Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-09-14
A VERY REMARKABLE CASE OF SUS-
PECTED POISONING.
Child the Victim.

in that city:
AT No. 1910 Hutchinson street live Launce-
industrious people. who devote themselves
mainly to the care of bright little daughter
four years old, by name Annie.
At No. 1914 in the same street lives two spin.
sters, somewhere about fifty years of age, cali.
ed Rachel and Polly Jones, and a brother
somewhat their junior, Aaron Jones. They
knew the child Annie, who used to often play
on the sidewalk in front Of the door.
The child seems not to have been wisely
brought up, while the Jones women appear TO
have been some what peevish and fault find
ing. On several occasions, when they have
reproved the child for haunting their door
s'eps. she retaliated by calling them ssold
maids" with oher provoking language. They
were subsequently heard, 1t is alleged, to de-
clare, when speaking to others OF the child,
that 'sthey would fix her, - and that her infan.
tile derision should not much longer be ex-
erci ed at their expense. The mother was
therefore surprised at sudden change in their
conduct towards the chlo. They now became
as ffectionate to her as they were before in
imical. The child was forbidden 10 60 near
their house, but Polly and Rachel, it is alleg-
ed. threw to her morseIs Of cake. peaches. and
little dalnt1es OF various kinds. over the fence
separating their premises. Mrs. Richards
seems to have had some vague presentiment
OF evel from the Joneses, for she cautioned
the child against eating anything which they
gave her.
On the morning of August 18th, when a
glowing ripe reach was an exceeding rarity
while the child was alone in the yard, speci-
men OF tudt 1lu1L was lOeSeQ TO lec from tOo
Joneses' window. Little Annie eagerly seized
the tempting bit, and had eaten half Of it
when Mrs. Richards saw her. The remaining
portion OF the fruit was throwL away, and the
child driven into the house.
Soon afterwards she was taken with fright
ful illnt 9, manitestiHg all the symptoms at
tsndant upon the administration Of COZ rosive
poison. Medical aid was summoned, but des.
plte all antidotes, the child died ia convul-
sions after very brief but terrible suffering
The Coroner has spent the entire interval be-
.hott
animation into the case. Nothing was pub
hshed concerning it until tull prima fucie
case had been made out. But an analysis OF
the childs stomach shows that her death WAS
Upon warrant by the Coroner, the Joneses
Were arrested yesterday morning. The trio
were taken to the Central Station. where they
had a hearing in the afternoon The interim
was spent by them in cell. What we have
above detailed was deposed by the various
witnesses. The case was not concluded, be-
cause OF the unavoidable absence the sick
bed Of the expert by whom the stomach Of the
child was chemically manipulated The case
was then adjourned and the prisoners remand
ed. When they were made to understand that
they were committed, but rather triumphant
Iy pointed to an individual present whom
they said could enter bail IN hundred thou
sand dollars, if so much were REQ uired When
the Coroner told them that the law denied him
ihe power OF taking bail under circumstances
like theirs. their consterp alton was expressed
In manner which beggars description.
From pallid white to purple, and from pur.
pie to pallid white, their faces changed in COL
or. One of them, IN wild ipcoherence flung
her arms around the neck of Lieutenant Jacoby,
and lmplored him to save her from the inc xora-
bic fat. The other would have prostrated her
self before the coroner in a piteeus appeal for
lenlercy but that the bystanders interpo osed to
raise her 1t is not supposed that the brother
of these women participated in the affair, but
the Coroner has deemed it wise to detain them
all until his investigation has closed.
The Bulletin gives very interesting account
OF the case and a report OF the coroner's in
quest from which We make the following ex-
tracts:
Annie f. Richards, aged four years, and
daughter of Launcelot Richards. residing at
No. 1910 Hutchinson street, died suddenly,
under peculiar circumstances, on the 18th OF
August last 1t ls alleged that certain neigh
bers Of the Richards had frequently threat
ened them in consequence OF quarrels, and
but day before the death of Annie, the child
came 10 her father and said, "- says she
Is going to kill mamma; what does she mean!H'
The family conld not give any expIsnation,
but they noticed that for several days cakes
had been thrown into the yard, but "a they had
invariably been taken and thrown in,o the
street, NO harm occurred On the 18th of
August, Annie found peach in the yard and
taken sick, and in five hours was dead. A
postmortem by Dr. Anderson and Dr. ray lor
disclosed the tact that there was strychnine in
the stomach. Upon this the parti1s accused
were arrested, and jury summoned by the
Coroner to Investigate the case.
The inquest was held his morning. Anson
RiCudIus teotlucu ou Tue ljlu Oh august MS
little girl ran up to him and SAID "Pappy.
Rachel Jones says she is going to fix me pret-
ty soon :" she stopped then for moment, and
then SAID 8. Does she mean to take mamma
away from me 20 replied, "No, my pet, she
can't take mamma away from YOU she said,
* CanI OF do without my mamma, pappy;''
that was all she said; cakes and fruit were
thrown from Jones yard into my yard one
time cake came over the fence, and I recog-
niZed Polly Dy her saying there is cake for
you - don't know anything about a peach
"a n w nH-or INV al. to1y
three TO five hours; did not hear of her eating
anything that morning: didn't know what to
attribute her sickness to; was in the habit OF
taking her out in the evening, to get her an
airing; l was taking her walk around the
square; she was taken sick IN the street;
observed tagging in the walk: thought it
"Annie, what is the matter with you !'' she
SAID, 81 feel queer and put her hands up
over her head; l told her TO put her hands
down; from that out she began to get worse
the neighb bors around 10th street took notice
Of it: at 10th and Thompson streets, she said,
'Pappy, cannot 60 any further took her
into my arms she said. 81 feel so bad in the
stomach, am burning up, pappy." She died
at quarter or twenty minutes Of 10 o'clock;
she had coRvulsions she had nothing to eat
from the time took her out until she died
her mother told me che had had nothing to eat
except her supper, and that came off of my
plate think peach was mentioned after
wards.
MRS Lizzie Richards testded-On the 10th
ult l was standing at my ironing table; my
child Vas playing in the yard; she called
Rachel and Polly sdried up old maids;' saw
Rachel up at the window; she satd to Annie that
Der father told her to say that" 81 thank you,
my father did not tell me to say that Rachel
said then, "Your mother told you to say it," she
says, thank you, my mother did dot tell me
to esy IT." saw Rachel shake her fist and say,
IN fix you and your mother before long,"
i did not know what she meant by 1t; it was
Just nine days from the time she threatened
that my child was a corpse; have seen cakes
and other things thrown into the yard by
Polly Jones: on Sunday afternoon. between
and O'Clock, Annie went out into the yard;
she was out there quite q good bit: when she
came in she had peach; 1t was cut crOssWays
to the stone; she had taken one or two bites out
OF that peach; / asked her where she got the
peach; che said Rachel threw it over and told
her 10 eat 1t; took the peach away from the
child and told her that she ought not to have
eaten it: the peach looked as If it had been
dropped into flour and then brushed Off; what
was on the peach could not say; threw the
pc ach back into their yard; Annie teok one or
two bites out Of the peach before she went out
with her pappy, and when she came home she
me:'' she asked me to give her some sugar:
gave her piece Of white lump sugar; instead
of tn king the sugar she bit my finger: she said,
.Mamma, / am going to die; have eaten the
peach that Rachel threw over,' and she called
for " ater; her tongue was blis tered immediate
~ after eating the peach, and in from three to
FIVE hours she was u corpse; we have not been
on very good terms with the Jones': had no
suspicion until abs said she was burning up;
I d not know what was the matter with her
mouth: 1t was not sore before ehe ate the