
photograph of the man she loved.
The picture was pasted on the back of
magazine picture of Lillian Russell
Miss Elwell mailed no picture of her
self. and il is stated that she destroyed
all of her pictures before swallowing
the acid
AS soon as the editor comprehended
the contents of the letter from Miss
Elwen, he notified Captain Charles
Peck. of the Second Precinct, who
sent Policeman Hughlett 70 the apart
ments. Hughiett created bit OF ex-
excitement when he asked permission
to search the apartment for the body
of the young woman who had com
rnitted suicide. A glance through
the transom was enough to tell the
policeman that Miss Elweil was dead.
Hughlett removed the glass window in
the transom and climbed over the door
on the table with the note addressed to
Coroner hewitt was letter to Mrs
Direnderfer. who subjects the various
rooms of the apartment. Mrs. Offender
fer asserts that the contents of the
letter deal entirely with matters of
business. relating TO Miss Elwell S
room rental. Another letter was ad-