The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-20
YOUNG LOVER OF CLARK GIRL ENDS
 LIFE WITH POISON
Admits in Letter to Newspaper He Furnished Poison to His Sweetheart, Who Died
 Thursday


 Boston. March 19.-Death by poison ended the flight of Otto Halder Larsen, senior at the Mas sachusetts Institute of Technology, from the gay party at which Pauline Virginia Clark, divorcee, ended her life early last Thursday morning His body was found today in the Fenway, behind the Museum of Fine Arts. Apparently he had been dead only short time.
 Two letters signed by Larsen. as- serting that Miss Clark had long in- tended to commit suicide, and that Larsen had supplied her with poison, were received by Boston newspaper and Medical Examiner Masrath sev- eral hours after his body was found In the letter to the medical examiner Larsen said that Miss Clark request ed him several weeks ago to procure some poison for her in order that she might take her own life, She had long before decided on this course, HS Hald Sb6 ADIu nlIl.
 "I agreed to do this" the letter continued. "extracting from her the promise that she would not use it until her mother came home She gave me her promise and l prepared for her solution of strong poison"
 The letter related how Larsen had met Miss Clark six weeks ago and they had become intimate friends. It said that Miss Clark told him of her excessive depression and of various Incidents in her life.
 "1 wondered how she resisted so 1 long the temptation that death really is" the letter added.
 The letter then described how he suspected that Miss Clark was go- ing to break her word and take the roison among her guests on wednes- 1 day night, and although she again promised to defer her act. she sud- denly stood up and drank the fatal poison.
 "J called a doctor and attempted to assist her" the letter continued.
 When I saw that she was dead, I left, because I would not give myself up to be grilled by non understand 1 ing police. I took the remainder or
 the poison with me. It was my prop
 erty after Miss Clark was dead. 1 q had intended to take poison be-
 fore I met Miss Clark. She was the
 worlds finest woman"
 | Were Not Wild Revcls
 The parties in Miss clarks apart
 ment. the letter said, were not wild
 revels. but were only for the pur-
 pose of killing tT moroseness of her
 life -h
 In bis letter GSthe editor of a gos- ton paper, condemning the printing
 of stories of scandal. he advised thaf
 the editor aisd take poison, "whef
 your inferiority becomes too conl
 scious In your mind, if you have one
 It was Larsenis first love affair.
 friends said tonight. He came to America in 1918 as one of ten
 students sent to America by the Nor
 wegian government to study Ameri- can engineering methods. Until last 1 January he knew no girls and ap- piled himself diligently to his 1 studies Then he met Miss Clark | and their attachment grew steadily 1 Ouarrels between the young woman | and rich friends over Larsen's popu- larity resulted. Larsens friends de | clared, and when she was driven to choose between Larsen and love and rich friends and luxury. she chose 1 Larsen.
 Larsen was takinS CHcuiiSd' ] course at the institute. He had been frequent visitor at the expensively furnished Newbury street apartment of Miss Clark. to whom his friends said he was deeply attached Last Wednesday night he was one of the guests at a lively party there Ram From Apartment 1 In the tarly hours of Thursday morning, Miss Clark. who had been I..g.. .Ix. Ida fef.f. | iapsed and fell dead. It was found that she had taken poison. Larsen, highly excited. seized the bottle, in
 which some of the poison remained. | ran from the apartment and notified physician, then disappeared. No trace of him was discovered until his body was found today.
 Bayard Wharton of Philadelphia .
 Harvard student, who also was al morbid disposition. He declared also that the young woman had been melancholy much of the time recently although she appeared gay Wednes- day night Whartons father. Henrs Wharton, came to this city and en- gagged an attorney to look after his sons interests.
 Miss Clark. formerly an artists model, was divorced in September. last from Lieutenant Commanded William D.. Thomas. U. S N. Ac- auaintances said she had many ad- mirers and was in the habit of en- tertaining layishly.
 few days before hear death she showed to a young woman friend bottle which she said contained poi son, remarking that she would use it when she was through with life" Wharton said she had shown him two bottles. one containing perfume, but said nothing about the contents of the other.
 Medical Examiner Magrath, who pronounced Miss ciark's death as case of suicide. began an investiga- ton into the death of Larsen shortly after the body was found.