The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-18
A VILLAGE SENSATION.

UNwoNTFD EXCITEMENT IN soMERs, WEST.
CHESTER coUNrY-A YOUNG SERVANT Girl.
ACCUSED or TRYING TO POISON HER MIS-
TEEss-PARIs GREEN AND MILK.
Tho quiet and secluded village Of Somors, West.
chester county. was startled out Of It's native
guilty last Sunday by tho rumor that attempts
had boon made TO poison Miss Helena Temp.
kins, well known and generally respected
lady OF tho neghborhood. Tho was
scarcely credited ut first by the simple inhabitants
OF this "scepy Hollow region, whore all seems
peace, simplicity and content Tho dwccrs In this
quiet valley OF somers are pastoral people, who tend
their aocss and drain the tcemng udders their kline
that the cit zans Of Gotham may be supplied with
nourshing food and their pockets be filled. Like
all pastoral tribes these people arc guileless and
sophisticated The wooded slopes and vcrdant pas.
lures seem to the nercest natures to thoughts
Of peace and love. and. indeed the general aspect OF
the region could scarcely fall TO inspire bucolic
poet Somcrs lies about midway between Purdy,
tho Harlem Railroad, ana Somers Ccntrc, on tho
Lake Mahopac line. II 10 thus removed from the
intrusive ncursions OF tho ordinary travel cr. IL
possesses court house. but not policeman
waves ns OF authority nearer than
Somers Centre, which Is good two miles
removed This circumstance speaks volumes
Tor the nofensvc character OF this pastoral people,
Although WITHIN Atty miles OF New York the good
people preserve some Of tho anti Revolutionary iorms
old time "squires' deal out the little law which 80
simple people need
4 srARrLIxG SENSATION
some idea OF the lutter caused among such COM
munity by so untoward an event as an attempt TO
s sI Il became The topic Of general dis.
cussion which swallowed mp tho interest IN tho
probable war, ana even inc Russia" cruisers ana
this homemade sensation The effect was heightened
100 BY The quality Of tho in'endsd victim Tor, was
Of the great race which had time ruied over tho
dsstEcs Of the Empire State and fato OF
tonsy In tho eyes OF Somers such an attempt savored
OF sacriiegc The Intended victim was Miss Helena
Tompkins, whose grandfather had at one time been
Governor OF the State, and tho neutrality-suspicious.
little wait pick up by Of those charitable inst
tuons In the city OF Now York In which tue children
OF misfortune are drilled by an Iron rule tha TOO re
quenlly develops all the owl andsnono OF The good
! which lilo siatent In all human hearts.
According,to tho account given by tho lady who -
said been subjected poison ng process
| few years ago the young girl In question was taken
FROM instiuton In THIS city Tor homeless children.
which Institution, however. she WIS un willing 10
nnc and brought to this peaceful spot to DO turned
ever. that from Tho outset the relations eslab-
! lished were not OF the pleasantest KIND IL
iou nd that the child had a name that for some reason
tho iamiIy did wish boar, and u was thoro-
lore decided to rcchrscn her Thereafter she became
known in the family BY the name OF L,nda-Linds
Norrs-becausc hor fof ner Daptismal
sponded too closely with the name Of some member oi
The family.
Other sources oil dissatisfaction 70 base
between Linda and the family In whose home she
i u
child sha uttered threats against the lite OF Mss Hc-
lena According TO the account gwen by the fomp-
kns family Liuda not only threatened TO take Miss
Heena's lie. but ON previous OCCASION actually At
tempted 10 poison her by putting ehoroiorm into
medicine the LADY was taxing II "a alleged that The
girl being charged with doing this confessed
her quit but said she had demo IL whil0 IN a playful
mood aud without knowing tho deadly character oi
the drug. This explanation seems to have been
copied by the family unaer tho belief that the influence
now associations would In time pletoly change
The girls character, but tus nopo was not
not justified by tho result For some reason, Tor
which sufficient explanation mas been gwen, the
gir continued To manifest feelings OF bitter resenL
nont toward Miss Helena This feeling does
have extended to tho other members OF tho family
TRYING FAIRS GREEN
II eliminated on last sunday night, when the girl
brought her mistress a glass Of milk, ana soon
after drinking Miss Tompxns seized
raa violent pains. Lse family physe,an, D,:
declared that tho lady suffering from poison
Powerful anidotcs were at once administered. win
successful result. circulated 10 the Of
icct that when accused OF administering poison TO
Miss Tompkins the gr confessed her crno; but this
the family deny. IL Is said, however that tho girl
sent the aired TO tho village some time before
to purchase i've cents worth Of Paris green, stallng
that she wanted to put II IN her trunk to
keep out tho motha Tnis, oil course. looked very
suspicious, and the family made up tneir mind 10 got
RID Of so dangerous servant telegram was irn-
mcdiatey sent 70 tho tnstituton from which
the Pirl had bucn taken, and Monday sho
vas brought back to this city. The people con-
nected with the institution have very
anxious 10 prevent the getting Tho
knowledge u tho public, ami tho Tom pknses declined
tue statement msdo by both Miss lompkins and her
father, to the effect that the girl been scnt TO
reiornatory. Yet no judicial exam nation has taken
place
Hiss TompkiDs, during the short Interview ac-
corded TO the HERALD reporter, seemed very anxious
made tue subject a new per article add
when asked what motive sho thought could have
prompted so young girl 10 commit n CRIME
ncinous attributed ncr acion TO the pornicous Ia.
stories sho had read 10 xspapcrs especially
late case OF poisoning Long Island, IN when the
girl took an extraordinary interest