The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-12-17

Real excitement reigned at the Plaza
hotel just after six clock Tuesday
evening when Mrs. Catherine Butten-
nth, an actress, seventeen years of age,
calmly announced to some of her
friends that she had swallowed three
grains of bi-chloride of mercury in an
effort to end her life. Within few
minutes the hotel was thrown into an
uproar and DR.. John H. Holm was
called to take charge of the woman.
When DR.. Holm questioned the wo-
man she declared that she had swal-
lowed three tablets of the poison.
He at once prepared to use the stomach
pump in an effort to get the poison out
of the woman s system, but she refused
to submit to this treatment. Later she
was given less, heroic treatment. At
ten O'Clock last night an effort was
made to have the young woman taken
to the KenOsha hospital thai the elm
ination treatment might be applied. but
she refused to go to the hospital
This morning after an interview with
Chief of Police O'Hare, the young wo-
man declared to the police officer that
she had not taken poison and insisted
that she be permitted to go to her home
in st Louis. DR.. Ho m was called into
the case by the chief of police after
the interview and the physician de-
olared thai lis Vie tba5 the a
had swallowed the poison regardless Of
her protests to the contrary this morn
ing.
The yong woman is the wife of 3.
n. Buttenuth, who is now appearing
with the company at the Virginian
theatre, and she had cone to KenOsh9
with her husband on Monday. On
Monday evening she had quarreled
with her husband and they had further
trouble On Tuesday. She told the phys
ician that her husband, with his limit
ed earnings, had found it difficult to
make both ends meet, and that he had
urged her to go to the home Of her
parents in St. Louis and remain until
after the holiday season.
Mrs. Buttenuth was formerly men,
Der of the .Sme company as her bus-
band, but she had given up her work
with the company some time ago. She
had not appeared with the company in
Kenosha.
When seen this morning, DIR. Holm
said: FFI feel certain that the woman
swallowed the mercury as she had every
symptom of suffering from mercuriaI
poisoning She refused absolutely to go
to the hospital and insisted that she
be permitted to leave for her LONE in
st. Louis. When shn refused to accept
treatment / notified the chief of police
and asked him to take some action IN
the matter / believe that she thinks
that with the emergency treatment that
has been given her that she will be able
to reach her home in st. Louis before
she is rendered helpless by the action
of the poison
AT the hotel it was declared that the
young woman had told conflicting stor-
les and that after she had been treated
by the doctor and after the return of
her husband from the theatre SIC in
sisted that she took no poison and that
she had made the statement simply to
scare her husband and force him to
allow her TO remain with him in Ke-
nosha.
In the room which the young woman
occupied a bottle partially filed with
a solution of the bi-chloride was found
It had been purchased at Kenosha
drug store on Tuesday afternoon.
The young woman is still at the
Plaza this afternoon and she has shown
no signs Of collapse. 1t is expected that
she win either leave for st. Louis this
evening or leave with her husband aft
er the conclusion Of the engagement of
the company with which he is playing.
The local police claim that they have
no power to force the young woman to
go to the hospital for treatment and as
she insists that che aas not attempted
suicide and there is no proof that she
has the police hold that they haze no
reason to cause her arrest and seek to
enforce treatment n, this way