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Show The principle event in local history, Sunday, is one of indescribable and grievous sadness, and its recital affords another plummet for the partial sounding of the depths of woman's love and the awful intensity of woman's nature. In its general features, it is without a parallel, but is nevertheless one of those strange truths of humanity that startle and shock the mind as profoundly as though there had never been any preparation through the medium of literary fiction or the sad annals of human misfortunes. There are details in the case so full of woe that their recital seems sacrilegious; they concern feelings that are too holy to be made the subjects of careless gossip, and it is doubtful whether the exalted language which such a description would be clearly comprehended by a cold and passive reader far from the sweetest? ?? ?? by its ??? immediate incidence? of the tragic occurrence. A young woman, remarkable for unusual beauty, and especially the superior graces of mind and character, lifts her hands against her life because of the death of her lover and betrothed husband. Such cases are on record with many sorrowful details, but none can now be called to mind that equals this in its utter depth of misery and woe. The suicide is a Miss Luella George, who has been in Cincinnati since September 1st, but whose home is in Bonaparte, Iowa. She is between eighteen and nineteen years of age, with beauties of features that met their complement in her singular gifts and talents. In two respects these talents were nearly akin to genius; she painted with an almost inspired skill, and was an exceptional musician. She played the piano finely, and had even written little pieces for the piano, and with them won the admiration of her friends in the far West. The special purpose of her coming to Cincinnati was to take lessons in singing at the College of Music, she desiring to add this to her other accomplishments. Her home was at Mrs. Rogers' boarding house, southeast corner of Fourth and Smith streets. Her bearing, her tastes, and all her actions gave evidences of gentle birth and refined culture. At her home in Iowa lived her mother, her father being dead, and two brothers who are in the law profession. Another brother is a druggist in Keokuk, Ia. The interest which those at home had in her welfare can be read in this, that, on learning of her engagement to the lover whose death was the cause of her dreadful deed, one of the brothers came to his city to make his acquaintance and learn his character. The young man was Fred B. Ferryman, traveling agent for the wholesale clothing house of Voorhies, Miller & Co. 95 West Third street, and all who knew him are aware how estimable was his character. He was a devoted lover, and was glad in the knowledge that his love was met by another as pure, and deep and lovely as ever blessed a man's life. They had met at Olney, ILL, when she was visiting her uncle, Mr. Powers, salesman for Shipley, Hoover & Co., this city, and proprietor of a store in that town. There also Mr. Ferriman and his brother Henry kept a room at which they often stopped on their Western trips. Visitors to that room speak with pathetic enthusiasm of the marks of love upon its walls and furniture. Its chief ornament was a full length portrait of the lover from the pencil of Miss George. Their home is at Albion, ILL, where their mother still lives at the age of seventy-four years. Another brother, Mr. Charles Ferriman, and a sister, Mrs. Emery, of Padocah, Ky, complete the living members of the family. Fred's employment in this city, and the meetings which her visit here made possible, were the source of much happiness to the lovers. He was on the road, most of the time, however, and when here roomed at the St. James Hotel. There he took ill with congestive chills last Monday. The disease made rapid havoc with his system, which had suffered from malarial influences. Dr. O.D. Norton was summoned, but the symptoms grew so alarming that Dr. Comegya was called in consultation. As the week passed he sank rapidly, and already on Wednesday had spells of delirium. On that day occurred an incident, which, though not part of this recital, affords food for such strange reflection that it is given. After one of his delirious spells, he startled his brother, who had come in obedience to summons to nurse him, by saying that he had seen their little niece, a daughter of Mrs. Emery, of Padoca, dead in her coffin, and that she was a wondrously lovely corpse. At the time neither of the brothers knew that the child was ill, but two hours later news came by telegraphy that she was dead. During the week of the young man's illness, Miss George was a daily visitor at his room, though she was not permitted to take upon herself nurse's duties. All needed care of this kind came from the brother, who had a fervent affection for the sick man; an affection, indeed, so tender that it can well be designated unusual. Fred was the youngest of the family, and though twenty seven years old, had retained his character of the favorite from childhood up. She came with fresh flowers and other tributes of love to brighten the sick chamber, and when prevented from being at his side she came to the office of Dr. Norton to learn the developments of each visit. On Saturday evening hope of his recovery was abandoned, and a sorrow-stricken circle of friends gathered to attend his last moments. Mr. Albert Voorheis, and Mr. Rapel, of the firm of Voorheis, Miller & Co., Mr. Charles Ferriman and wife, Mr. Henry Ferriman, Rev. I. Norton Sluger, of Christ P.E. Church, were there to watch the dying lovers, for both were dying, though only one lay on the death-bed. The sufferings of the poor girl, her passionate prayer to heaven for the succor which she seemed to wish to compel by her agonizing, either through his recovery or her death; her tender pleadings to the unconscious and dying man, her vain wrestlings with her own will for mastery of her feelings and love, and annoying grittings of her teeth, all are mentioned by the witnesses, but not one seeks to describe them. She had come to the bedside early in the afternoon and had caught his last audible words: they accompanied a faint smile of recognition and were: "You come to see me, Patty?" Her prayers for his life, or if not that, her death, were couched in the language of such exaltation that the mourning ones heard with amazement and could do nothing else than to let the frenzy have it course. A few minutes before 10 o'clock at night nature? broke down under the terrible ordeal and she swooned. Mr. Voorheis carried her into an adjoining room and found her ?? ?? held showed she must come to. Before she recovered