Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-01-17
~ sST.IRTLf.vG TILE or CRIME.


A WOMAN CoNFEssE Es TO THE POISONING OF
THREE HUSBANDS AND FOUR CHILDREN.
Mrs. Lydia Sherman, the Derby, (Conn.)
husband poisoner, has made full confess
sion Of her crimes to the jailer at New Ha-
ven, and the Hartford Courant gives her
story as published below. Mrs. Sherman
is very ignorant woman, and cannot
write at all, so the confession is given in
the words of the reporters. The story is as
follows:
Mrs. Sherman was born in New Bruins
wick, Nj, in 1925, and was early left an
orphan. AT the age of IL she joined the
Methodist church, and at a love-te there
met Edward ). Struck, whom she subse-
quently married,x Struck in time became
d policeman at Yorkvlle, one of the sub
urbs of New York city. One night there
was a row in a saloon on his beat and de-
tective was killed. Struck was of without
leave. lie was reprimanded aud dsgrac-
ed. 1t troubled him very much. and final
ly ii weighed 80 on his mind that he be-
came crazy aud had softening of the brain.
He then was discharged. When he recov-
cred ii was only 10 be very feeble physic-
ally and unable to get any work, so that he
was only burden to his wife. One day
male friend of hers suggested to her that
she should 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 theil two youngest chill
dren, 80 that they should not be burdens
to her, and should not have, as she says,
to grow up to life's cares. She was not sus-
pected of this murder, and soon after IL
went to Litchield, Ct, to live. Here she
met one Dennis Hurlburt and married him,
but she did not get along particularly sat
islactory TO herself with him, and so she
poisoned him.
Soon amer his death she was told by a
friend that there was a man in Derby,
named Horatio n. Sherman, who had plen-
~ of money and had lost his wife, and that
by skilful management, If she wanted a
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 subse-
quently she succeeded in marrying him.
He had two small children, Ada and Frank
lie, and these she determined to poison and
did poison, but she did not plan to poison
Sherman. She intended to employ the ars-
enic upon the rats in her house as well as
to kill the children, and she purchased II
in New Haven at Peck's drug store with
the first mentioned object. She took the
package home and put ii on the shelf be-
side similar package of saleratus. Mr..
Sherman used to drink great deal of ci-
der, into which he would put saleratus,
to make II foam. This was his favorite
drink. The saleratus and the arsenic on
| Il g shelf became mixed in some way she
did not mix them, but she saw they were
so. She thinks that his death was due to
| the arsenic that had been mixed with the
saeratus. In no other way did she know
OF his obtaining poison. This was not,
| therefore, such clear case Of murder as
the others. In iact she merely neglected
to warn him of his danger, and that she
did not always remember II herself is
shown In the fact of her having taken some
of the cider, causing sudden and alarm
ing illness. II IL curious that the only
death for which she could not be held ac-
countable. according to her story, should
be that for which she has been convicted.
1t Is said that the states attorney, Judge
Foster, will not use the confession against
Mrs. Sherman, and her sentence will mere
ly be TO prison for life.