Arizona republican., 1922-03-20
D|VORCEEAND
DIE.
POISON.
HE SUPPLIED
Boston Girl Drinks Pois
AT Gay Party And s.
dent Ends Life To Avcis
Police Questioning

BOSTON, March 19.-Death nv
poison ended the flight OF Otto Haldor
Larsen, senior at the Massachusetts
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 behind the Museum
OF Fine Arts. Apparently he had
been dead only a short time.
Larsen was taking a chemical
course at the institute. lie had been
a frequent visitor at the expensiyely
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 lively party there.
In the early hours OF Thursday
morning, Miss Clark. who had been
laughing and drinking, suddenly coll
lapsed and fell dead. 1t 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
a physician and then disappeared. No
trace OF him was discovered until his
body was found today.
Byard Wharton, of Philadelphia. \
Harvard student. who also was at the
party, said that Larsen was Of a NOR
bid disposition. He declared also that
the young woman had been melan-
choly much OF the time recently al
though she appeared gay wednesday
night Wharton's father. Henry
Wharton, came to this city yesterday
and engaged an attorney TO look after
his sons interests.
Miss Clark. formerly an artists
model. was divorced in September
last. from Lieutenant Commander
William d. Thomas, ". s. n. Ae-
quaintances said she had many ad-
mirerS and was in the habit of enter
tanning laYishly.
A few days before her death she
showed TO a young woman friend n
bottle which she said contained pois-
on, ren1arkinE that she would use il
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.
Suicide Long Planned.
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.
u
and Medical Examiner Magrath sew
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 10 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 that she would not use il
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 weeks ago and
they had become intimate frie.ds. u
said that Miss Clark told him OF her
excessive depression and OF various
incidents in her life.
II wondered how she resisted re
long the temptation that death reaEW
is,' the letter added.
The letter then described how EN
suspected that Miss Clark was RoiH
to break her word and take the poist
among her guests on Wednesde
night and although she again prot
ised to defer her act. she sudden
stood UP and drank the fatal potie
CalIed QOCtOI ana dtlefupk
to assist her." the letter continuea
when I saw that she was dead.
left because ] would not give myseA
up to be grilled by non -understandiMN
police. / took the remainder OF a.
poison with me, it was my properl
after Miss Clark was dead.
II had intended to take poison ht
fore met Miss Clark. She was thN
worlds finest woman"
The parties in Miss Clark's apart
ment. the letter said. were not VIE
revels. but were only for the purpotH
of killing the moroeness of her life.
Advises Editors Suicide.
In his letter to the editor OF Box
ton paper condemning the printing pt
stories o. scandal, he advised that th
editor also take poison. When yo1lN
becomes too conscious
your mind IL YOU have one"
It was Lzrsen's first love affai,
friends said tonight. He cams 81
America IN 1918, as one OF 10 students
sent to America hv the Norwegian
government to study American eu-
gineering methods. Until last Ian-.l