DANCER SHOT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13491, 18 May 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

DANCER SHOT.

ENGLISH GIRL'S DEATH IN BUENOS AYRES. ;::; ::'. v^—:

LOVED A MILLION

Infatuated with a millionaire who lavish-,

Ed on her costly presents, a beautiful young ,: English girl, well known to thousands of ' London playgoers, remained in Argentina at the end, of her theatrical engagement there. And now the girl is dead—dead under circumstances of impenetrable my- ' stery, which her friends ;in London desire to have thoroughly sifted by the proper

Authorities." The victim of this inscrutable tragedy, Miss Lily Parker, was found shot in her apartments in Buenos Ayres. Miss Parker went out to Buenos Ayres with the . famous " Palace Girls" troupe to appear at a circus there. When the troupe returned she stayed behind, and ; t is now reported that she was found in her apartments shot-in; the 'breast.'. No explanation has, been given of the tragedy, and as there is no inquest law in Argentina her relatives and friends in London are much agi- , tated about her mysterious fate. The story , of Miss Parker is an interesting one. ' She was very beautiful girl, born in London 22 years ago of parents in humble life. Miss Lily Parker, at the age of 15, went to Mr. John Tiller's School of Dancing.

She appeared at the Palace Theatre as one of "the Palace Girls," a troupe which appeared with Mr. Arthur Roberts. They were so successful that Mr. Arthur Collins engaged them for the "White Cat" pantomime at Drury Lane, and she appeared as one of their number. Miss Parker signed a , contact for four years' pantomimes, and ought to have appeared in the 1906 production. At the conclusion of the "White Gat's" run, Miss Parker, with.seven other girls, went on' tour to Buenos Ayres, still " under the management of Mr. Tiller. She should have returned in the autumn of 1905, - when the others returned. She, however, became infatuated with: an American millionaire, who promised to marry her, ' '■■'■■ GAVE HER BEAt'TIFTTL PRESENTS, *

and, according to the stories, of her old '.* companions, in October, 1905, married her in Buenos Ayres. After the girls had been in Argentina a short period Miss Parker wrote to her married sister in London ' saying that she had "met a boy who was • awfully good" to her. Among other things she stated that he had bought her a motor- : car. The , other girls returned to England towards the" close of 1905, and Miss Parker, , Miss Lily Parker's sister, went to the station ,to welcome her home. It was not Until then that the family learned that Lily had not returned, but'had married tho millionaire, whose name was given as John Henry Shaw. Mr., John Tiller agent -strongly advised Miss Parker not to be ineduced, . by. , the. , millionaire's promises and protestations, hut she was so deeply in love 'that she refused to listen to reason.

Several of the girls stated ' that ■ they attended;the, wedding, and they showed Miss "■■ Parker presents of jewellery which the bridegroom had given them on the occasion. To one .of the girls he had given a gold locket containing photographs of himself - and Lily. . Among the presents which he "Bad'lavished bri the' 1 little English" dancing girl were a motor-car, several pearl necklaces, and gold bangles. The girl's friends . -11 declared that Lily was perfectly happy, and had made an exceedingly good match. Mrs. Scannell and Lily's brothers and sisters anxiously awaited letters, but when ~*he wrote she carefully avoided the subject of her .marriage, and did not. mention .„■ Shaw's "name. In August, 1906, her brother 'James t wrote .telling her what they, had , heard, and asking „ . IF SHE WAS REALLY HARRIED, The reply was from Calle Juncal, 1682, Buenos Ayres, •; dated September 30, and Miss :: Parker wrote: — '•■' ■•' ' ," ; "My dear Jim,-—Thank you very much for your letters. 1 am surprised at you, Jim, . writing such : ' a '.- cheeky letter. It - sounds more like the letter of a little child than that of a man of 21 years. Why did you go to Tiller's school and ask about - me? . Was not I writing to you? You knew perfectly well where I was. They know-nothing of me at the school. So — you got "hold of "some fairy tele. ' I married! No, not yet. 'I have got a lot more of, life to see before anything like that occurs. We will' say no i more about that subject.' Your affectionate sister, ■' Lily."' • Miss Parker kept her word of letting her family know no more of the subject. Al- . though her mother beseeched her to let her know whether she was really married or not, Lily in her letters simply ignored • the question: She wrote frequently, sending money to her mother, and in January, : . 1907, she sent three scarfpins and a cigarette case as New Year ; gifts for her brothers. On February 18 she sent a postcard bearing these words:—: . .."''"Don't write again, as I am going to change my address. Letter .follows.' 1 I received your letter this morning." ' ; That was the last message they had from Lily, and the next, thing. they, heard was that she was dead. • Indeed, ..• her death would seem to have taken place on the very day oh which she sent this postcard. The ■ expected;; letter did ■ not\ come, and they were getting anxious about Lily's movements. In March they received from Miss Maggie .Smith, one of the Tiller Girls who . went" to Buenos ;. Ayres, wbo is now in Paris, a cutting from the Buenos Ayres Standard, of February 19. The cutting was as follows:— - ••• -:.!";'.». ' ' SAD DEATH. " ■ '■■-.': .■' AN INEXPLICABLE END TO A " '■; -" -BRIGHT LIFE. A . tragic death—inasmuch as the victim —-self-imposed—-was young, attractive, and apparently with a bright futureoccurred . yesterday, at Cade Juncal, 1682, shortly after , midday , when Miss Lily Parker, for no known cause, shot herself through the chest, and expired before medical assistance could reach her.'. The deceased, who was about 21 years of age, was one of the eight "Palace Girls" who came out from England several months ago to fulfil an en- ' gagement ■''",.'• WITH FKAN'K BROWN'S CIRCUS I at, the Co'iseo Argentina.. The -funeral will .take place to-day, 'at two p.m., from the above address for the Chacarita. So much attention was attracted by this tragedy thf.t the Buenos Ayres Standard followed this announcement on February 23.. with a,.leading .article, in which it discussed tho " ever-increasing tendency to suicide," .and the imitativeness which its victims display. . The leading article ran: "Three days ago a young girl committed ,; suicide by shooting , herself; the day, that an account of this affair appeared-in the Monte Video papers another young woman followed her example. She shot herself through the heart.". . -.- ~ Mrs. Scannel, Lily's mother, is naturally in great grief. Mrs. Scannell does not think her daughter was the sort of girl to kill herself. She was always so • happy , and light-hearted. The-mother is also anxious about the girl's property. She said in her letters that she had lovely jewels and dresses, and one of the girls- who were ' out , there • with .her said you couldn't see her for diamonds. -Where are these valuables? Somebody must have them. Mr. James Parker, the girl's brother, told an interviewer that at least two letters he had written to his sister should have been returned by this date. He added that his sister had cut herself adrift from every- • body but her family, and that during the last six months letters addressed to her by other friends outside had been returned through the Dead Letter Office, though he knew that his sister was at that time alive and well in Buenos Ayres. The family do not know for certain whether Miss Parker is dead or alive. They do not knjjrnspif the 'former, how she died, and they are seeking the assistance of the Argentine Minister to have the mystery cleared up. Mr. John Tiller, who taught; Lily. Parker her profession, is disinclined to believe that the • girl was married; He had heard of her acquaintance with the millionaire to whom she is alleged ,to have been married, and had also received the cutting, from a South American -paper'' announcing her death. A - somewhat extraordinary circumstance in connection with the ' sad affair is that it was foretold by the lady herself some time ago. Writing to one of the Tiller Girls in •England she said that by the. time the letter was received she herself (Miss Parker) would be dead. A Liter message states that Miss Parker . shot herself, after a quarrel with her lover.