The Portland daily press., 1873-01-14
Confession of Mrs. Lydia sherman
THREE HUSBANDS AND FOUR cuIInppx
POISONED.
Correspondence Of the Hartford couran..

correspondence Of the Hartford Courant.
ahw HAVEN, Jan. Mrs. Lydia Sher.
Ru,nss';. =; arrested in June, 1871, at New
bo,1;.s,..'e' bN' New Jersey, on the charge of
sho,.17 "'uoteu her husband. Horatio N.
'''.ou, o"oinlan' at Derby, in this Stoto IN tho
year 1871. She was also cbaraoS -, III 'ne
ocfins TWO ofhls children, but was onl,, ..,n,
Tor the first crime. Besides these ny -, 'iieu
SAID to have poisoned two other hr. was
and several of their children. "nus
The trial occurred in March. 1879 i, -
Haven, and was noticeable among "no;so,,
trials for the very clear testimony of prof
Barker of Yale College, who had examined
the remains of the three first mentioned vio-
TINS. Hls-eVldence was as conclusive as cir
cumstantial evidence could be. and tbere ,ras
none OF the douot about the case which vas
brought up IN the Wharton trial at Baltimore
and which Is always attempted to be thrown
upon medlcal experts. The only question
was as 10 Tue motive that could lead sane
person to such step. The trial resulted in
a verdict OF murder in the second degree. the
jury uniting in considering her guilty, but al
lowing that the circumstantial nature of the
evidence permitted of reasonable doubt,,
and so did net call it of the first degree. Az
ter she was found guilty she was sent to the
Jail in New Haven, and she win be taken
from thence to the Superior Uourt to receive
her sentence some day this week or next.
Rumor has it that it will be on Thursday;
Dut II rests with the States attorney Judge
4. n. roster, to decide, and he has not vet
expressed his determination as to the date.
REMoRsE AND Confession
Since she has been imprisoned ber mind
has been seriously troubled and II hoe haan
evident for some time that She VAS hroo5;nn
over either her past offences or her orosa,,t
ills; and recently it has transpired tbat she
was undergoing sort of penitence. AMI sI,a
has made full confession of her guilt. and
expresses herself as much relieved thereby
On the 2oth day of December, 1872, she be.
gan her story to the jalor, Captain Webster
Mrs. Sherman is very Ignorant woman
She can scarcely write at all and like many
people who have done less than herself To
make history,she is unable to remember dates
with any accuracy, so that in parts her narra-
tive IS vague. All through her trial, in court
ana TO her own counsel, she positively denied
ever having poisoned anybody, and she beg
ged to be allowed to take the stand and swear
counsel. -
MET AT LOVE FEAsT-PARTED BY MUIR
DER-Two CHILDREN POISONED.
AA,9. Siei man story is as follows She
was born in New Brunswick, N. J.. in 1eo5
and was early left an orphan. At the ace If
II she Joined the Methodist church, and at a
love-feast there met Edward s. Struck, whom
she subsequently married. Struck in time
became policeman at Yorkville, one of the
suburbs OF New York city. One night there
was row in saloon ON his beat, and a de-
tectlve was killed. Struck was off without
leave. he was reprimanded and disgraced.
1t troubled him very much, and finally it
weighed so on his mind that he became crazy
and had softening of the BRAIN He then was
discharged. When he recovered it was only
to be very feeble physically and unable to ret
any work, so that he was only a burden IN
his wife. One day male friend of hers suc.
gested to her that she could get rid of the
man by poison. She took kindly to the idea
and gave him arsenic in his food, and she
also with the same poison killed their Young
est two children, so thai they also should not
be burdens to her and should not have, as She
says, to grow up to lite's cares.
ANOTHER HUSBAND oUIETEp.
She was not suspected of this murder, and
soon after she went to Litchfield in this STATE
to live. Here she met one Dennis Hulburt
and married him but she did not get along
particularly satisfactorily to herself with him,
and so she poisoned him.
. ANOTHER MAN IN HER NET.
Soon after his death she was told by friend
that there was man in Derby, named Ho-
ratio N. Sherman, who had plenty of money.
and had lost his wife, and that by skillful
management, if she wanted third husband.
she could probably get him. Accordingly She
went there and applied to him for the place
OF housekeeper in his family and he engaged
her, and subsequently she succeeded in mar
rying him.
rWoMoRE CHILDREN POIsoNED-THE THIRD
HUSBAND KILLED BY MISTAKE.
He had two small children. Ada and
frankie, and these she determined to poison
and did poison, but she did not plan to poison
Sherman. She intended to employ the arsenic
upon the rats in her house as well as to kill
the children; and she purchased 1t in New
Haven at Peck's drug store with the first
mentioned object. Size took the package
home and put it on shelf beside a similar
package of salaratus. Mr.. Sherman used to
drink great deal of cider, into which he
would put salaratus to make it foam. This
was his favorite drink. The salaratns and
the arsenic on the shelf became mixed in
some way, but she did not mix them, but saw
they were so.
SHE GETS A DOSE HERSELF.
One night some friends were present. and
they had some "toddy" to drink. Her hus-
band invited her to take some, but she chose
In preference to drink some of his cider pre-
pared to foam. Soon after she took it she
went out OF the house to call upon neighbor,
and was taken suddenly very sick, SO badly
| that she was utterly unable to do ANYTHING
ior herself, and had to to be carried into the
house. But she rallied in little while.
she thinks that this sickness was due 10
the arsenic that had been mixed with the
sal9ratus, and that when he died, it was be-
cause OF taking more of similar preparati n
at later period. In no other way did she
know of his obtaining poison, and the talk of
the prosecution about her putting arsenic in
to his tea and into 'slings' and other hot
drinks was all expended on & wrong track.
This was not, therefore, such a clear case Of
! murder as the Others. In fact, she merely
| neglected TO warn him of his danger, and
that she did not always remember it herself l.
SHOWN IN the fact OF her having taken some
| Of the cider.
lMr6isoNED FOR A MIsrAKE-GoEs UN-
HUNG FOR SIX MURDERS.
1t Is curious that the only death for which
she could not be held accountable, according
10 ner story, should be that for which she has
been convicted. The Register of this city
says that the States Attorney, Judge Foster.
VIII not use the confession against Mrs, Sher-
son for life. r
EAGER NEW YORK REPORTERS.
One OF the New Haven papers has secured
what it calls her complete confession. and
proposes, In the course Of time, to publish 1t
as serial 1t is rumored tonight that three
New York reporters have been promised
copies OF the complete confession for s1OO
eacn. however, 1t must be borne in mind
that Mrs. Sherman is a thorouphlv icnorant
woman, and that any loug confession would
be written and spun out by some one having
IN view only the elaboration of sensation.
think that all the facts and leading incidents
OF the narrative as l have sent them are cor
rect, although they are not copyrighted.