Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-01-25
THE DERBY P0ISONER,


The Hartford Courdat gives from q
special correspondent the substance of the
confession recently made by Mrs. Lydia
Sherman, the Derby poisoner, to the jailer
In New Haven.
Mrs. sherman's story Is as follows -
She was born in New Brunswick, N. j., In
1926, and was early left an orphan. AT
the age of seventeen she Joined the Metho.
dist church, and at love feast there she
met Edward 8. Struck, whem she subse-
quently married. Struck in time became
a policeman at Yorkvllle, one of the sub
urbs of New York city. One night there
was O row In a saloon on his beat, and a
detective was killed. Struck was off with
out leave. He was reprimauded and die
graced. 1t troubled him very much, and
finally II weighed so on his mind thai. he
became crazy and had softenlng OF The
brain.
He then was discharged. When he re-
covered 1t was only to be very feeble physi-
cally and unable To get any work, so that
be was only burden to his wife. One
day a male 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 bis food, and she also,
with the same poison, killed their youngest
two children, so that they also should not
be burdens 10 her, and should not live, as
she says, to grow up to life's cares.
She was not suspected 10 this murder,
and soon after she went to Llt xsld, In
this State, 10 live. Here she LET one
Dennis Hurlburt and married him, but she
did not get along particularly satisfac-
torlly to herself with him, SO she poisoned
him.
Soon after his death she was told by a
| friend that there was man In Derby
named Horatio N. Sherman, who had q
plenty of money, and had lost bis wife
and that by skillful management, II she
wanted third husband, she could proba'
bly, get him. Accordingly she went there
and applied to him for the place Of house
keeper in his family, and he engaged her
and subsequently she succeeded In marry
ing him. He had two small children, Ada
and Frankie, aud these she determined tC
poison, and did poison, but she did no
plan to poison Sherman.
She intended to employ the arsenic upor
the rats In her house as well as TO kill th'
children, and she purchased 1t In New
Haven, at Peck's drug store, with the frs
mentioned object. She took the package
home and placed 1t on shelf beside
similar package Of saleratus. Mr.. Sher
man used to drink q great deal OF cider
into which he would put saleratus to max
Il foam. This was his favorite drink
The saleratus and the arsenic on the shel
became mixed in some way, but ehe dit
not mix them, but saw they were 80.
One night some friends were present
, and they had some "toddy" TO drink
! Her husband invited her TO take some, bu
, she chose in preference to drink some
his cider prepared to foam. Soon aftt
she took It she went out Of the house
call upon a neighbor. and was taken sue
denly very sick, so badly that she Wa
utterly unable to do anything for hersel
and rallied in a little while. She think
, that this sickness was due to the arsenl
i that had been mixed with the saleratai
/ and that when he died, II was because
/ taking more Of similar preparation at
; later period.
/ In no other way did she know OF b
. obtaining poison, and the talk Of the PR
c secution about her putting arsenic Into h
+ tea and into "slings" and other hot drlnl
. was all expended on wrong track. Th
/ was not, therefore, such clear case
= murder as the others. In fact, she mere
/ neglected to warn him of his danger, ar
s that she did not always remember IL he
{ self Is shown in the fact of her haVlI
(, taken some of the cider. II lie curious tn
the only death for which she could not
held accountable, according TO her .stor
should be that for which she has bee
convicted