A Mysterious Death in Washington, D.C.
In the late summer of 1899, a young woman named Alice Nott spent nearly every evening the same way—alone in her small boarding house room in Washington, D.C., buried in books and notes as she prepared for a crucial civil service examination.
At just 23 years old, Alice dreamed of securing a stable government position. Passing the exam could change her future, so she devoted countless hours to studying. Yet her isolation was not driven solely by ambition.
Alice had suffered from poor health for most of her life. A weak heart, circulation problems, and frequent illnesses made venturing into the busy world exhausting and intimidating. Remaining indoors felt safer, and over time she became increasingly withdrawn from society.
Fortunately, she wasn’t entirely alone.
Her constant companion was a pet parrot named Polly.
The Only Family She Had Left
To many residents of the boarding house, Polly was a nuisance.
The bird was loud, aggressive, and destructive. He often squawked at all hours, bit unsuspecting visitors, and damaged household fixtures with his sharp beak. Complaints about Polly were common, and many tenants urged Alice to get rid of him.
But Alice refused.
After losing both her parents and her brother, she considered Polly her closest companion and, in many ways, her only family. Unlike everyone else, the parrot adored Alice. He followed her around, responded to her voice, and provided comfort during her lonely days.
Their bond was strong enough that Alice overlooked many of Polly’s troublesome habits.
Unfortunately, one of those habits would prove fatal.
An Unusually Cold September Night
On the evening of September 11, 1899, Alice sat at her desk studying as she always did.
A chilly breeze drifted through her open window. Concerned that the cold air might make her sick, she paused her work and shut the window.
Nearby, Polly perched atop a gas-powered light fixture. As Alice approached, the bird became excited and began squawking loudly while pecking at the metal structure.
Knowing the noise would likely annoy the other tenants, Alice gently calmed him. The bird settled down, and she returned to her studies.
Hours later, exhausted from studying, Alice climbed into bed and fell asleep.
She had no idea that closing the window would become a deadly decision.
A Sudden Awakening
Sometime during the night, Alice abruptly woke up.
Something felt terribly wrong.
Her chest felt tight. She was dizzy and struggled to breathe.
Alarmed, she attempted to make her way toward the door to seek help. But after only a few steps, her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor.
No one heard her fall.
The Disturbing Discovery
The following afternoon, around lunchtime, the boarding house landlord noticed that Alice had not appeared.
While she was known for studying late and sleeping in, it was unusual for her to remain unseen until nearly one o’clock.
Concerned, the landlord walked to her room and knocked several times.
There was no response.
After trying again without success, the landlord turned the unlocked doorknob and pushed the door open.
Instantly, a powerful odor rushed out.
The smell was overwhelming.
The landlord began gagging as a wave of gas that had accumulated inside the room poured into the hallway.
Inside, Alice lay motionless on the floor beside her bed.
She was dead.
Polly’s Dangerous Addiction
The shocking investigation that followed uncovered an unusual and tragic truth.
At the end of the nineteenth century, most indoor lighting relied on open flames fueled by gas. These fixtures contained valves that controlled the flow of gas to the flame.
For some time, Polly had developed a bizarre habit.
The parrot would repeatedly peck at the gas valve until it opened. Rather than damaging the fixture for fun, Polly appeared to enjoy inhaling the escaping gas. Once enough gas escaped, the bird would become intoxicated and eventually pass out.
Alice knew about this behavior.
Whenever she caught Polly tampering with the fixture, she would stop him. If he managed to open the valve and expose himself to the gas, she would close it and open a window to ventilate the room.
But on this particular night, things were different.
The window was shut because of the cold weather.
And Alice was too exhausted to stay awake.
A Deadly Chain of Events
After Alice fell asleep, Polly returned to the light fixture.
He pecked at the valve until it opened and gas began flowing into the room.
The bird inhaled the fumes until he lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, the gas continued leaking for hours.
With the window closed and no fresh air entering the room, the toxic fumes gradually filled the small bedroom.
By the time Alice awoke feeling ill, the concentration of gas had already become deadly.
She never made it to the door.
The Incredible Survival of the Parrot
One detail of the case stunned investigators.
Although Alice died from gas inhalation, Polly survived.
When the landlord discovered the room, the parrot was found lying near the bottom of the door. His beak had been wedged beneath the narrow gap, allowing him to access tiny amounts of fresh air from the hallway.
That small source of oxygen was enough to keep him alive.
After recovering from the incident, Polly reportedly continued seeking out gas whenever he had the opportunity, demonstrating that the strange habit had not disappeared.
A Tragic Lesson from History
The death of Alice Nott remains one of the strangest accidental fatalities of the nineteenth century. It was a heartbreaking combination of loneliness, affection, and an overlooked danger that resulted in a devastating outcome.
Alice’s love for her pet led her to tolerate behavior that others viewed as merely annoying. But beneath the squawking and destructive habits was a much more serious problem—one that ultimately turned fatal.
More than a century later, the story serves as a reminder that seemingly harmless habits can sometimes conceal unexpected risks, and that even the strongest bonds between humans and animals can have tragic consequences.