New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-03-23
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cessary for US to give small items the go.by.
HORRIBLE POISONING AFFAIR IN THE FOURTH
DIsTRIcT.-On Tuesday, after the graduation of
the medical students of the University Of Louisiana,
dinner was given in compliment to one of them,
DIR. Hunt, by Mr.. 7. L. Lemley, the welEknown
lawyer, at his residence ON Jackson street. near
Chippewa, in the Fourth District. At this dinner,
beside Mr.. Lemley and his family and the young
| doctor, were present guests number of ladies
belonging to different families in the neighborhood
At night, all those who had partaken of the dinner
became sick, at their different residences; on
Wednesday many Of them got worse on Wednes-
day night little boy died; and yesterday tile sus-
picious of the physicians were confirmed to their
satisfaction that the whole of the sick persons were
suffering from poison, taken in article of food
at Mr.. Lemey's dinner.
| Some twenty persons being poisoned, the affair
yesterday created the greatest excitement in the
Fourth District. Crowds of people focked to Mr..
| Lemley's and to the other houses where the VIC
4 tins of the poison were suffering. The Chief OF
Police and his officers, and Coroner Beach, at once
set about their Investigations.
The following were the parties poisoned: Mr..
Lemley and his family, consisting Of his wife,
daughter seventeen years old, and Q child; and
Mrs Young, his wife's sister, with her daughter,
young lady, and little son five Or six years Old
This little boy was the one who died on Wednes-
day night Three negro servants Of Mr. Lemley's
are also among the sufferers.
Miss Seares, sister of the wife Of the Rev. Mr.
Markham, of the Presbyterian Church. and resid-
| ing in his family. $~##-sa
Miss Hall, a young lady who was stopping with
Mrs Young and her daughter and little boy at the
house, they being visitors from Jackson, Miss.
4 Miss Isabel Mckee and her sister, and their
mother, living on Chippewa street; the young
| ladies only being present, but carrying home some
Of the poisoned delieacy to their mother, and she
eating it.
Mrs James Phelps, her son, youth Of eighteen,
and Miss Bouligny, young lady residing with
them Young Phelps and Miss Bouligny only were
at the dinner; Mrs. Phelps, being indisposed, re-
manned at home, but sent word by the young peo-
pie to Mrs. Lemley, that if she had anything NICE
l or nicknacks, to send her some Of it. The people
/ having uneonsciously eaten the poisoned food,
took some Of it home; Mrs. Phelps eat Of ii; her
husbands sister, Miss Phelps, declined eating Of it,
saying that she would save her share for the chill
dren, who had gone to bed. This kind feeling of
hers, and the sleep Of the children, saved them ALL
Young Dr. Hunt, who was at the dinner, and
partook of everything with the rest. After the
dinner, he took the evening train Of cars for his
home in Mississippi. He has not been heard from
| since.
The article of food which contained the poison
was the jelly called g Charlotte Russe.n 1t was
made by Mrs Lemley and the other ladies in the
house, who busted themselves in preparing the
dinner. Mr.. Lcmley's cook is mulattress named
Ann, belonging to him; very morose and i'll
tempered creature. Ann was in the kitchen all the
/ n,5 hay, s,5r INA 4I,a
jelly was made Of milk, sugar and gelatine, scented
with vanilla the latter being the only article which
had lately been procured in drugstore. The jelly
was prepared in a porcelain dish, by the ladies,
and warmed in that dish The investigations so far
show that there was no poison in any of the named
ingredients of the jelly nor was there any posi-
bility of the poison proceeding from the utensil in
which twas prepared.
Coroner Beach, to be sure of things, took por-
tions Of all the articles used by the ladies in
making the jelly, for chemical inspection. He
took portions of the stomach and other Intervals
from the body of Mrs. Young's little son, and re-
served them for future analysis. He held an in
quest on the body and gave verdict of death by
suppostious poisoning.
1t is probable that a chemical analysis will not
be necessary for the facts elected by the Chief of
Police render it probable that the poisoning will
be plainly fixed upon the cook Ann, and negro
boy named Harry, both of whom, and two other
negro servants all slaves of Mr.. Lemley, (none of
whom got poisoRed) have been arrested and put
4 in prison.
/ The facts ELECTED by the police, who visited the
different sick people, and made all possible in
yestgations, are these
/ The cook, Ann, has a son, lad about II years
old, who is incorrigible runaway, and is now in
the Police Jail for safe keeping. Mr.. Lemley had
determined to sell him, believing that his mother
had always instigated him to run away, and aided
him in finding places of concealment.
Mr.. Lemley yesterday stated that since the
poisoning his wife had said to him that she had for
some time been in fear of Ann, but her fears had
not been serious enough to induce her to express
them to any one.
Some of the young ladies in Mr.. Lemleys family
stated that after the jelly had been prepared in the
dish, and left standing, before cooking, they found
the negro boy Harry stirring the mixture with a
SPOON Harry being questioned in prison, and
warned to tell the truth If he expected mercy here
after declared that he had not touched the dish OF
gone near it. Upon second visit to Mr.. Lemley's
the sick ladies reasserted what they had said more
! positively than before.
Miss Isabel Mckee, one Of the sufferers, being
visited, said this " About month since wen
to Mr.. Lemley's to see Mrs. Lemley, but she was
not at home. then went into the kitchen to SEE
Louisa Lemley, and saw Ann, the cook. While
there, Ann said to me, See this mark on my face
Mrs Lemley struck me with cowhide and they
/; have my son in a traders yard; and she will re
pent the day she done it, ! said, You impuden
woman, you must not talk so about your mistress,
. | then left, and went home.n
The Chief of Police sent officers to all the druf
stores in the upper part of town to inquire if ar
senic or other poison had lately been sold. Ont
store was found where arsenic had been sold til.
man who bought it was found at his residence; hi
! explained that he had got the arsenic to poisol
) rats, and proved what he said. This was the re
suit of this investigation. @
{ Dir. Stone and DR.. Stlle agree that that the sick
ness of all the parties shows arsenic to have beel
| taken to greater less extent, the sickness o
/ all being exactly the same. And so the matte
stands, thus far.
i The following was the condition of the sufferer
I at our latest accounts last evening.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lemley believed to be out of dan
ger; their two daughters still dangerously i'll, an
!! one not expected to live. Mrs. Young and he
n