The Orting Tragedy: A Husband’s Despair and a Fortune-Teller’s Deceit

ORING, March 18. — Word reached this city this afternoon of the suicide of Edgar B. Kimball at Orting last night. Kimball was brought up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was a relative of Elder Kimball, a leading functionary in the Mormon Church. He was married, had an interesting family of four children, and in the presence of shortness of time lived well. But he decided to remove West and it was not until he had been in Tacoma for some time that he gave the reason for breaking up the old ties and making a home so far away.

Kimball resided in Tacoma, and on March 1 entered the employ of Dr. J. F. Orchard, a dentist on Pacific Avenue. He stayed there until April 19, when he returned East for family. May 18 he came back to Tacoma, bringing his wife and three of the children with him, and resumed his position in Dr. Orchard's office. The family lived in various places on Hall Road and streets, and not long after their arrival Mrs. Kimball began forth her banner as a fortune-teller, telling the futures of all who came before her at a dollar a head.

About the same time whispers began going the rounds that the fortune-teller's conduct was not as wifely as it might be, and very soon numerous stories were in circulation about her intimacies with other men. Kimball meantime pursued his daily avocation, to the satisfaction of Dr. Orchard, and had never a word to say about his private affairs. Finally, one morning in August, he went to the office and a fresh scar on his head showed that he had been in a fight. This coupled with the subsequent appearance of a constable armed with a bench warrant for his arrest brought out the story. He said that his wife had been leading an unholy life in Salt Lake City and that he removed to Tacoma in the hope that when she was taken away from old associations she would return to a life of purity. But in Tacoma she was as bad or worse than she had been in Salt Lake City. He said she had just been away from this city with another man, and that when the parties returned he had had a fight with her paramour. The warrant had been issued on the charge of Kimball's threatening the life of the paramour, but further proceedings were not heard.

On the other hand, it is reported of Mrs. Kimball that she accused her husband of being habitually intoxicated, a continued morphine eater and of abusing her. To one of the persons with whom she was intimate she said that if she ever got rid of her husband she would never have another.

August 15, 1893, Kimball went to Orting and established himself in the drug business, and, as well, practiced dentistry. Very little has been heard of him since that time, and not much has been heard of Madame Kimball lately, save that she was pursuing her business of fortune-telling.

Last night word was telephoned in to Bonney's drug store to send out a stomach pump, that "Doc" Kimball had taken 40 grains of morphine; but before the instrument had been received at Orting the man was dead. Nothing is known here of the immediate cause of the act.