, 1873-01-12
THE CONNECTICUT BORG|A.

Her Coz7fession--TlarccE Husbands and
Eour chi:sircia Poisoned.
s&' na7<" aa a,.,s}x !, Stssa asu,es eS5,''d<ts The
aIra. Lydia Sherman was arrested in juno,
1871, at New Brunewica, New jersey, on the
charge OF having murdered llar husband, Horn
year 1871. ste was also charged with murder
ing two Of Lis children, but vas only tried for
the first crime. Besides these Bho Tas said to
have poisoned tro other husbands and nuIaer-
sn. Sf tsF s42 children Tho ti occurred eur in
Noticeable mie '''! among Nsl :poson triss" for
tie very clear testimony OF Professor
Barker, Of Yale College, who had examined
the remains of tho three aforementioned
victims. His evidence was rs conclusive Is cir
none of tho donht about the case which w.s
brought up in the Wharton trial at Balti-
more, and which ia always attempted to be
thrown upon medical experts. The only ques-
ton was a. to the motive that could Iced = sane
q verdict Of murder in tho second degree, the
jury uniting in considering her guilty, but
allowing that tho circumstantial nature OF
the evidence permitted OF reasonable
gree. After she WAS found guilty she was
sent to tho jail in New Haven, and sho will be
taken from thence to tho Superior Court to re-
ceire her sentence some day this week OF next
Rumor has it that it will bo Oh Thursday, but it
Foster, to decide, and ho has not Jet Expressed
his determination as to the date.
Since she has boon imprisoned hor mind has
been seriously troubled, and it has been evident
her past offences or her present ills; aud re-
Gently it has transpised that she was undergoing
so-t Of penitence, aud Bhe has made d full con-
fession Of her gult,. and expresses herself
a. a., much relieved thereby: On the
hor story to. tho jailer, Captain Webster.
Mrs. Sherman is very ignorant woman. She
can scarcely write at all, aud, like many people
who have donc less than hcraetf to make his
tory, she is unable to remember dates with any
accuracy, 80 that, in pats, her narrative is
Vague Ali throug her trial, in court and to
her own counsel, she positively denied ever
having poisoned anybody, and sho begged to
DO allowed to take the stand and swear thereto,
Mrs. Shornan's story is as follows She waa
born in New Brunswick, N. T., in 1925, and was
early left an orphan. At tho age Of II sho
joined the Methodist Church, and ut love-
feast there mot Edward s. Struck, whom
became bee policeman 1t Yorkrillc, ono
Of the suburbs OF New York City. Ono night
there Tas q TOW in o saloon on hiH beat, end 3
detective was killed. Struck was of without
leave. He was reprimanded and disgraced. It
troubled him very much, and, finally, it
weighed 80 OH his mind that he became crazy
and had softenins Of the brain. He then, was
discharged. When he recovered it WAS only to
DO very feeble physically and unable to get any
work, so that ho was only burden to his wife.
Ono day malo friend Of hers suggested 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 tho same
poison killed their youngest two children, 30
that they alao should not be burdens to her. and
should not have, as abe says, to grow up to
1fe'a cATes.
Gha 1veo ,o+ arc1acfad ~ %b;a ,nr,r1or and
soon after it rent to Litchfeld, in this State, to
live. Here shs met one Dennis Hurlbnrt and
married him, but sho did not get along particu-
1azlJ satisfactorily to herself with him, and 10
ahe poisoned him.
Soon after bis death she vas told by a friend
that there Was o man in Derby, named uoratio
N. Sherman, who had plenty OF money, and had
lost his wife, and that by skl1fu1 management,
il she wanted a third husband, she could prob
ably get him. Accordingly sho wont there and
applied to him for tho place Of honsekeoper III
his family, and he engaged her, and subsequent
ly ehe sreceeded in marrying him.
Ho had two elnau children, Adj and frankie,
and these abe determined TO poison, and did
poison, but she did not plan to poison She5mon.
Bto intended to employ tho arsenic upon tho
1ats in her house as well as to kill the children,
and she purchased it in New Haven at Peck's
drug store, with the first mentioned object.
shelf beside similar package Of ealeratuc. Mr.
Sherman used to drink O. great deal Of cider,
into which ho would put aa1esatus to make it
foam This was Lis favogite drink. The Ra1-
eratus and the arsenic On the shelf became
mixed in some way, but ahe did not mix them,
but saw they wero 50.
One night some friends were present, and
they had somo "toddy to drink. Her husband
invited her to take some, but sho chose in pref
erence to drink soue Of his cider prepared to
foam. Boon after Rhe took it she went ont OF
the house to call upon neighboy, and waa taken
suddenly worry sick, so badly that she was utterly
unable to do anything for herself, aud had to ba
carried into the house. She rallied in = little
while.
She thinks that tEis sickneaa Was due to the
y. 411nt h. = ah11 iY : - Tia aalnxa