Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-01-07
Terrible Case of Destitution In New York
"A Mothor, Driven TO Despair, Poisons
Her Four Children n Herself.

SN0
Her H -Four Ghi Hsiys1 and Hssseii. 0''
From the New York World
Several months ago Mrs. Anna Boone
and her family, consisting of two boys
and two girls, hired apartments on the
third floor of the new tenement house,
No. 20, Amity place, located near the
corner of Sleeker street. Tho family
appeared very respectable and of unus-
ual intelligence, and seemed in point of
rcspectability far above the average of
those who generally seek lodgings in
tenement houses. Mrs. Boone, who
was somewhat of an invalid, was known
to the other residents of the house as q
widow, was very distant and retiring in
her manners, as were also her children,
and made few acquaintance among
those who dwelt with her under the
same roof. The children were well be-
haved and intelligent, and appeared to
DO much better educated than those
with whom they were surrounded. Not
w~ithstanding the air of culture and re-
fnement possessed by this family they
appeared to be very poor indeed, and 1t
was noticed that they received no Visi-
tors. The gossiping n%eighbors set the
new corners down as n family suddenly
reduced from wealth to poverty, and
who had been for some reason or other
abandoned by their relatives and friends.
This was mere conjecture, however, rs
Mrs. Boone made no confidantes, n
paid little or no attention to the various
rumors floating about among the rest
of the tenants as to her forlorn condi-
ton and her antccedents. The advent
of this family was q nine days wonder
to her neighbors, and the gossips finding
no food for their surmises and conJec-
lures, let the matter drop to seize on
another and moro fertile subject. It
was, however, noticed that the family
gradually assumed o poverty.
stricken appearance, and the lean and
hagcard countenances Of the mother
and children were the subject Of remark
as they were seen fitting by, leaving or
entering the house. So matters pro-
ceeded until yesterday morning, when
an event occurred which has created IN
intense excitement in the ncighborhood,
being no less than an attempt to
terminate the existence Of herself
and children by poison. 1t APP
pears that during Saturday night,
| strange and peculiar sounds were heard
proceeding from the apartments occu.
pied BY the Boone family. This some.
| what alarmed the tenants in the house,
as heretofore quiet had reigncd there
supreme. These noises continued oil
night, and at two o'clock yesterday, q
| Mr.. Boardman, who resides IN one OF
the lower floors of the house, convinced
that something was wrong, determined
to investigate the matter. He went out
into the street, and finding Officer Rae,
of the Fifteenth Precinct, %patrollina
through Amity street, he called him
and informed him Of his suspicious
Officer Rae at once proceeded to the
house, and, ascending to the room occu'
pied by the Boone family, raped fol
admission. Receiving no answer ant
finding the door locked, the officer burs'
in the door and there found the whole
family-Mrs. Boone, with her foul
children, Daniel, aged l3; Grace, agec
IL; Marcella, aged IL, and William
aged Gall lying on the floor apparently
writing in the agonies of death. As
it was supposed that the family wert
Frustrated by coal gas, Officer Rae OBJ
tanned the assistance Of Officer Giller
and the sufferers wcro carried into thu
front room. Two physicians were i'm
mediately summoned, and, after exam
lining the family, decided that they wcrt
suffering from the effects Of some mar
cotic poison. The usual remedies were
applied, aud by advice Of the physician!
the whole family were conveyed in car
riages to Bellevue hospital. On thu
way to the hospital, Mrs. Boone, recov
ering sufficiently, Officer Gillen cues
toned her about what had occurred
when shc confessed that she had admin
istered laudanum to her children, ant
then swallowed q dose Of the sam
poison herself. Sho also stated tha'
she had given each Of her children .
small quantity of. the l%audanum, ant
had taken the largest quantity herself
On being asked what had induced hcl
to commit 50 fearful q crime, she at frs
hesitated, and then stated that she be
louged to q very respectable family, bu'
had been abandoned BY NIL her relative.
and friends. She was entirely destitute
and not being able to support herself
and family, preferred that they should
all terminate their existence by poison
than starve, which seemed the only al
tentative. On arriving at tho hospita'
the family were taken in charge by the
house physician, who is sparing no eff
fort to save the lives of the unfortunate
family, and with a fair prospect of sue
cess. Last evening the children were
doing we'll, and were considered out Of
danger, but Mrs. Boone is still in a very
critical condition although the attend
ing physicians have hopes of her ulti'
mate recovery. Mrs. Boone is consid'
cred under arrest, and is entered on the
station-house blotter rs q prisoner on q
charge of attempted murder Of hel
| children. Our readers may imagine to
what a pitch of desperation q mothers
mind arrives from destitution and dcs'
pair, ere she attempts to kill her own
offspring, and may we'll wonder if many
such cases Of poverty remain unrelicyed
in our midst.