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WHITE, Jennie Z. c1871-1890

WHITE

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 6/23/2014 at 23:59:08

[Waterloo Courier, Wednesday, March 26, 1890, Waterloo, Iowa]

DEATH HER REFUGE.

Miss Jennie White, of Joliet, Ill, Persecuted for Years by an Anonymous Letter Writer, Shoots Herself Through the Heart -- A Sad Story.

JOLIET, Ill., March 20. - Jessie Z. White, daughter of James S. White, an old citizen of this place, committed suicide Wednesday evening by shooting herself through the heart. She was noticed driving up and down Chicago Street in a buggy early in the evening. When opposite the opera house and near the entrance to the Hotel Monroe, when was seen to rein her horse and stop. She leaned forward and picked up a pasteboard box from the bottom of the buggy, opened it, took out a revolver, and placing the muzzle against her left breast fired. Her arms flew up in the air, and as she fell forward in the buggy the revolver dropped into the street in the rear of the buggy.

The horse, instead of being alarmed at the report of the revolver, turned toward the curbing and stopped directly in front of the Hotel Monroe. A number of citizens on the opposite side of the street heard the report. One of the, John McGraw, rushed toward the buggy and was just in time to catch Miss White in his arms as she was about to pitch head-first into the street. McGraw carried the girl upstairs and into the parlor of Hotel Monroe, where she was deposited on a lounge. A hasty examination was made and it was found that she was shot directly through the hear, and after giving one or two gasps she expired. In the baseboard box found in the buggy was a lady's pocket-book and a letter, the envelope of which was addressed "To My Dean Ones at Home."

Miss Jessie Z. White, the dead girl was a daughter of James S. White, who has been a resident of the city for many years, residing on the West side at 603 Nicholson Street. About three years ago Miss Jessie was brought prominently before the public by the persecutions of an anonymous letter-writer. Every young man who met the girl at a party or a dance, or who even received an introduction to here, was the recipient of scurrilous letters. The young men receiving these letters - all written in an assumed hand - turned them over to the State's Attorney or the father of the persecuted girl.

All the local newspapers received letters directed against the girl by the same person and in the same handwriting, and of similar purport. Police and detectives were put on the watch for the persecutor, and finally the cousin of Miss Jessie, Mrs. David White, was arrested and tried in the circuit court, the result being that he was simply bound over to keep the peace. Numerous letters were read in court from the unknown persecutor of Miss White warning her that ho would kill her on a certain day; that he had opportunities to kill her at the opera-house, but was afraid of killing someone else.

Letters from the same person in the same hand, but purporting to come from Miss White, were also read. They were addressed to undertakers, to liverymen and to local newspapers, giving directions as to her funeral, shroud and place of burial, with date of death and funeral.

After the trial was over it was hoped by the friends of Miss White that she would be left in peace, but the persecuting letters still kept coming to her and all the young society men in town. Letters were dropped on the doorway, put under the doors and sent every way, till the girl was afraid to go out of the house. Finally Miss Jessie was sent away for awhile to the East, but this did not stop tho letter-writer, and after three years of this kind of torture the poor, hunted girl became so distracted that she could stand it no longer and took her own life.

Procuring a revolver she wrote her last words to her loved ones and set out to ride about tho town to greet her friends for the last time. The letter found in tho box was as follows:

"DEAR MOTHER AND ALL THE DEAR ONES AT HOME: I am tired of life and am going to shoot myself and deny the letter-writer the pleasure of doing it. Three years are long enough to be tortured by him, and there are no prospects of any peace for me as long as I live. Inasmuch as he has promised to take my life - and I really think he means to - he shall, and if he found any pleasure in torturing me I hope he will be satisfied now. He has drive me to destroy my soul. All I have to say now is for you to forget and forgive me for the wicked act I am about to commit.

"Now, dear folks, I love you all so dearly that I could not live if any of you were to be taken from me, so I want you all to think it all for tho best that I should leave this world first. Please grant these few requests. Do not bury me on a rainy day, for I never liked a rainy funeral day. Engage Mr. Chamberlain for the undertaker and have Mr. Camp preach my funeral sermon at the Episcopal Church. Sister Genevieve knows what songs I want sung at my funeral.

The letter also named six young men of this city whom the dead girl requested to act as her pall-bearers. Miss White was but 19 years of age. The remains were viewed at the Hotel Monroe by hundreds of friends last evening and the dead girl was finally taken to the home of her parents on Nicholson Street.


 

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