The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-03

was pious, he always wore stnctimonious
look, and he had been very strictly brought
up. Finally hegraduated and began To study
medicine. He moved to Virginia and began
the practice of his profession In that State
he met lady whose mother was said to be
possessed of considerable wealth, and he
made her his wife Then he moved to Law
renee, Kas, with his wife and mother-inlaw,
and there acquired considerable reputation
in the practice of his profession. His neigh
bors wondered at seeing 50 many dead cats in
his back yard, but this strange sight aroused
no suspicion at the time In Lawrence he be
! came acquainted with the Ruths and became
their family physicin. People said there was
too much familiarity between Mrs. Ruth and
| the doctor, but it was only rumor for tbs
time, and but little was thought of it.
| After awhile DR., Medlicott's mother-in
law died-unexpectedly and mysteriously-
and not long after Mrs Nledlicott died in
| similar manner. The people of Lawrence
grew suspicious at these sudden AMI mystic
rious deaths but nothing was done. After
| these deaths though, the peculiar relation
| ship existing between Mrs. Ruth and the doc
tor excited more than ordinary attention
| One day Mrs. Ruth went to LeavenwOrth
Kan, ostensibIe to do some shopping, and in
ne evening of the day she left the doctor
vent to Ruth's house to play chess with Mr.
| Ruth Thsy played together until Il late hour,
when the doctor took his leave. During
| the night Mr. Ruth was taken violently i'll,
ami his young son, who was sleeping in the
house, alarmed the neighbors, who summoned
| DR. Metlic0tt, but in the early morning Ruth
died. Before retiring he had placed his
| clothes upon table and when they We're re-
moved there was found under them memo
randum book which was pressed open at a
page upon which the following had been
written by Ruth, evidently as he WAS first at
tackled by the Illness;
Two o'clock IA. IN. DR.. Medlicoit has Just
left me and have taken his medicine feel
bad and am afraid, Ii anything happens |
| wish this to he known"
well On the strength Of the memorandum
DR.. Medhcotr and Mrs Ruth were arrested.
the latter the formers accomplice in the aIIeg-
ed poisoning Public feeling was 50 strongly
against them in Lawrence that the doctor
applied for a change of venue, which was
| granted and the trial took place in another
| county. A jury found Meldcott guilty OF
murder in the first degree, without leaving
/ =.
ell The case was appealed to higher court
! which ruled that Rnth's anti mortem decla
ration was not admissible and granted the
doctor a new trial Tie authorities knew thi,
was all the evidence they had against him
and as the county was too poor to stand the
expense of another trial, which was almost
sure to result in his discharge, they let him
go. Ruth'S body was eXhumed and tht
stomach was found to contain traces of 6
skillfhiy compounded poison, whose presenc,
was hard to detect without a chemical
ANALYSIS The bodies of Mrs. Medlicott ane
her mother were also exhuned and post
mortem examination revealed traces of tbs
same subtle poison in their stomachs
Mrs RRth was held in fail about year
and was released when the doctor was st
free Size drifted south, ard YOU know he
history up to the time of he. murder in New
Yorl, Or Medlicott is now married and /
living in Ohio. The woman has a wonderful
history, and il would make n interesting vol
ume If all told"
1t appears from other sources that Will
Mrs Ruth was in prison at Lawrence Sey
) mour Noullaire, her first husband, cam
and took charge of her two sons, Belnlon
and AiphOuse, also a daughter of Mrs
Ruth, and took them to St Louis
When liberated, Mrs Ruth drifted south
and in New Orleans married Mr.. Kelley
who was agent Of steamship line there, an,
he took her to New York City, where, after
/ residence of few months she met Horace B
Shepard
Voullaire married happily a few years afte
his divorce from his first wife, and died at the
Southern Hotel, i'll s. Louis. about fOu
years ago, of paralysis. His widow and lttl
daughuE now live in New York, as do hi
. three children by his first wife.