The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-24
The Clue to the Poisoning
Case.
The Mystery Unraveled.
Why the Negress Adams Ad-
ministered the Arsenic.
Full Details.

Our readers will doubtless recall the Incl
dents connected with the late poisoning case
when a whole family were Frustrated by heav,
doses Of arsenic, administered in soup, served
at dinner. Mrs. Vidou and the other occu
pants of her house, little suspecting any dan
ger, sat down on the 14th day Of July to par
take of their MONDAY meal
After eating their soup and drinking small
portion of bottle of caret, they were imme
diately seized with nausea and burning SEN
sation at the stomach, when medical aid was
called in. Remedies were at once given, and
although their existence for days
HUNG BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH,
They are at present almost out Of danger
Suspicion pointed plainly to a negro woman
named Emily Margaret Adams, widow Of one
William Hays,
After chemical analysis was had Of the re-
mainder of the soup, and the physicians
stated that there was enough arsenious acid
found to kill hundred persons, this woman
was arrested A little girl had seen her re-
move the lid OF the soup-pot pretending that
its contents were burning, and this gave clue
to the whole affair.
Since the arrest of the woman a representa-
tive Of the BULLETIN has been thoroughly in
vestigating the affair, in order 10 discover the
reason which prompted the
FIENDIsH WOMAN ADAMS
to perpetrate such hellish deed
After considerable time and trouble he was
at last enai led to enjoy the satisfaction Of
having entirely rem owed all doubts concerning
the matter, and below we give the results of
his researches.
MRS. yIDOU LEASED
Emily Adams, the would be murderess, some
time since, a house belonging to the former,
and as month after month passed she found it
impossible to collect the rent promptly, but
being of charitable nature she let Mrs.
Adams get in her del some hundreds of dol
lars.
One day in May last Mrs. Vidou was sur
surprised by the negro woman visiting her and
expressing desire to purchase the house she |
then occupied under the lease, and she also !
requested the loan from Mrs. Vidou of the
title papers. This lady, who had bought the |
property situated in the square bounded by
Josephine St. Andrew, Clara and Willow
streets, when she was the widow Of P Bilac, !
willingly complied with the request and
HANDED OVER TO THE NEGREss
her deeds drawn before O. Drouet, ESQ. no
tary public. The months p ssed on, and al
though the woman did not return the titles
no suspicion was aroused.
Shortly before the poisoning, a lawyer who
was we'll acquainted with Mrs. Vidou, APP
prised her of the necessity of examining into
the matter but she paid little heed to his
warnings. When, however, the whole family
were lying i'll from the effects of the arsenic
they had taken, the lady sent for O. Drouet,
Esq, to make her will, and that gentleman COM
piled with her request 1t was thought ne
cessary to procure from the Register OF Con-
veyances here certificate of non-alienation
Of the property, and when that was asked for
it was discovered, to the surprise of Mrs. vi
dou, that the records showed that
1T HAD BEEN SOLD
by nctarlal act before A. S. Beck, notary
public, ON the 14th day of May and recorded
in the Conveyance Office in Book No 104.
folio 332. for S1S25 in cash
Mrs. Vidou was shocked to discover that
her property had been sold without her
An inspection Of the act show
that the negro woman Adams got some one
TO PERsoNATE MRS. WIDOW,
and the couple presented themselves before
the notary to perfect the sale.
The negress, thinking if Mrs. Niiou !
and family were put oat of the way the prop
erty would become hers, as the title was in /
due form and legally recorded, her plans {
we're laid
A HEAVY DOSE OF ARSENIC t
would complete the work and when the real [
owner was out of the way the woman would f
VIGOROUSLY display her title. But the poison |
hanks to the iudicous attention Of the phvsi- i
:ians, failed, and now the mystery comes to l
light
A reporter Of the BULLETIN, last night L
sisited the residence of Mrs Vidou. and from l
ler lips learned that L
NO SALE HAD EVER BEEN MADE Il
~ her Of the property and that the act passed {:
vas deception practiced on the notary AS b
OF the willy and deceptive charac- V
er OF the negress Adams and her trickery the p
ollowing note was exhibited to Mrs. v
'idou when that lady some time ago demand d
d the rent the woman owed her, and which n
vas given to Mrs. Vidou as a sort of soothing Il
yrup to effect delay. She pretended that it
anne from Capt. Boothby, of the School a
Board, whom she alleged owed her money I
{ read as follows: q
New ORLEANS, May 49, 1874 !
% Mistress E. NJ: y
Madame will not be able to invest any g
money before some time next week please "
ay to Mrs Vidou to have patience few days a
,nger Your ob'dt servant 81
CAPT. BoosBEE. ID
Inese are the developments, so tar as our "
eporter has gathered them, and, taking all o
ne circumstances into consideration, Emily
dams will probably enjoy the rustic pleas d
res Of OF
THE PENITENTIARY IL
efore long, for 1t is years since such das- u
Irdly calculating attempt at murder has been Ii
The nesress is anything but pre-
in appearance ; has small bullet
cad, and looks the murderess.
If the detectives take this matter in hand, IN
lere can be but little doubt that all the other ID
circumstances will be developed is
Tho personated Mrs. Vidou in the sale has SC
1t yet been discovered by our reporter SC
- h,
THE CROPS.
July 23.-The Ne,cs and Courier al
ports the appearance of the caterpillar in the G.
y Island cotton plantations of the coast. &C