Mathews, Veronica died 1927

MATHEWS, RAMSEY

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 2/6/2016 at 01:27:52

Oelwein Daily Register, Fri., 14 Oct. 1927.

This morning the body of Veronica Mathews, 22, was discovered at the home of E. E. Gorby, 420 Second Avenue NE, the girl having turned on the gas in the cook stove in the kitchen causing her death.

Miss Mathews is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Mathews, 18 Third Street NW. She has not been living at home for some time and about ten days ago secured a room at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gorby, who occupy the second floor at the above address. Just what time the suicide occurred is not known. She had company until 10 o'clock last night and she then retired, as the Gorby's thought. Nothing further was known until they arose this morning and went to the kitchen.

Mr. Gorby tried the door and finding it locked listened for a moment and heard escaping gas. He forced the door and there found the body of Miss Mathews, having evidently been dead for some time. Indications were she had been writing a letter on the kitchen table, and she then evidently sat down before the oven of the gas stove, the burner of which had been turned on full force. No other burners were open and the key hole and other crevices were stopped with paper being pushed into them. From appearances she had evidently tried to get to the door but dropped when near it, overcome. Coroner Smittle will be here this afternoon to hold an inquest.

The letter which was written by the young woman before her death was to Miss Moon at Farmersburg, Iowa. It was unsealed but addressed, and made no reference to any thought of suicide, although it dwelt on the idea that she was so blue she felt she did not have a friend in the world left. She was writing mostly about going to Waterloo or Dubuque and getting work.

The young woman has been given numerous advantages, having been sent to school at Cedar Falls and also in nurses training school at Dubuque. No reason has yet been assigned for the act. She leaves her parents and a sister, Mrs. Sidney Ramsey of this city, to mourn her death.