The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-03-20
DIES BY
DRUG FURNISHED
TO GIRL SUICIDE
0. II. Larsen, In Note to Press,
Says End Was Long Planned
DEFENDS HIS OWN ACTION
Pauline Clark, Who Took Life at
Party, Worlds Finest
Woman" He Writes

Boston, Marcn EU.-DedIh ny poloOh
ended the fight Of Otto Haldor Lar
sen, a senior student at the Massa'
chusetts Institute of Technology, from
the gay party at which Pauline Vir'
ginia Clark, d.vorcee, ended her life
early last Thursday morning. His
body was found yesterday in the Fen
way. behind the museum OF fine arts
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 news
paper and Medical Examiner Magrath
several hours after his body was
found In the letter to the medical
examiner, Larsen said that Miss
Clark requested 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, he said she told him.
II agreed to do this, the letter
continued, extracting from her the
promise t,lat she would not use II
until her mother came home. she
gave me her promise and prepared
for her a solution OF strong poison.
The letter related how Larsen had
met Miss Clark six years ago and
they had become intimate friends. il
said that Miss Clark told him OF her
excessive depression and of various
Incidents In her life.
4 4 wondered how she resisted so
long the temptation that death really
is," the letter added.
The letter then described how he
suspected Liat Miss Clark was going
TO break her word and take the
poison among her guests on Wednes'
day night and although she again
promised to defer her act she sud
denly stood up and drank the fatal
poison.
Il called doctor and attempted TO
assist her" the letter continued.
When saw that she was dead, !
left because would not give myself
up to be grilled by Misunderstanding
police. took the remainder OF the
pioson with me. II was my property
after Miss Clark was dead.
81 had intended to take poison be-
fore met Miss Clark. She was the
worlds finest woman
The parties in Miss Clarks apart.
ment, the letter said. were not Wild
revels, but we're only for the purpose
of killing the moroseness of her lie
In his letter to tie editor OF Bos-
ton paper, condemning the printing
of stories of scandal, he advised that
the editor also take poison when
your inferiority becomes too oonsci-
Gus in your mind. II you have one.
II was Iarsen's first love affair,
friends said tonight, He came to
America in 1918, as one OF the ten
students sent to America by the
Norwegian government to study
American engineering methods. Un.
iii last January he knew no girls and
applied himself diligently to his
studies.
Then he met Miss Clark and their
attachment grew steadily. QuarrelS
between the young woman and rich
friends over Larsen's popularity re-
suited. Larsen's friends declared and
Il
when she was driven to choose be'
tween Larsen and love and rich
friends and luxury, she chose Larsen.
Larsen was taking a Chemical
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 l,ve'y party.
In the early hours OF Thursday
morning Miss Clark who had been
laughing and drinking, suddenly col
lapsed and fell dead. 1t was found
that she had taken poison. Larsen,
highly excited. seized the bottle in
which some of TIE poison remained
ran from the apartment and notified
physician, then disappeared. No
trace of him was discovered until his
body was found yesterday.