The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-02-15
Mrs. Sherman's Horrible Con.
feSSiOn.

The confession OF Mrs. Lydia Sher-
man, "the Connecticut poisoner," is
one of the most horrible chapters of
crime ever recorded. Her enormities
have lately been revealed in full to
the keeper Of the Jail i'll which she
was then incarcerated, and from her
story we gather the following dread
full details:
Mrs. Sherman was born at Burling-
ton, Nj, forty-eight years ago. Los
ing her mother before she was year
old, she was brought up by married
uncle named John Claygay, in whose
family, where all worked hard, she
was kindly treated, attending school
but three months in the year. At six
teen years old she visited the home of
two older brothers at New Brunswick,
n. j., where she remained a short
time, and then went out to service i'll
the family of Rev. Mr.. Van Amburg,
in the town Of Jacksonville. She re-
manned there three years, when she
returned with her brother Ellsworth
to New Brunswick. Soon afterward
she began to learn the trade of tail
Dress with a sister of her brothers
wife. A few months afterward she
went to work with a Mr.. Owen, IL
Methodist class leader, in whose fam
| lily she remained four months. Sub
scquently she went back to live with
her brother, while she continued to
work for Mr.. Owen another year. In
the meantime she had joined the
Methodist Church..
Edward Struck, blacksmith,
member of the same church and de-
voted Christian, was her first husband.
With him she lived eighteen years in
New Jersey and New York city, where
Struck worked at his trade, and after
ward became a policeman. Seven
children were born to them, one of
WHOM died from natural sickness.
Soon after this death IL man was mur-
dered at a hotel OIL the Bloomingdale
road, and Struck, who went to secure
the murderer, had not the spirit to do
it, and was discharged from the police
force. Trouble and poverty elsued,
and Struck became discouraged and
melancholy, bearing the stigma of
a coward in his bosom, and careless
whether he worked OF not, became in
dolent and lay in bed great share Of
the time. He would not see a physi-
clan, but requested to see one of his
first wife's children, or Mrs. William
Thompson, who lived in New York.
Mrs. Sherman went after this woman,
but Struck would have but little to
say to her. He seems to have been
demented, threatening suicide, and
getting worse. A police sergeant ad-
vised her to put him cut of the way,
as he Would never be any good again
to her OF himself. SO she bought ten
cents worth of arsenic and admins
tered it in oatmeal Cruel. Early next
morning he died. This was in May
(year unknown) and she continued to
keep house, but was extremely desti-
tute. In July she determined to
destroy two of the children-Martha
Ann, six years old, and Edward, four
years old. She felt very downcast,
and administered arsenic to them in
such quantities that they fingered for
a few days. Martha Ann died first,
and Edward a few hours later. The
doctors seemed to have no suspicion
of any thing criminal in their demise.
Four children remained. George
Whitfield, aged fourteen, was engaged
in painting for man. In August,
that same year, he was taken sick with
painters celic, and under Il doctors
care grew no better. Discouraged
again, the unnatural mother admins
tered arsenic to him in his tea, and
he died.
She then went out to work as a
nurse. Two of the girls remained at
home most of the time. Lydia, eigh-
teen years old, was engaged, part OF
the time, in store i'll Harlem; then
she worked at home, where she was
courted by a young man named John
, Smith. Mrs. Sherman, ill March, de-