The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-08-21
GILMAN DEATH
. ST|RS MOTHER;
BABY KILLED

y NEWBURGH, N. Y, Aug. 81
NIN.S0.-Calmly-and with faith
"a young woman kneeled in a
bare prison cell today and prayed
for death.
To Dorothy Sherwood, 27.year,
old former showgirl and Salvation
Army lassie, the physical atrophy
that men have always feared Is
no dark demon Of despair, but a
comforter. For to Dorothy Sher'
wood life is darkness and despair.
The guards who stood watch
over her throughout the night
Aheard her repeat, over and over:
"Oh, Lord, in your mercy
let me die. let me die"
= In the NSwburgh morgue lies
the hfeleSs body Of Dorothy Sher-
woods two-year-old son, James.
Late yesterday, she walked into
Newburgh police headquarters
with the infant clutched tenderly
in her arms. Without a quaVer
in her voice, she told Sergeant
John Powell:
81 have a dead baby here.
He's my baby. murdered him.
walked down to Moodna Creek
and I drowned him. Now you
can have him." -.
Astounded, Sergeant Powell
asked,
"Why did you do this?"
Because I can't afford to
keen him. Rather than let him
starve, / murdered him. He's
better off dead. Death is kind"
It was all so casual. She might
have been talking about the wea-
ther. She didn't cry or stammer.
nShe looked Sergeant Powell d1'
rectly in the eye.
Coroner Andrew Calyer ordered
her held for the grand jury.
In the County Jail
/ Dorothy Sherwood told a ma.
tron more of the tragedy that
was her life.
The suicide note left by Mrs
Charlotte Perkins Gilman in Cali
fornia the other day had pro
foundry impressed her. In par
ticular she had been struck by
this passage:
"The time is approaching
when we shall consider it abb
hOrrent to our civilization to al
low a human being to lie in
prolonged agony which we
should mercifully end in any
other creature"
The odds against her and her
babys seemed overwhelming.
There had always been destitu.
ton and worry. When she was
much younger she had taken part
in the Salvation Army movement
and had won prizes for religious
devotion and attendance. She
became a small-time showgirl.
Then she married Fred Sher-
wood, motion picture operator
Prolonged unemployment fol-
lowed their honeymoon. She
went to work as a waitress. Last
:, year a 7-year-old daughter, Doro.
thy, was sent to live with her
husbands parents.
Four months ago, her husband
died of tuberculosis, Dorothy
Sherwood chung desperately to
her job and took a $7-a,week
furnished room. Six weeks ago
she lost her Job. She fell be-
hind in her rent until she was
threatened with eviction.
She read of Mrs. Gilman's
suicide.
She placed yer baby in his
shoddy perambulator ant wheeled
him down secluded road
known as Lovers Lane" to
Moodna Greek.
Gently she removed the child's
shoes and stockings. She told
him she was taking him wading.
1t was hard 10 do. She all but
backed out of the water.
She told the police:
"Then I thought of what we'd
3, been through the past few
months. 1 went into the water
after Jimmy and took him by
b the hand. We walked out into
the deeper water.
when we came to a point
where the water was up to his
lips 1 hesitated. Jimmy didn't
say word. Then 1 knew there
was no turning back. I thrust
his curly little head under the
water and I held him there until
he became still and 1 knew his
SufferingS were over.
81 stood there ever so long,
holding his dead body in my
arms"