St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-01-24

Nv N''N III nv from II I1lOb. |
was taken to jail after pleading.
Confession of Mrs. Sherman, the Con
necticut Borgia.
Respectable women. who poison pen
pie at the average rate of one wear fn
eight Years, are happily 81 rare in the
annals of crime that we cannot pasS bN
such an one without il moments consd.
Grafton. The full confession of Mrs
Sherman gives il pretty complete histo.
~ OF her career as Il murdereSS. though
her motives are stated with baldnes>
which at the same time carries couvic-
tlon and vet staggers that conviction
by the very horror of the deed. We
will briefly state the leading f,rts She
was treated kindly in her girlhood, liv-
ing i'll IN unclc's family, with occasional
visits to brothers. When about %. she
began To learn the tailoreSS'S trade
She met Edward Struck, widoweI
with six children. and married him. He
was Il blacksmith. but soon after they
moved into New York and he became
one of the first metropolitan police.
He was discharged for alleged coward
~ III an stlItSl anu
had the hypochomdr!a in consequence.
His old employer urged him to return
to work i'll the old shop. but he refused.
trctted all the time. hecame moroSe and
took to his bed. He refused medicine.
once or twice Threatened suicide and
she had to lock up razor and pistol
for fear he would use them. Finally
he hccaruc quite imhccile and helpless.
and wanted she should find places for
the children. Il told him | could take
care of them and he needn't worry $
she SAYS.
This first case is the interesting one.
hut this seems to he all there WAS in it
Apparently this man and wife had stood
10y each other faithfully for l. wears.
and seven children were growing up as
the fruit of their welded life. They
were no more unfortunate than thou
sands have been before and since. and
there l. enough hcroi>m in the common
ram OF human nature to have enabled
the then Mrs. Struck tn have supported
an imhrcile husband. pmt the children
ont. and struggled along. painfully and
hardly. I" he sure. hut guiltleSs. Per
hap> She would have done it. hut IL
''>crgc;Iut Me- Il nciuhhor. who
called To see her husband. advised her
TO put him out of the way. as he would
never hr any better OF of any use to
himself or anybody else" He told her
where and how much arsenic to get.
She thought of it Il few days. Then
She followed Sergeant Mc-S dirrc-
tl"n>. gave her husband the potion in
-IHrt. tended him tcndcrly all night.
and i'll the morning SAN him die. Why
what an easy thing Ia do, What she
thought. or whether She thought at all.
does not now occur to this coarse grain
wife. NOW eight Years older. That care
less sergeant little knew the devil he
had unclaimed in that womaII's heart.
OF rather the angel that he had there
>mittrn down. leaving mere human
rcgmaut.
Within Il few months. finding herself
huldcncd nth seven chilllcn. She got
much discouraged and down hearted"
and poisoned the two Youngest. think
ing lit would hc better torthcm if they
were out OF the WaN. Edward. she
says. ''Wa> Il beautiful boy and did not
he wis very patient" She
got work at sewing and nursing. and
WIS keeping house with four children
home. when the next To the oldest boy.
gorge Nhitcticld Str'Jck. II wears of
tgc. having got il place tu earn SOD
per week H. painter. came home. sick
with the painters collie. He grew worse
md she put arsenic i'll his tea. hccauSe
she WAS discouraged. Il know now
hat Is not much of IN excuse. but felt
,l,t 1.
think about that. The singular fact
sticks ont that her encouragement does
not tighten at all. with each succeeding
'clca>c from care. She now thought
she could get along with her daughter
-Hydia. who had become hctrothcd. if
pnly the little. >ickly Ann Eliza were
put OF the way. This was soon accom-
pli>hcd. "Shc died about noon" saws
he m"thcr-murdrrc>S. land WIS tn"
IappicSt child | ever SIM" These five
t"aths were all wrought with the origi-
lal package of aIscnic procured 10y the
lirectI"n of tn" Mcphi>tnphclean Ser
gcant Me. Then kind Providence
."ok away Lydia. hy fever and unpoiS-
pncd. the girls pastor. Rev. Mr. PAY son
ending hen through the whole sickness.
lte and 10y the aid of her son. John
Wesley. Il Young butcher. passed into
PcnnSlN lvania as Il family nurse. then
back again to New York as clerk in "A
sewing mnrhino store. finally Into Con
lccticut lis hou>ekecper for Mrs Cur
iSs. an old lady of Stratford. Here Il
WAS soon arranged between
lcr and old Nh. Ilurlburl, man of Il
title property. then living alone He
soon died of drinking cider with sale
'atus. which >;IlcratIIS 10y no commivancc
If hers had bccomr mixed with arsenic
III the pantry shelf. She did not know
here was any in the house. and once
Mas very sick herself with some cider
hat the old man gave her. She came
nto the poSScSSion of Ilurlhurt'S farm.
md was soon laid siege to 10y IIoratio
\. sherman. IL Widowcr. who wanted
somebody who could keep
he peace between his daughter Ada
md his mother-inlaw She refused
or some time to 90. and in both of thr>,
MATRIMONIAL ventures does not seem
Ierself to have been the aggrcSsor. but
eems to have been led into them bN
match-makerS. sherman
VAS i'll debt. He had had sickness in
he family, had to support his mother
lis daughter was taking lessons on the
pianO, etc. They took walk" and
he gave him her hand and loaned him
>BW. Before they were married she
Oaned him $500 more. Thereupon hr
'egan most di>sipated and dcbaurhcd f.
ite squandering all of her money that
IT. could get selling the piimo and