YOUNG CRISFIELD WOMAN, MOTHER OF TWO
CHILDREN, ENDS HER LIFE WITH GAS

Mrs. Elbert N. Todd A Suicide At Salisbury
Home.

BODY FOUND BY SON; PILLOW UNDER HEAD.

Six-Year-Old Child, Missing Mother During
Night, Starts Hunt Which Reveals Tragedy.
Funeral Services Held In Crisfield Tuesday.

Relatives and acquaintances have ascribed no
motive for the suicide of Mrs. Elbert N. Todd,
formerly of Crisfield, who took her own life
at her home in Salisbury at an early hour last
Saturday morning. Mrs. Todd, who was 24
years of age, fastened herself in the kitchen
of the apartment she occupied with her
husband and two small children, and then
ended her life by turning on the gas pipe
connection in the kitchen range. Her lifeless
body, clad only in night clothes, was found
upon the kitchen floor with a pillow under
the head, about 4 o'clock Saturday morning.
Awakening during the night and finding his
mother missing, Richard, the six-year-old
son, started a search for his mother. The
hunt finally brought him to the kitchen where
the tragedy was revealed. The child's screams
brought the father, and Mrs. Leroy
Brittingham, who occupies the lower
apartment of the house. When found by the
child, the body was apparently lifeless.
Dr. Hunter Mann, who was hastily summoned,
stated that death had occurred a short while
previous to his arrival, and that it had not
been accompanied by pain. After turning on
the gas jets and then reclining on the floor
with the pillow under her head, Mrs. Todd is
believed to have drifted off into the sleep
from which there is no awakening. According
to the story told by neighbors, Mrs. Todd
complained on Friday of suffering with a
nervous headache and the toothache. There
was no indication that she intended to end
her life. Neighbors stated, however, that she
had made an attempt to commit suicide about
two weeks before, at which time she was
saved from a fate which eventually caused
her death.

Mrs. Todd, an attractive young woman, was a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar T. Howard of
Crisfield, and was born at Hunting Creek, Va.
With her parents she moved to Crisfield about
twelve years ago. After her marriage to Mr.
Todd, she and her husband continued to live
in this city until a few months ago, when they
moved to Salisbury. Mr. Todd accepted a
position with the well-known furniture firm
of Feldman Bros., in that city. He came to
Crisfield on Friday to construct a Radio
receiving set for a customer of the store, and
returned to his home in Salisbury shortly
after midnight. He said that Mrs. Todd had
retired but was not asleep when he arrived
home.

Besides her husband, Mrs. Todd is survived
by two children—Richard, age 6 and Phillip,
age 4 and also by her parents and several
sisters, all of whom reside here.

The remains were brought to this city and
funeral services were held from the home of
her parents on Tuesday afternoon, burial was
in Crisfield cemetery.

The Crisfield Times, February 26, 1927 pg.1