The Mystery that is Edna Farnsworth

There are three versions of how a woman known as Edna Farnsworth came to live in Victoria. The earliest known record is July 26, 1888 in the San Francisco Examiner. The article called “A Scarlet Bride,” introduced San Francisco resident George Farnsworth as: “a young man, apparently 28 years of age, possessed of good looks, and with a dignified manner and of good repute.” The piece also noted that George was having financial difficulty and had a plan to defraud his wealthy brother. He put his scheme into effect not long after he became acquainted with Ada Winants who was described as a woman of “ill repute.” Aware of his plan, Ada agreed to participate. The paper reported that both parties were sober when they went to the notary. A legal marriage contract was drawn up and signed at the home of the notary Lee D. Craig at 11 pm on July 19th, 1888. Thereafter, Ada took the name Edna Farnsworth. George’s plan was to ransom his family name and reputation by promising his brother to divorce his new bride for a sum of money. George assured Edna what he would use the ransomed funds to take her to another city so they could start a life together as husband and wife.

Following the civil marriage, George moved in with Edna. However, after living with George for about a week, Edna changed her mind and was unwilling to grant George a divorce. In order to avoid Edna, George left San Francisco for points north. When Edna found out where George was, she followed him first to Seattle and then to Victoria. She was never able to convince George to fulfill his marital obligations. George returned to America while Edna remained in Victoria.

The second version was also published in the San Francisco Examiner. Just over a year later on June 25,1889, an entirely different story emerged. An article titled “Edna Bruton’s Death” portrayed Edna as the temptress who after knowing George Farnsworth for a short while “set to work to make him drunk while she remained sober.” While he was in a state of complete drunkenness, Edna convinced George to legally marry her. Late that night Edna took George to the home of notary Lee D. Craig so that a legal marriage could take place. After the ceremony Edna took Farnsworth as her last name. George moved in with Edna. After about a week, George tried to get a legal divorce, but, Edna refused his request. George went north, with Edna close behind.

Lastly, both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported that Edna left a boarding school in California to elope with George to Victoria. Once in Victoria, George “deserted her.” The San Francisco Chronicle claimed that after she was abandoned, Edna “drifted into the life she had been leading.”

Della Wentworth was an important figure in Edna’s life. Most newspaper accounts made no mention of the relationship between Edna and Della (Dollie) Wentworth. Linda Eversole described Della in her book, Victoria Unbuttoned, as an ‘inmate’ at a brothel run by Marie Gordon in Springfield, Illinois before she was recruited to work in San Francisco. Edna joined Della when she resided at a saloon/brothel at 108 Geary Street in San Francisco. The Oregonian described Della as “one of the demi-monde, who claims to be the dead girls half-sister.” The Vancouver Daily World recorded Dollie as having been Edna’s sister.

There is agreement across the various newspapers about many of the events that happened on June 23, 1889. The story arc which emerged was that Edna reconnected with Della who was the madam of a brothel at #14 Broughton Street. On Sunday June 23, 1889, Edna had been entertaining John Croft. Around 4 AM the couple and a few women from the establishment were having a meal. John declared his intention to leave, but Edna protested. Unable to sway him, Edna announced that she would join him. Most reports agree that John left by the backdoor while Edna went to her room. A shot was heard. John claimed that he was on Broughton Street with Thomas Hatton, his hackman (cab driver) when the shot was heard. The men immediately rushed to the front door where they were met by a woman from the establishment who declared that Edna had shot herself.

The men ran into Edna’s bedroom and found her face up on a rug on the floor, her feet to the window and a gun by her feet. Although Edna was bleeding from her right temple, she was still alive. John ordered Thomas to fetch Dr. Milne. When the doctor arrived, upon John’s suggestion, Edna was moved to her bed where she died about 15 minutes later. While Dr. Milne telephoned the police, John and Thomas went to get Dr. J.D. Helmcken who confirmed that the bullet wound had been fatal.

A Coroner’s Inquest was held the next day. Both doctors, John, Thomas, the police officer, Della and two of the women who lived at #14 Broughton Street testified. According to the Victoria Daily Colonist: “…after a few moments consideration of the evidence offered, the foreman of the jury announced as their verdict: “the deceased came to her death by her own hand, by shooting herself with a revolver.”

Speculation about the motivation for Edna’s death included that Edna suffered from a bout of temporary insanity, jealousy, consumption, or self loathing at not being able to become a ‘respectable’ woman.
Edna’s funeral took place on June 25, 1889. Rev. J.E. Starr, a Methodist minister, conducted the services both at #14 Broughton Street and also at Ross Bay Cemetery. According to the Victoria Daily Times, the room was full of “an unusual number of beautiful and costly floral offerings” and the coffin was made from polished oak with silver mountings. The service at #14 Broughton Street began at 11 am with two Christian ladies, two or three men and the women of the establishment in attendance. Rev. Starr read two short passages of Scripture, recited a few prayers, and made a short address in which he asked; “in the face of these divine words, how shall we condemn this dead girl? Shall we not rather pity her?”

According to the June 26, 1889 edition of the Victoria Daily Colonist: “The magnificent casket which enclosed the body of the poor unfortunate was covered with a wreath of flowers, while the treasures of the hot-house made fragrant the death room.” At Ross Bay Cemetery Rev. Starr was joined by “companions of the dead girl and a few sympathizing strangers.” Edna was buried in an unmarked grave in what was then a stranger/suicide plot. The location of Edna’s plot is now considered part of the Methodist Section.

According to the undertaker’s records, John Croft paid $224.50 for Edna’s funeral. Most funerals at that time cost well under $100.00. Only the former premier Hon John Robson had a more expensive funeral at $264.00. In Edna’s day, most burial robes cost around $6. However, Edna was buried in a silk burial robe that cost $25.00. At $24.00 even Marion Dunsmuir Houghton, the daughter of one of the richest families in B.C. was buried in a slightly less expensive robe.

At some point Edna’s grave was marked with a distinctive polished red granite stone bearing a cross and the words:

In Loving Memory
of
EDNA FARNSWORTH
Died June 23, 1889
Aged 20 years

The grave is delineated by marble kerbing. Attached to granite corners posts is a low fence made of pipes. An image of two birds sitting on a bird bath that looks like a flower was carved into a marble slab which covers the grave. To this day it remains one of the more distinctive graves in Ross Bay Cemetery. It is unclear who paid for the grave, but speculation is that it was either Edna’s lover John Croft, his half- brother, Henry, who had previously bailed John out of trouble, or Edna’s possible sister/ half sister, boss/friend, Della Wentworth.

Sources:
A Scarlet Bride: The San Francisco Examiner July 26, 1888
Edna Bruton’s Death: The San Francisco Examiner June 25, 1889
A Short Road to Death: San Francisco Chronicle June 6, 1889
A Sunday Tragedy: Daily Colonist June 25, 1889
The Suicide: The Victoria Daily Times June25, 1889
Victoria News: Vancouver Daily World June 24, 1889
Victoria News: Vancouver Weekly World June 27, 1889
Victoria News Items: Morning Oregonian June 25, 1889
Victoria News Items: The Oregonian June 25, 1889
A Ruined Girl’s Death: The Tacoma Daily Ledger June 28, 1889

Linda J. Eversole, Victoria Unbuttoned; A Red-light History of BC’s Capital City, (TouchWood Editions, 2021)