The Washington times., 1929-03-08
DEATH PLAIV'DE 4 I IA I
.OF MOTHER SEA LAID
THWARTED TOGANG

The revolver which was to
end the earthly troubles OF
I2-year-old Edwin Blair O Con
nor and his worried and Ill
mother, was found late last
night by Detective i. III. Will
son, Of the headquarters staff,
in the lads overcoat pocket,
hanging in a closet in their
uptown apartment.
The mother had previously told
Detectives Wilson, TalIey and Cox,
who rushed to the wonlan's apart.
ment, in the $500 block of Eight.
eenth ST. N. W. that she had
thrown the .32-calihre into the Po-
tomac River.
What was to have been q fnurdsx
ana suicide, carefully planned by
the lad and his mother. Mrs. Helena
Marie o. 'Coanor, s5 years old,
practical nurse. was thwarted BY
poIica who acted on information
given them by The Washington
Times upon receipt of a letter from
the woman telling OF the planned
tragedy, which, she wrote, was the
only means OF relief from the finan
ciaI tangle In which they were en-
meshed.
Mrs. O'Connor's marriage certificate
and her sons firth certificate to
grove ''the fact that we are who
and what we are.
Detectives Are Sent
When the letter reached the
newspaper its contents were i'm.
mediately made ISnCwn to police
and three detectives were dis
basched to the O'Connor apartment,
located in the 2300 block Of
Eighteenth st. ". w
The detectives found the woman.
pale and worn. alone in the almost
bare apartment. There were no
lights and the worldly goods OF the
mother and son were carefully
packed in an old trunk and many
boxes. These latter lined the walls
of the living room. There were only
4 few pieces Of furniture and the
living room contained only a couch
ana a small rocking chair.
When the police made known
their identity ana began to Dues
tion Mrs. O'Counor, the woman
answers were evasiye and unsatis'
factory. Her ''big boy" Edward,
had gone to the Public Library with
boy friend and she didn't know
when he would be back, she told the
detectives.
Life OF Dridgery
Confined questioning disclosed
a lone life of drudgery, OF caring
for q baby boy. ana as he grew,
clothing him, feeding him, and
saeing that he received good edu.
ration. Mrs. O'Connor, a practical
nurse. worked day and night, year
in and wear out. she said, and was
getting ahead a little when Ed
ward was in an accident and sus'
tained compound fracture o.
the leg. J,
From that point on, she said
slowly and brokenly. debts plleC
up and she found herself TOO ~
to work long enough to catch up
Edward. student IN q Doaralhe
school. returned home in Febru
ary when Mrs. o'Connor found shs
could no longer pay his tuition.
$50. when I found ] was gettns
deeper and deeper financially ant
I knew that my health would nol
permit me to work too long.
decided there was only one thine
to do.' Mrs O'Connor told tht
| detectives.
"How did you plan to do this?,
one of the headquarters men asked
Case"
'sNo-I found a better way.
The detective suggested that sh'
meant to use poison.
"No. purchased revolver
about IA month ago"
Spent $40 For Pistol
1t was then brought out tina
SO had been used in the purchas'
| of the revolver at d Street, guI
store and that she had purchases
Continued on PAGE ?, Column y
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