The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-07-11
GnegRteItigsucer.
THE CONNECTICUT BORGlA.
The Murderess Of Three Husbands
and Eight Children.
A Full Account of Her Crimes.
Of Tho New York wOrll.

Correspondence OF the New York World.
DERBY, Conn, July ..
The dark, smooth waters of the old
Naugatuck course along here at the bot
tom oil what looks like a deep ravine. A
steamboat, so large that one would think
itCOuld never find its way out through
the narrow, crooked channel, lies at her
dock ready to start in the morning, and a
number OF cars belonging 10 the Manga.
tuck railroad, which hugs the stream all
the way up from Bridgeport, are standing
on the track near by. The river banks
are high and precipitate and overshadOw-
I'd with a thick growth of wood. At the
summit of the west bank, where lies the
chiei part Of the old village Of Derby,
there Is broad, dusty street, with white
cottages on either side; the church bells
are ringing mOurnlully, and scores of
children are on their way to Sunday
school. There is one house, perhaps a
little larger than the rest, ut which all
The children stop for moment and take
apeep through the white piCkcts In the
front parlor young girl is playing ga
cred tune on cottage organ, and the Ill
legged murderess, Mrs, Nelson II. Sher.
man, is Gagged in the room directly back
Two officers of the law sit in the same
room, and, night or day, never let the
woman go out of their sight If even
half that Is charged against this woman
be true she is undoubtedly the greatest
criminal this country has ever produced,
and her career has been that Of q real lie.
mon on earth.
HER VICTIMS
are thus far summed up rs eleven in
uumber-three who were husbands and
fathers, one refined and educated young
lady, aud seven boys and girls, six Of
them being her offspring, and all less
than ten years of age.
shall now proceed 10 relate the terri.
bic story Of this WOman's life, after hay.
ing collected all the facts, partly from her
own lips and partly from those whose
official Oaths have made II their duty To
examine the woman's career Mrs Mel.
son II, Sherman, nee Lydia Danbury, was
horn at Burlington, N j. When she was
less than year old her mother died, and
her father became II butcher at Trenton.
She lived under the paternal roof until
her father remarked, when, not liking her
stepmOther, she went to live with her
aunt at New Brunswick Here she re.
manned until II years old, when she 10.
came acquainted with Edward Struck, II
police officer In one Of the upper wards of
New York City, To whom she was mar.
rIcd. Struck had been married before,
and had two children, who were now
placed under guardians. The newly mar.
ried couple lived together about seven
years, during which time six children
were horn, And now begin the awful
events which throw such an air Of mys.
terry around the woman, who Is confined
IN this house, accused Of eleven murders
First her husband was taken sick and
suddenly died, II appears that physi.
rian, who attended, said he didn't know
what the man died 0l. The symptoms, rs
described by those who saw him, were
those OF person who had taken poison.
Mrs Sherman said the cause of his death |
was his getting up In the absence Of the
doctor and taking the wrong medicine.
Subsequent to the death Of her husband
her children, six In number, all died in.
eide Of about two years, md no one
seemed to know what allied them, except
IhIs-they all died suddenly.
A GOOD INVESTMENT.
Mr.. ShGrman-Or Mrs. Struck, rs she
was then named-spent two years after
the death Of her first husband rs n seam.
sress and nurse. She next got employ.
mcnt in sewing machine store on Canal
street, where she made the acquaintance
Of II Mr.. Curtis, who afterwards engaged
her 10 live with his mother, ut Stafford
about nine miles from this place. II was
while living there that she became nc.
QuaintGd with her second husband, u man
named Llurlburt, who lived at Hunting.
ton, and was thought TO he quite well Off |
AT his death lie left considerable real Cs.
tate, besides $4,000 in cash This man
lived quietly and economically as n far.
mer and fisherman, and was well known
NIL around by the name Of "Old ITurl.
burt" Mrs. Sherman proiessed great
lOndness for her husband, and Ii was not
long before he had made u will bcQucatl.
ing all his property TO her in the event of
his death. They lived on, apparently
happy, the nelghbors noticing that every
time he returned from his business she
met him at the door and kissed him,
Time passed on, and one day DR.. Church,
the village physician, was summoned to
attend Mr.. Hurlburt. On arriving ut the
house, he found him suffering acute pains
IN the head and stomach, accompanied
by an intense burning, us IL the patient
had violent fever. DR.. Church, bcCOm-
ing alarmed at the critical condition of
his patient, sent for consulting physicians.
"Old lIurlburt" died before the doctors
had agreed upon diagnosis, and was
buried out of sight. Both doctors, on re.
firing home aner the death Of IIurlhurt,
fell to cOgitating. Finally they met in the
street, and Dr.. Pinney said to DR.. Church,
Church, what do you suppose was the
matter with Old IEuflburt ?"
IL really cant say" replied the other"
hut | have been studying up and find
that his symptoms were ryncily those of
arseniCal poisoning II
This seemed TO coincide with the Opin. /
ion of the other doctor, who sal that he
was sorry there had not been legal in.
vestlgation. The pith Ol this private
conversation leaked ont, and quite Il sen.
satlon followed, still no legal steps were
taken.
HUSBAND NO THREE.
Nelson II. Sherman was a skilled me.
chanlc and man much loved for his
genial spirits Indeed, his greatest fault
was too much generosity SO expert was [
he among machinery that the owners of {
the tack factory at Derby found II almost
impossible TO run their complicated ma.
rhinery whenever he was absent for
DAY or two, and they therefore paid him
the very highest wages for remaining
with them. So popular was he with his /
townsmen that they had several times
elected him to Office, but he each time re.
signed, rs his business was more luCra. |
live A little more than year and I
half Apn hia WIFI lipl lpovin1 hin, with ,