The Washington times., 1922-03-12
Boston Society and
Church Circles
Shocked BY Double
Life Of the Rev.
Francis B. Boyer,
Revealed BY Mrs,
Bercnlce Boucher
In Her Dying Mo-
mentS.
BOSTON. March II.

the remarkable case h the Rev.
Francis h. Boyer, husband Of q
favorite niece Of Mrs. Jack Gard
ner, and the woman who killed her.
self for him was his companion.
She was Mrs. Berenice Boucher.
a piquant, beautiful divorcee Of
twenty.four. who lived in Q luxuri-
Gus little apartment on Common.
wealth avenue. She took twenty
one poison tablets. writing in
death agonies. screamed:
''Oh. Frank! Frank! Why did
you make me do TT"
she collapsed. unconscious.
Friends from other apartments
broke into the room and revived
her. Mrs. Boucher moaned:
send for Frank. please. Oh.
Frank. want you beside me when
20 away forever. Please call
Parkway 616s7 and get him."
PASTORS ADMISSION.
While they were telephoning an
other name came from the dying
woman's lips-the name Of noted
New York contractor. and she ut
tered It with q tender smile. But
then she lapsed into delirium and
called for the minister repeatedly.
The telephone number she had
given was that Of the Bussey Ca
rage at Rosedale, In which Mr..
Boyer has an interest. He arrived
before the young woman died, but
she did not recognise him. though
his name was the last that crossed
her lips.
hopping his forehead With q
handkerchief. the clergyman ad-
mitted his friendship for the mys-
FERROUS woman and said he had
been trying to extricate himself
from the affair for several weeks.
He said. almost sobbing:
II went to see Mrs. Boucher re-
Gently for the purpose Of telling
her the truth about myself. i was
troubled by my conscience. When
we were alone, I said to her:
Brenice. this cannot 60 on any
longer. I am married"
IA brief hut stormy scene fol-
lowed. left in the middle Of It
and I fear that IL why she took the
poison"
TOLD OF WRECKED LIFE.
There b little doubt about that,
for Mrs. Ada N. Norris. a neighbor
Of the self-slain woman. described q
visit she had made to Mrs. Bou-
cher just before the poison was
purchased. Mrs. Norris said:
took . tea try with refresh
ments to Berenice and found her
lying on the bed. weeping. She
threw herself on my shoulder and
sobbed out her story. She told me
of her relations with Mr.. Boyer.
from beginning to end. and at the
conclusion of her story. she cried
out:
"T hate Boyer. I fell into his
power to tho extent of thousands
OF dollars. What could do?
There 10 only one way a woman
can get out Of q cruel mans debt.
"'Please help me. Keep me
away from him. Keep him away
from here. I shall die II he calls
again. I want to 80 to work and
start life all over again. The
wages OF sin are too high"
Mrs. Norris said that she com.
forted the weeping woman. prom
Used to protect her and assist her
to start q different career. Bere-
nice appeared considerably cheer.
ed in spirits. Mrs. Norris said.
yet the police learned that ~ soon
~ her neighbor left. Mrs. Boucher
went out and bought the poison
tablets from a nearby druggist
and drank them dissolved in
water.
WIFE COLLAPSES.
Ncighbors agreed that the Rev.
Mr.. Boyer had long been known
In the apartment as the husband
Of the dead woman. One of them
quoted Berenice as declaring a
day before her death:
''Oh, I'm tired Of all this life,
this apartment. these clothes
and everything else In the
world; I'm tired Of luxury and
tired Of the price that a girl
must pay for luxury nowadays. /.
And oh. hate Boyer! He
is cruel to me and jealous of
me. lie II so jealous that he
will not allow me to have any
: friends OF any kind, men or
women. There is only ono way
for girl to escape the clutches
of a man like that, and I'm