The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-01-31
$. Turner. Winter Visitor
10 Orlando Committed
Suicide There YESTERDAY,
Orlando Reporter Starr

i Walter turner, 90 years OLD, OF
m Conn.,, member Of the tent
. at the fair ground, committed
,ae by shooting herself through
head this morning shortly before
clock.
vas one of the saddest of TRACE
in that the dead woman left three
n children, and considering the
they played in the final scene.
4 fifteen minutes to nine o'clock,
oldest boy, Walter Turner, re-
ned to the tent from town, and,
Mig the flap back he saw his moth
wing on the bed dead, and pow
10 fretfully over her blood-scarred
4 already blackening face, was
bprteen months old baby.
pr D. c. Honey, the same physician
no attended Lloyd E. Darling, when
was shot here last Friday night,
sas summoned to the fair grounds at
o'clock. He found the woman dead.
nscussing the case later, he said the
motive for her act was evidently de.
pondency.
Mr.. Turner told DR.. Roney that last
night she had as pell Of nerves." but
he finally gor her quiet, and thinking
,he was all right, he went to work
this morning as usual. He was en-
Moved by R. ST. Brown, in the up.
holsery business.
The suicide threw bombshell into
the tent colony, members of which
stood about in groups this morning
discussing the tragedy, many Of the
women crying. The circumstances
we're the more pathetic because the
family Of the dead woman had no
privacy in their grief.
The Turner family lived in an i'm.
proyised tent hung from the side Of
a big grey Overland touring car. The
canvas shelter was only large enough
to accommodate the beds for the fam.
. NY.
Visitors to the scene saw the hus-
band leaning across the hood Of the
machine, weeping bitterly, and the
children standing in the nitches Of
the guy ropes, with hung heads, sob.
bling pitifuly.
Mrs. Turner'S mother arrived on
the scene shortly after the shooting
occurred. She is Mrs. Madison An
gel, who, with Mr.. Angel, board In
town. Mr.. Angel was out Of town
this morning.
Mr.. and Mrs. Angel also live in Put
nam.
The Turner's came to Orlando ear
ly in November and made themselves
as comfortable as, circumstances
would permit on the camping arear OF
the fair grounds. They were amongst
the first of the tenters to arrive.
They liked the town and the manner
of life SO we'll that they decided to
stay, and Mr.. Turner got job, as did
the Oldest boy.
Members of the colony said this
morning that he life Of the little fam
lily had been extremely peaceable,
which made the act Of Mrs. Turner
practically unexplainable to them
She was lively, and popular with the
jolly company. She was about ne
grounds yesterday as usual
This morning shortly before y
o'clock many of the tenters were
startled by the sound of a revolver
shot. The noise occasioned some m
vestigation, but it was finally deter
mined that someone was shootlg RAD
bits in the tricket just back OF the
fair ground fence, near which tne
Turner's tent is pitched.
Nothing was known of the Tragedy
until the Oldest boy returned. Wnen
he found his mother lying mute upon
the bed, he called two women frienus
of the family. They entered the ten''
and found the woman dead, her rigl.'
hand still grasping a huge pistol with
which she had committed the deco.
DR.. Roney notified Sheriff Gordon
and Undertaken Hand, the latter 'aA'
ing charge Of the body.
Her Farewell Letter
The following note written BY the
stricken woman was found py ner
mother and friends under a Jar Wnere
II had been put by Mrs. Turner ana
was received by the Reporter-Star
shortly. before going to press. It ful'
" EXPLAINS the motive for the rasn
act. It reads:
Dear waiter feel myself getting
worse every day. There is surely
something wrong with my nina anu
| am afraid | will do harm to SOMEONE
else.
| hate to leave you and the dear
.,. k,,t .hint Won will be better