The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-05-12
/ Ii L DISP ATCH
''''''"''sA-AA - so
"e'oc on Female Poisoner--A
Modern EorQtn
WEDNESDAY M0hNIN0i7 =, ,.,-..-,,,- =.

- use sph mas announced the arrest Of Mrs.
"eoe "estiake, In Goshen, New York. on the
csafss OF poisoning number of rersous there,
sno her suicide In prison on the 7fh inst. bv moi
soning herself The particulars of the case ar.
'"'h'Shed TO the New York News by correspon-
dent from the scene. They exhibi. oue Of thu
most extraordinary instances Of human d4prayi,v
"a' 'h'rst Tor the life of uuoIending victims ever
ehronicied. The writer says:
fhtoe' who was widow, about As years of sre.
W. ~ Che'ter ten or twelve years She was
luuosui'ns aud knew how to do all mauner of
women.s work, and was able and willing 10 do i
"oii' Mithal, she was profsssedIy pious. Sbe
gained irieeds in the bes, families in Chester and
Nneh any OF them needed help. they thought II a
iobs II they could not get Fhebe
About twenty years ago, her husband died srd
denly A paper Of arsenic was found in his nocE
et' aud upon post mortem examination arsanic
VAS found in his stomach. Itwas supposed he bsS
quiry was had. Vi III
-Four or Eve years ago, Mr.. Pelser, who kent Z.
motel In Chester. died of erysipeIas IIa yes y
widower, and had but one daughter at boms a
,io hoo'e souhg woman: who before that time bad
oeen "ffianced TO Mr.. Hiram CoiwelI wealthy a nd
respectable drover. well known ia Orange conpty
sue and her fathers assistant, Mr. Heard tbaugIt
u pest 10 secure Phebe, rs cook in the hotel aud
tney y did 90. shortly after Phebe came there Miss
teiSet WAS taken sick with some strange di.es "a
tEat her physician could not understand Usr
only sister, aud her husband, Mr.. Clark were ssnt
Ter, and came from the South. and took the ma
aSemeht OF Mr.. PelSors business and property at
Chester. From that tine, phebe was isrt ,na;ci,
TO nurse and care for the sick and diving uias pai
ser. She fingered and died under circumstances
20 lHdnce strange suspicious but no one suspected
her faithful nGrse. fhebe. About the time OF her
death Mr.. CoIwell received au sffectionate ia,tar
Wniie he was at the West bringing cattle purport
iEg TO come from Miss PeIser, but at a TINA Tbo,
IL IS known she could not write, requesting him
among other things, to remember fheJe for her
Kindness to Miss pelser.
Last fall. phebe was emploved Ms n dorro.+;o :;
the house Of John B. TuthilI, a respectable mo-
chant Of Chester, IN view of the prospective con.
fnement OF his wife, who was the only daughter
OF the late Francis Tuthill. Esq-little. Martha es
all who knew her. and many knew and loved her
called her. She was confined; her babe never knew
life. Some unusual symptoms attended her case
Or. Smith, her physician said they indicated mi
son: but Set they light be the commissions which
sometimes attended parturition. Phebe was her
nurse, AMI she could not be suspected. Martha
died. and
Blossom and bough lie withered in one blight
Mr. John b. Tuthill'r family being thus broken
up-for little Martha WAS ali he had-be went to
board with his brother aud partner in bu siness.
Mt. Charles ;. Tuthill, and Pbebe was duly trans
ierred to that establishment, as cook and maid OF
all work.
On the lst Of April last, Mr. Fuller. clerk in
the Tuthiifs store, took possession Of Mr.. John f.
luhiifs house under arrangement that Mr.
John b. TuIhil was to board with him Mr. Enl
Ter had no family but bis wife. Phebe was thDs
thrown out Of employment. but still she was re.
taued temporarily between Mr.. Tuthilis and MIR
Euler's. Phebe did many acts of kindness for
beth Mira IuthIii aud Mrs. Fuller, and carried del
caCie5 to aud from them.
On the 9TH day of April last Mr.. Fuller had nro-
Tided for dinner can Of preserved corn and
beans. They were not all eaten at dinner PheIe
was at fuiers. Aher tea, and after Mr. Fu Ter
had gone to his business, she suggested to Mrs
Fuller that the corn aud beans might spoil and
they might as we'll eat the little there was left
Mrs Fuller consented, and Phebe brought I'D two
small plates of corn aud beaus one of which she
ate herself. aud the other Mrs. Fuller ate That
evening Mrs. Fuller WAS taken sick with symp-
toms Indicating poison. She died shortly after
No one could be suspected Her husband loved
her. He had no one else to love. Phebe was kind
obyiging, assiduous aud atfectouate, aud remained
by Mrs. Fuller to the end. Who could suspect
her?
After the death of Mrs. Fuller Phebe remained
temporarily at Mr.. Charles :. Tuthilgs. where
both the brothers we're perforce brought into the
family. Some ten or twelve days ago both the
ruthls and the wife Of Mr.. Charles s.. also q
Mrs. Derrick-an Irish womau-with whose hus
baud Phebe had had some difficulty about
poTterage. were taken sick with symptoms nearly
akin to those of Miss Peser little Martha, and
Mrs. Fuller. They have been all treated the
hypothesis Of poison. The brothers Tutbill are
out about their business. Mrs. Charles :. Tut
hill is doing well, and Mrs. Derrick is 5tlll dan
gerousiy i'll.
Suspicious began 10 thicken about Phebe Last
Monday she was taken violently i'll with the same
symptoms. Gu Friday morning she died. In her
last agonies she SAID 'S5e had sp1lnhlcd little ar
seHic J0hn B. Iuthi}S toast: that she b,'slU there
luds prison TIE pid0ic sill lGhers his soup sat
aHd Il might hare by10n an: and that she sprRkie
little drScRic Mrs.. Pallsr'S and beans" and
further said not. The grave has closed over Phe-
be and her victims. No more of the facts will
probably ever be known. Her motives mnst be
left to conjecture, and Imagination must MI W
this tale of horrors.