The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-04-20
IMPATIENT WITH LIFE
YOUNG WIFE SUICIDES
Lays Her Plans Cunningly and Hangs Herself
In Attic of Her Home While Husband Was
Away for Afternoon

Mrs. Mamie Halstead, twen-
ty-six year old wife of Lloyd
Halstead ended her life with
rope in the attic of their
home near Wceksville in Salem
Township Monday afternoon.
April Is and the secret cause
of her suicide may never be
known to her family and neigh
bors.
| Lloyd Halstead and his wife were
popularity regarded as one of the hap
piest and most cnviable young couples
in Salem township. Other couples
often sighed and wished they might
be as happy as Lloyd and Mamie
Halstead. And Mamie Halstead
climbed into the attic of her home in
the absence of her husband and only
child. and ended her young life with
out leaving a word of explanation
behind.
The suicide was well planned. II
was not a hastily conceived or I'M
pulsive act. The young woman took
advantage of time when her hus-
band and little five year old boy
would be. away for the afternoon.
Overhead in a trumpery room on the
second floor of the Halstead home is
a trap-door leading to the attic. 1t
is a mans job to lift that trap-door
and climb into the attic. But the
little woman got into the attic and
put the trap-door back in place with
out leaving any evidence behind TO
show how she reached that trap-door
ten feet above the floor. In the
attic she stood two chairs one on
another, fastened the rope about one
of the rafters over her hand, knotted
a moose about her neck, kicked the
chairs out from under, and dropped to
her death. Death must have been
nearly instantaneous. Her body was
not discovered until nearly eight
O'Clock that night, stiff and cold in
death. Her frantic husband held the
lifeless body of his wife for two
hours until the Coroner could be
brought from town, no one thinking
to cut the rope or disturb the body
until the Coroner came.
The deed is believed to have been
committed early in the afternoon.
Lloyd Halstead left home about II
o'clock that day, taking his little son
with him, to go to his fathers for the
afternoon. AS he was preparing to
. leave home he noted that his wife
was looking ut him with strange.
pleading look, her face upturned as if
hungry for kiss.
Want me to kiss yOu?' he said.
YES" she replied. lie stopped
: and kissed her. Just as he was leav-
ing she gave him the same desirOus
look. He kissed her again and left
her with his heart singing.
She asked him when he would be
back. He told her it would be several
hours. Don't forget to bring bag
of flour" she said. He promised.
Those were her last words.
When the young husband came
, home about four o'clock in the after
, noon lie found the house in order, but
no evidence of his wife. He thought
p she had only gone to visit neigh
Dor and went about his work. lie
Z made another trip with his team,
I came back, put up his team and again
went to the house to look for his
wife. Still he did not find her and
feeling of uneasiness came over him.
. He made search of the house and
observed that everything was in
T order and none of her clothes miss
r ing.
+ He had brought home a shad for
p supper. He cleaned the shad, went
o to the barn and fed his stock, and
= came back to the house. Still his
wife was missing and again strange
2 feeling of uneasiness gripped his
t heart. Again he searched the house.
{ He went to the trumpcry room and
a looked up at the trap-door in the at
G tic. There was something about that
p trap-door that fascinated him as
8 nothing had before. He wanted to
climb up and open that door; but
@ something told him to leave it alore.
D.. A second time he went back and
: looked up at the closed aperture lead
j. ing to the attic; looked, heslilted and
t obeyed a strange impulse that told
: him to keep away.
= He then telephoned to ncighborS
j I'M and down the road to ask about
q his wife. No one had seen her. Then
|. neighbors began to come to his assist
ancei Toward eight O'Clock some
one suggested searching the attic.
b Miles Scott, and John Berry. neigh
,r bors, were first to 90 up. Mr.. Scott
- was first to discern the body suspend
a, ed from the roof. He mOtioned every
o one away and coming down told the
: fear stricken husband to keep away
= from the attic. But the husband
would not heed him. Lloyd Halstead
e.1 L., nu,,, ,rnpSf fears and