The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-02
CLEyELAND's B0RelA.
A Woman With a Convenient Dose
Of Arsenic.
Falling TO Poison Her shopmatss,
She Takes a Dose Herself.
stranas Freaks Of q Giri Who "Mantsd
to Die and Be With the Angels"

straaas Freaks Of q Girl Who "lNantet
to Die and Be With the Angels"
CLEVELAND, oaIo, July l.-As .he in.
yestigaiion Of the Coroner 10 The Nc.
Dewitt poisoning case begins 70 develop
itself, il becomes apparent that the mys,
terious surroundings that have enyeloped
the case begin 10 unrayel, and q regular
"BorgiA" appears. In order 70 get AZ the
true history Of the whole matter from
the beginning 1t will be necessary to 20
back 70 the I7th Of this month. -
About the hour ot noon, as wa elicit.
ed in the testimony before the Coroner
to-day, Mary Regan, who was employed
At Mta. Anne Somers' dress.mAking e.
tabliAhment on Proapect street, went to q
milk depot and bought several quarts Of
Of milk. She brought IT. back, and all,
or nearly al, OF the employees, including
Mrs. somers, drank Of the milk out Of
the Tin pail. No bad effects were noticed
at.this tide, bat q portion -oi The milk
remained, and Mar, McDeyitt, who hss
since died from the effects Of poison ad.
ministered by herself last Saturday morn.
ing, and which was telegraphed the En-
quirr Monday night took the balance OF
the milk, And said she would put il away
for another time.
After this milk had been taken away
by Miss McDevitt some Of the shop girls
drank Of il q second ,time.r TheJpail vas
aiterward brought back BY the foreWo.
man Of the chop and emptied OF the milk,
but there remained in The bottom Of the
pail an egg.cupful OF whitish Substances,
which, upon being analyEed, proved TO
have been white arsenic, Soon after
dripking the milk the girls commenced to
get sick, and Nellie McDevitt, sister Of
The dead girl, was the first one. Josie
0Connor Was The next, about two hours
later, and still later IN the evening Jennie
Hughes was taken Eick. -. .'--',s'-''
Now comes the strange and unexplain.
ed mystery: As far a. the object Of Mary
McDeyitt was concerned 10 poisoning
her Sofkmates, she was not taken alex u
the time, but on the Contrary sas very
Jolly, but seemed 10 be very anxious
about the recovery OF her sister Nellie,
who had, by the next day, become very
sick.
Mary McDeyitt did not come 10 work
the following day, but complained Of
being unwell. Nellie, in the meantime,
had somewhat recovered, and last week
Tuesday, both Mary and Nellie Nc.
Dewitt went to work, but Nellie was again
taken sick and had 10 60 home, and has
been Eick ever since. Mary seemed 70
be all right, and worked very hard that
day and until Friday, when she did not
make her appearance. g
{ A note was received by Ms. Somers,
purportiug 10 come from Msry's mother,
stating that che was too sick 10 90 10
work. Some inquiry was made, and the
note proved TO have been written by Miss
Mary MeDeyitt, who told her mother, As
an excuse, that Mrs. Somers had sent her
home. Here commences the second at
tempt al poisoning, in which Mary Nc
Dewitt became the victim, and Mary
Piunkett the second, who hiss been At
deaths door since yesterday morning,
and will hardly recover from the effects
Of the poisin given her BY Mary McDey-
1T on Friday night.
Ithaa been ascertained that Mary Nc:
Dewitt has acted very strangely Tor come
months past. While working with Mrs.
Somers she indulged in peculiar remarks,
and has at times been very low spirited.
When there was any fancy piece Of work
in the shop Mary xonld say she wished
il was The lining TO her coffin, and abe
wanted 10 die and be with the angels in
Heaven. II Is said that Mary and her
sister Nellie could never agree, although
mp 10 her last moment she seemed solici-
tous about her sisters health, and hoped
she would get we'll.
The whole Of to day was occupied in
receiving testimony, and very large
number OF witnesses were examined,
nesrly all Of whom testified that Mary
McDesitt had acted strangely and seemed
anxious 10 die. Some OF them also stated
that the dead girl also drank Of the milk
at Mrs. Somer's dress.makipe establish
ment.
After hearing all OF The witnesses who
were parties 70 the poisoning case, and
also the testimony OF the physicians who
attended the sick patients, and OF those
Who made the poa MOrtem examination, the
Coroner rendered the following verdict
this evening. "That the said Mary Nc
Dewitt came to her death from arsenic,
and that the said arsenic was admins
tered BY her own hand, with psemedita-
tion; and further, that said Mary Nc.
Dewitt was impelled by 40 insane motiye
10 commit the set"
Il will perhaps be an easy matter 10
understand why Mary McDsyitt took her
own life, but why abe should attempt 10
sacrifice her most intimate friend and
even her own sister, who, IL sppears from
the testimony, was induced 10 partake Of
The poison second time from the hands
Of Mary MeDevitt at her own home, and
even while suffering from the first dose,
seems = mystery very hard TO explain.
The most charitable manner in which 70
look upon the melancholy affair
Ia, frst, there seems no doubt nov
but that It was case Of unrequited
love, for Mr.. Plunkett, who, Il seems, had
been waiting upon her for some time, and,
having been forbidden 10 associate with
Mas McDevitt by her parents, had grad
ually ceased paying any attention TO her
90 account oi the UNPLEASANT surround:
ings, Second, those who haye atudisd
insanity claim that II l. always the nat
ural bent OF an insane person 10 want
cnmnany. esbeciAlIy in cases where q
premouition OF suicide is manifested.
Third, Mary McDevitt was \ Catholic,
and feared ihat II abe took her own life
The Church would not allow her The
death.files or burial In eonsecrated
ground, but il she could make it appear
accidental, by poisoning others, this
barrier would be removed. Whatever
these conisctRres may amount 70, 1t Is
one Of the most mysterious and lAmsnta.
BILE poisoning cases that has ever happen
ed 10 Cleveland or vicinity.