Evening star., 1924-03-09
KILLS BABY, F0|LS
POLICE BY SUICIDE
Mother Shoots Self When
Police Learn of Murder
Tuesday Night.

With detectives en- route to arrest
her for murder of her infant, Mrs
Miriam L. Wilkinson, twenty-six-
year-old divorcee, cheated the law
yesterday afternoon by killing her.
self with a bullet from a .25-caliber
automatic in her apartment. at the
Northbrook Courts. She died on the
way to Garfield Hospital.
The story is one OF mother love
fighting vainly against the fear of
scandal; of baby cousin, born in
wedtoek. playing happily in one
room, while an unfortunate child,
born outside the law, was being
killed In another, and of coroner
doing all in his power to safeguard
the health OF the mother by keep
ing her quiet. only to fail in the
end when she took her own life
killing Of Child.
Last Tuesday night the Wilkinson
baby was born. The story comes
from DR.. William G. s. Thomas of
1929 Columbia road, attending the
mother, to whom she confessed. He
told it later to Coroner hewitt. The
child was born without medical as
sistance. No one was with the
mother. She heard a noise at the
door. She feared discovery. Scissors
were handy.
The body Of the baby was wrapped
in an old kimono and placed in a
clothes closet. which was used con-
tinually without suspicion of the
secret it held. And in an adjoining
room the infant daughter of Mrs. Will
kinson's sister, Mrs. Laura Patrick,
was receiving all the. care that
mother love could give.
Suspicion Aroused.
On Wednesday DR.. Thomas, who
had been attending Mrs. Patrick, was
told Mrs. Wilkinson was ill. He sus-
pected nothing. He treated her for a
complaint from which she suffered
several years ago. On Thursday his
suspicious were aroused. He called
in Coroner hewitt 1t was learned
that a child had been born. The
child's body was sent to the S. II.
Hines Undertaking parlors.
Thursday night came, and DR.. New
lit puzzled over the situation. Items
which he did not consider serious at
the outset grew important under con-
sideration. He called up the under
takers and ordered the body sent to
the District morgua for examination.
He directed Deputy Coroney Martyn
to perform an autopsy.
Friday morning the autopsy re-
vealed two stab wounds in the left
breast of the child. It established
also that the wounds were inflicted
after the child had lived. DR.. hewitt
called DR.. Thomas into consultation.
They decided to proceed with utmost
care to protect the fragile health of
the mother. They decided against
undue excitement OF her on the
ground that it might cause her death.
Mrs. Wilkinson had not explained the
SCISSOR wounds.
Yesterday morning she told her
physician everything. She told Of the
fear OF discovery Of her plight by her
sister, and cited that as her reason
for the tragedy. She said she was
in the bathroom Tuesday night when
she heard a noise and feared some
one approaching. A pair of scissors
lay nearby.
Coroner Nevitt called headquar-
ters. He told Detectives Mansfield
and Thompson of the case. They
started for the apartment house. Be-
fore they arrived a bullet had ended
the life Of Mrs. Wilkinson.
The father of the child is not in
this city. His name was not di-
vulged.
Three persons are listed by the po-
lice as witnesses. They are Earl Pat
rick, Mrs. Laura Patrick and Mrs.
Leslie Daily, the latter a colored
nurse who attended Mrs. Wilkinson.
All were in an adjoining room when
the suicide shot was fired
Mrs. DAILY said that she had heard
Mrs. Wilkinson threaten to take her
life earlier In the week, but added
she did not know Of ths prsss0cs Of
shs pistel u the sseua. -