Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-28
A LOvE-CRAzED POIsONER.


the dramatist, if he knew how to close with
effect, would drop the curtain.
LOvE-CRAzED POIsONER.
Miss Eta Smiths attempt to Destroy the
Family of Mr.. ". ". Slime.
A dispatch from Fremont, Ohio, to
the Cleveland Herald gives an account of an
| extraordinary poisoning case which has STIR
red up society in Fremont
| Miss Eta Smith, teacher in the High
school, has been arrested on the charge of
having attempted to poison the entire family,
consisting of eight persons, of Mr.. w. w.
Slime. Mr.. Slime III well-known Demo-
cratic politician, and has held important
county and municipal Offices. He left for
the West a few days ago. and on Friday last
his wife received q basket containing
oranges, figs, tea, coffee, meat, &C., with the
explanation that Mr.. Slime had ordered it
before dis departure. Mrs. Stne's first sus-
pieions were aroused by the complaints of
her children that the fruit was bitter. Fear
ing all was not right she sent the articles
contained in the basket, with the exception
of the sugar and coffee, to doctor, who,
upon examination, found that every article
8
fatal to the entire family.
The sugar and coffee which Mrs. Slime did
not send to the physician with the other ar
ticles were, before her suspicious were con-
frmed, thrown into the Stops and given TO
the hog, causing its death within very short
time. It was discovered that Miss Smith
had bought strychnine at three different
drug stores, and had charged the fruit by in
serting the drug with needle or pin at the
stem, and the provisions in a more bungline
manner. She gave the basket to the janitol
of the high school building, and told him tc
carry it to Mrs. Slime with the statement
above given, which he did.
Miss Smith was at once arrested on the
charge of having attempted to poison Mrs
Slime, and her bail fixed at $500. A mum
Der of citizens came forward to go on he1
bond, and she was released at about II
O'Clock on Saturday evening, and spent thu
following day with her mother at home. Or
Monday morning, however, she was rear
rested on a charge of having attempted t,
poison the entire Slime family, her bail fixec
at $4,000 and she was locked up again in tn
county Jail, where she now is.
Miss Smith is about 80 years old, and ha
taught in the public schools for many years
She lives with her widowed mother. She il
and has been efficient IN the Sunday school
) managing the exercises at the Easter cele
bration this year. She is of about medium
f size, light complexion, dark hair, with a
3 intelligent, though not handsome face, and
ladylike manner.
? What the relations of Miss Smith wit
< Slime have been is a subject of genera
Q speculation. It is evident that herein lie
} the mystery of the motive for her crimina
Q act. The general theory is that she ha
!. been madly enamored of him for some time
4 and that she endeavored to destroy hi
q family in order to remove the barrier whic
g prevented his union with her.
f One report is that improper relations hay
= existed between the two for years past, an
r that his departure for the West with the in
ton of removing there caused her to CON
r NIT the act. His friends assert that he ha
o no completely in the affair, and deny that b
i is compromised by any criminal relation
y with her. 1t is reported that an attemr
/. was made to poison him last winter bya DO
i of cigars sent him by mail, which lie foun
: 50 bitter he did not smoke them. Stine'
: friends have telegraphed him for to com
. home at once. Mr.. Slime is about fort
years old.
The theory most generally accepted is thu
and Miss Smith for long time; that sh
was greatly infatuated with him, but that h
had grown tired of her and wanted to thro
her off; that all went along quietly as Ion
;, as he kept his place the School Boarc
and she was secure of hers as a teacher
but that when he left the boar
and determined to leave Fremont and see
Q a new home in the West matters came to
d crisis. Slime, it is supposed, told Mis-
9 Smith that their relationship must come t
). an end, and i'll a fit of desperation she dere1
:, mined to destroy his family, so that thel
y would be no obstacle to his marrying her.
The basket containing the poisoned art
t cles was accompanied by note written /
}, Miss Smith in disguised hand, and pro
7, Tossing to come from the grocer where ii
$ things were bought Mrs. Slime got the in
preston that the meat came from SON
relatives in the country, and that they ha
t sent it preparatory to coming and dinin
s with her, and that her husband, hearing {
g the visit before he left, had ordered the fru
s and groceries.