Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-01-23
Mrs. Shermsn's Horrible Confession.

ArS.. Sherman's Horrible Confession.
THE confession of Mrs. Lydia Sher-
man, ethe Connecticut poisoner.n 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 in which she was then incar-
cerated, and from her story we gather
the following dreadful details:
Mrs aSherman was born at Burlington. N.
j., forty eight yearsago- Losing her mother
before SIZE was year old, she was brought
up by a married uncle named John Clay
gay, in whose family, where all worked
hard, she was kindly treated, attending
school but three months in the year. At
sixteen years old she visited the home OF
two older brothers at New Brunswick,
N. j., where she remained short time,
and then went out to service in the family
f Rev. Mr.. Van Amburg. in the town of
Jacksonville. She remained there three
years, when she returned with her broth
er Ellsworth to New Brunswick. Soon
afterward she began to learn the trade of
tailoress with sister of her brothers
wife. A few months afterward she went
to work with q Mr.. Owen, a Methodist
class leader, in whose family she re-
mained four months. Subsequently she
went back to live with her brother, while
she continued to work for Mr.. Owen an
other year. In the meantime she had
Joined the Methodist Church.
Edward Struck, q blacksmith, q MEM
ber of the same church and a devoted
Christian. was her first husband. With
him she lived eighteen years in New Jer-
sey and New York city, where Struck
worked at his trade, and afterward be-
came policeman. Seven children were
born to them, one of whom died from
natural sickness. Soen after this death
man was murdered at hotel on the
Bloominedale 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
ensued, and Struck became discouraged
and melancholy, bearing the stigma of
coward in his bosom, and careless wheth-
er he worked or not, became indolent and
lay in bed great share of the time. He
would not see physician, 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 little
to say to her. He seems to have been de-
mented, threatening suicide, and getting
worse. One police Sergeant, Mo,
advised her to put him out of the way,
as he would never be any good again to
her or himself. So she bought ten cents
worth of arsenic and administered 1t in
oatmeal cruel. Early next morning he
died. This was in May (year unknown)
and she continued to keep house, but was
extremely destitute. In July she de-
termined to destroy two of the children
Martha Ann, six years old, and Ed
ward, fouryearsold She felt very down.
cast and administered arsenic to them in
such quantities that they fingered a few
days. Martha Ann died first, and Ed
ward few hours later. The doctors
seemed to have no suspicion of anything
criminal in their demise.
Four children remained. George Whit
field, aged fourteen, was engaged in
painting for a man. In August, that
same year, he was taken sick with paint
er's collie, and under a doctors care grew
no, better. Discouraged again, the un-
natural mother administered 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, eighteen years old,
was engaged, part of the time, in a store
in Harlem; then she worked at home,
where she was courted by a young man
named John Smith. Mrs. Sherman, in
March. decided to relieve herself of the
care of her little daughter, Ann Eliza,
and quietly poisoned her with arsenic,
and after four days illness she died. The
arsenic used IN all these murders was
part of that procured for Mr.. Struck's
murder
About the 1st of June following Lydia
died after long and natural fit of sick
ness.
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Wh;ia n tba ~ So ~. sha Je NOS ;,dr..d 70
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Hu-Ihut ola and faehI. was teken s;ct
a.J a,'Lsoro,tI1' @ % a. b., NJ Sharnen
Doc NO. 49, gha,ber She IiIIed him or
not A. eli events She discIe;ms anv
snch ;ntant;on snd ;f he tooI tbe wrong
ned;c;ne She cannot tell
She nos, hacs,,s econa;nted with Hor-
at;o NJ SherTna, w;dower living in
Rirn,in oh q :, whc had a IittIe babv on
his hands and who tried to engage her
70 tea- house for hin, and snhseG1ent1v
W sesp touSe tSr Sn,ahan a an IeSo at Pr;dasS- iS
ma.ar Maas Sherr,an Ia ,rnnhIa 1;,b
ar IA Id rrev;nrsiv % his n,otber.;n.Iaw
81 h;s dsnah,ar Ado Tho old Isdv
.shnna aronnd,i hec.nse the babv Franz
that In order TO get the old lady out of
the vay. Frankly might die. and, under
y Hao ~ al IN