The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-12-01
A MODERN BORGIA.
THE NEW ENGLAND P0IsoNER:
The Supposed Perpeirator of Four Cold
BIooded Murders-Her Approaching
"a

charged in the indictment with the guilt OF
four cold:blooded and unnatural murders,
| while by popular opinion she is guilty ofthese
and seven more. All of her viclims-a at least,
| all of these eleven-were connected to her by
| the closest domestic Ties, as the LISTS made
up Of three husbands, six own children, and
Two step-chIldren.
The history of the case is briefly as follows
| In May last Horatio N. Sherman, factory
hand at Birmingham, Connecticut, died sud.
denly, with all the symptoms OF arsen1cal
poison. Suspicion naturally rested on his wife,
who was known to have recently quarrelled
| with him. The woman, however, bore at the
| time good character, having been for many
years member of the Presbyterian Church,
seven years OF age, and might be supposed to
| have enjoyed whatever benefit there Is 10 lam
| iy afflctIon as before she became Mrs. Sner-
man she had lost two husbands and six chill
| dren. In 1916 the womaa, whose maiden
name was Lydia Danbury, married her first
husband, wldower of the name OF Struck,
and bore him seven children. After eighteen
years of married life Struck died, after short
illness, In 1864 In the two following years
six of the seven children, all who lived with
| her In New Jersey, also died, and were buried
| In Trinity Cemetery. After the death OF her
| children the widow Struck moved to STRAIT
| ford, where she became acquainted with and
married an elderly gentleman, Hurlburt by
name .After union OF fourteen months Mr..
Hurlburt died suddenly, leaving her his entire
property, amounting to $4,000. This was In
1858. Ia the fall of 1870 she once more pro-
missed to love, honor and obey husband,
this time Mr.. Sherman, for whose murder
she Is now on trial. Sherman, like the former
| two, was widower, and had four children.
A. atx fhd offn NJ
| Frank Sherman. the youngest OF the family,
died, after day or two's sickness, with vio-
| lent cramps and vomiting. In less than two
months, on New Years eve, a second child,
Ada, fifteen years old, beautiful, and village
tavorite, died In similar paroxysms. None ap-
peared more deeply affected than the mother,
who had devoted herself to the sufferers Ike
real parent Suspicion was not even then arous.
ed, but when, three months later, the husband
expired with exactly similar symptoms, and
| those the symptoms Of death by poison. the
coincidence became 80 startling as to compel
| attention and investigation. A postmortem
examination was held and the stomach sent to
| Professor Barker. of the Yale Medical Faculty,
for chemical analysis. He reported the pres
graves of the two children were then secretly
opened, and the same deadly drug found IN
| their bodies also. This was damning proof
enough, but the physicians wished to be
doubly assured, and so had the long covered
grave Of Hurlburt also opened and his remains
examined. The result was the same. There
seemed now but one possible conclusion, and
the step-mother was arrested.
The Indictment has TO do with only these
four murders, but the probabilities now
point 10 her as the murderess Of her hrst
family as well, and If acquitted on the present
charge she will undoubtedly be held to answer
for the Struck mortality. After the prelimi-
nary examination in July she was taken to the
county Jail In New Haven, where she remains
awaiting her trial. Here she has been visited
by q large number Of persons. and among
others by a correspondent who had an inter-
view with her.
During this interview he says she seemed
perfectly at ease, was fashlonably and neatly
dressed, carried an elegant gold watch at. her
| Impressed me as a lady OF culture and renne-
ment. After passing the ordinary preliminary
commonplaces Of conversation, | remarked
that she must find her present lIte very monot.
onous and wearing, aud asked If she was well
treated.
"Oh, yes" she replied, VI have every liberty
given to any of the prisoners"
II suppose you would like as early trial as
as posslble!" continued.
stYes, should like 1t to take place as soon
as convenient"
Bile an accusation would wear upon you?"
SIT would, indeed, sir, were not CONSCIOUS
of my own innocence"
"But you must admit that the appearances
are at present against you
Perhaps so; but (smiIingl one mustn't
| Judge by appearances, you KNOW"
II suppose one of the strong points In the
defence is the absence Of any apparent cause
for the alleged crimes?"
"That will be one argument, no doubt.
don't see why should have taken any. Of
their lives. am sure no one can say but what
was an affectionate wife and mother"
THE PROBABLE LINE OF DEFENCE.
This will undoubtedly be plea of insanity.
1t is stated that Mr.. Various, her counsel, In
tends to admit the facts and the inevitable
conclusions therefrom, perhaps going 30 far
as TO instruct his client to plead guilty" at
once, and then proceed to prove her insanity.