OBIT: Catharine GILLESPIE, 1891, Portage, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _________________________________________ DEATH CLAIMED HER. The Ending of the Life of Catharine Gillespie. Catharine Gillespie, the unfortunate girl who on Tuesday morning last took poison with the intention of destroying her life to hide her shame, died at half-past 8 o'clock yesterday evening at Mrs. Fry's boarding house - Twelfth avenue between Eleventh and Twelfth streets. Brief mention of her having taken the poison was made in the TRIBUNE yesterday. Her child was born during Tuesday night, but its life had gone out, and now the curtain has been lowered on the last act of this tragic life by the death of the mother. The deceased was about 27 years of age, and her home was at Portage, Cambria county. There her mother and a brother reside. The former was with her daughter since Tuesday morning, having been telegraphed for. Her brother was also with her. Her remains will be taken to Portage this afternoon. The deceased had been employed as a domestic by Mrs. Fry. Yesterday afternoon Alderman O'Toole was called in and took the information of the girl. In it she avers that the author of her ruin was John J. Kinney, a young man, and that he had betrayed her under promise of marriage. A warrant was accordingly issued and he was taken in charge by Constable McFeely. He started in search of bail, but whether he succeeded we did not learn. The fact that the mother and child are both death will in all likelihood free him from appearing before an earthly court on the charge on which he was arrested. The grief-stricken mother and other relatives of the dead girl are worthy of all sympathy. The mother is a widow and well up in years, therefore the blow is all the harder for her to bear. Morning Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Thursday, April 16, 1891