[Newspaper]
Publication: The San Francisco Bulletin
San Francisco, CA, United States
vol. 96, no. 57, p. 5, col. 3-5
ROBERT HEMINGRAT TELLS OF
THE SUICIDE OF HIS CONSORT
Coroner's Inquest Into
Death of Miss
Steffens.
Facts Show That the
Woman Killed
Herself.
The inquest over the remains of Carlotta Steffens, who ended her life last Saturday evening at 8:30 o'clock by sending a pistol ball through her brain, was called by coroner Leland this morning at 10:00 o’clock. First witness called to the stand was Robert Hemingray, he said:
“My present residence is the Palace Hotel. I am a racehorse man. On Saturday evening as I came home, when I returned from the track, Carlotta was standing in front of the mirror. I spoke to her and said:’ you must not gossip. A gossip is a mischief maker. I do not want you to do that again.’ Then we went to dinner.
“After dinner my brother and I went down to purchase some magazines. As we entered the hallway that led to our room, and as my brother who preceded me, was about to open the door we heard a shot and a moan.
“We feared something had happened to Carlotta. We called Mr. Locke. He went in and came out with a pistol. Mr. Locke said:
“That is what you get for leaving such things as that around, showing the pistol that he had in his hand. I went to the Palace. In order to protect the girl I said that the dead woman was my wife. I met her in Indianapolis, Indiana. I first met her in Hot Springs, Arkansas. From Indianapolis we went to Chicago. Our actual acquaintance in Indianapolis extended over a period of 12 hours. We had our little squabbles, but there was never anything of a serious nature.
“I hardly ever left the girl alone. Once I went to a prize fight and I was away the evening she killed herself. I went back to my room after I ate my dinner on Saturday evening. I know of absolutely no reason why Carlotta should have killed herself.Up to the time I had known her five or six weeks. I was in Chicago with her fifteen days. I told her often, when she wanted to leave me, I would pay her way home.”
Coroner Leland at this point of the examination began to ask questions, and hemingray continued:
“One night in the Palace Hotel the woman said she would kill herself. McCue, the jockey, was in our room. He had been drinking and she asked him to go out. We had a little dispute as to the way to get him out, and she said she would kill herself in a laughing way.”
C. T. Hemingray, the younger brother of the witness, came next. He made the following statement:
“I have been in the city for about eight months. The evening this occurred I told my brother what Carl had said in a gossiping way, and for which he reproved her. Her feelings did not seem to be badly hurt. He did not go to the dining room with her, as she seemed to be pouting. Then we went downtown. As we were going to his room upon our return we heard the shot in the living room. My brother and I were very much upset, and asked Mr. Locke to go into the apartment first. I first met the girl with my brother in the city. I did not believe that the two were married.
“I always treated Carl with consideration. My brother was never unkind to her in any way. I know of no other cause than the little tiff my brother and she had that prompted suicide.”
J. E. Locke, proprietor of the Knickerbocker, told all that he knew concerning the case
“Robert Hemingray introduced me to the woman he called his wife about the 7th of last month,” said Mr. Locke.
“Once Mrs. Hemingray said to me: “What would you do to a husband who was cross to you all the time?”
“I told her to make love to him, and he would soon forget it. At that time Mr. Hemingray was under the treatment of a physician. The dead woman and her alleged husband were most exemplary in their conduct. There was nothing to indicate that their relations were questionable. On last Saturday evening Mr. Hemingray came to me and asked me to send the janitor inside his suite to see whether or not his wife had killed herself. I said I would go. I entered and smelled gunpowder.
“After I had gone in I saw Mrs. Hemingray lying on the bed. Hemingray was standing outside in the hall, and said it seemed to be in the closet. Then I turned on the light and saw the worst sight I ever saw in my life. The woman was lying on the bed. In one hand was a pistol. In the other was a card which afterwards turned out to be a photograph of her mother. I took the pistol and went into the hall and reproached Hemingray, then I telephoned to the coroner. I also rang for an officer and then sent for a physician. Then I went back into the room and tried to find her pulse. I am not experienced in such matters, but it was evident that she was quite dead.
“I saw no evidence of ill-treatment while they were at the house. Once Mrs. Hemingray said she was her husband's hoodoo. She seemed to be quite positive in this belief. She was a woman of exceptional buoyancy of spirits. In her own mind she was quite positive that she brought ill-luck to her husband.
“When I first saw the woman I saw no wound. I do not know what position the woman was in when she shot herself. I saw nothing else that would indicate that the woman came to her death except through suicide. I think she must have been sitting on the edge of the bed.
After Mr. Locke Mrs. Conroy T. Hemingray took the witness stand. She told her story in a straightforward manner. She was the coolest and most collected witness of the morning. Mrs. Hemingray was dressed in black and heavily veiled. She said:
“About 8:30, after my husband came in, after going downtown, I saw that something had happened. He was very pale, Mrs. Locke went into the room and after coming out said that she was dead. I have never seen anything in Robert Hemingray's conduct that would indicate that he was unkind or cruel to her. I do not think that she was of a nature that would be deeply depressed for a great length of time, if at all.”
Miss Westphal, a friend of Mrs. C. T. Hemingray told substantially the same story as the preceding witness.
Robert Hemingray was recalled. When asked by the coroner he said there had been no promise of marriage on his part, nor had she asked him.
“I did not take her from her home,” said he. “Our relations were thoroughly understood between us. There was no wrong to be righted. This I wished to make clear.”
The wound according to the testimony of Dr. Bacigalupi, the autopsy surgeon, was no doubt self-inflicted. The bullet entered the right temple and passed through the anterior lobes of the brain. The weapon was held close to the head, as there were no powder burns on the outside of the wound, but the track made by the bullet was full of concentrated powder. There were no other signs of violence on the body. The corpse was that of a woman who was well nourished. All the organs of the body were in good.