consciousness the lover died. That was at ? o'clock. Her strength returned, she at once insisted on going home. Mr. Voorheis insisted in accompanying her, but she declined the proffered services and started down stairs on a rapid run. Mr. Voorheis and Mr. Rapel overtook her, however, and accompanied her to Mrs. Rogers' house, where, though Miss George requested them not to do so, they informed Mrs. Rogers of the cause of the girl's hysteria. The precaution was a wise one, for within a few minutes her condition required a vast amount of care. She at once became frantic with tearless grief, and entirely uncontrollable. A physician's care was found necessary, and Dr. Carr was summoned. He came, but she resolutely refused to take medicine of any kind. In her hysteria she rehearsed scene after scene from the past. She pleaded, scolded, laughed, and tormented the lover whom her diseased fancy made present. She quarreled and begged his forgiveness. She listened too his avowals, and returned them with frenzied protestations. She even sang, like poor Ophelia, and all her horror-stricken listeners felt that her reason could not long stand the awful strain bearing upon it. Finally Dr. Carr was obliged to call a couple of gentlemen to his assistance, and to administer an anesthetic of chloroform and ether by force. He then injected morphine in her veins, an eventually succeeded in quieting her completely. At half past 7 o'clock in the morning the Doctor, who had watched nearly all night at her bedside, returned and found his patient calm and rational. During her wild ravings she had often called out to her Fred, that she would soon join him, but little heed was paid the remarks, they being looked upon as natural to her exalted frame of mind, and as not having the force of threats against her own life. During the morning call she appeared calm, but showed a refractory spirit when the doctor attempted to induce her to take medicine. He first argued the case with her, and asked her why she refused to take it. "Do you think that it will kill you?" he asked. "Oh, no," she replied quickly; "if I thought that ‘I'd take it." Dr. Carr finally told her that unless she took the medicine willingly he would be obliged to force her, as he had done the night previous, whereupon she consented. Sometime between the hour of this visit and 10 o'clock she was left alone in her room. When next seen it was in the neighborhood of Fourth and Vine streets by a couple of gentlemen boarders at the house. Knowing her condition they took her back to her room. This was at ten o'clock. At about eleven o'clock Mr. Henry Ferriman, who had been deeply touched by her devotion to his dead brother, called at the house to find out whether there was anything he could do for her; she asked if she could not see the body of Fred. Mr. Ferriman replied, not just then, for it was being prepared for shipment, but that if she wished he would call for her at three o'clock. She urged him to come, and spoke somewhat vaguely of going with Fred, and of being there when he should be buried. The strangeness of her expressions were not noted until afterward, when by her own act she proved that she was already resolved to die, and that her morning walk had had a fatal purpose. Up to this time she had not wept; her grief had found vent in tempestuous ravings which were unsolaced? by tears. Now Mr. Ferriman being gone, Mrs. Rogers took her upon her lap and talked to her with the purpose of causing her to weep. She succeeded and hoped that the worst danger was passed, and it was when she sank sobbing into the kind lady's arms. She now begged Mrs. Rogers to leave her alone for a few moments "to think." With a singular cunning, however, she had already learned the exact location of her heart by questions to Mrs. Rogers so adroitly put that as suspicion asked if her heart pained her, and she replied yes. Mrs. Rogers left the room to arouse her daughter, who was sleeping after the watching of the night?, and within a few minutes heard a suspicious click. She hurried to Miss George's room, and just as she put her hand on the door knob heard the report of a pistol. The deed was done when she entered; Miss George lay across her bed clad in an elegant dress, which was torn open in front. A twenty-two caliber pistol had fallen from her hand, and blood from a wound in her left breast dyed her clothing. She seemed to have put on her best apparel for the event?. The dress was a heavy silk, ?? of diamond rings graced her shapely ??, and around her neck was a heavy gold chain with a locket attached, and in this a portrait of her dead lover. In her left hand she clutched a towel, some money, and a purse. She spoke kindly to Mrs. Rogers, and said it was useless to attempt to help her as she was resolved to die and go to Fred. This and other remarks of the same purport?? was the substance of her talk whenever conscious, though once she answered a question about the pistol by saying she had bought it for a dollar on Fifth Street. Doctors were at once summoned. Dr. Minor, Dr. Young, Dr. Norton, and Dr. Carr. When ?? with Officer Minor, who was first on the ground, arrived, she had already lost full consciousness, bore every mark of meekly? dissolution. He attempted the ?? ?? of producing a reaction but failed, and gave her up as lost. He left on the arrival of Drs. Norton and Carr in order to take the two o'clock train. Shortly after the reaction set in and she was soon able again to talk. Such an examination as could be made, indicated that the bullet, which entered the breast at a point two inches from the left nipple toward the right had passed in an oblique direction, and missing the heart, which it would surely have pierced if the gun had been held straight against her breast, had passed through a portion of the left lung. That the lung had been pierced, was evidenced by its action and the blood which the injured women spit and vomited up. During all of the afternoon and at night, up till in the morning, she remained in this condition, entirely conscious, when not under the influence of anesthetics? and opiates, which she asked the physicians to administer whenever she awoke. She manifested little concern in her condition, saying only that she hoped to die. As to the result of her injuries the physicians do not speak with much certainty. They have not yet made as thorough an examination as possible, because of the suffering it would cause her without a compensating pol?, and do not know to what an extent internal hemorrhage has taken place. It is feared, however, that death will result, yet it will come from the wound directly, soon after inflammation sets in. The brothers of the dead lover started for Albion at 7 o'clock with the remains. Cincinnati Gazette |