Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-03
AmODERs LucHEffA A0nafA.
A Dying Woman Confesses TO
the murdcr Of Her Husband.
Iniant Child and q Stran-
ger. arid 20 Three
Attempts on the Life of Her
second Husband.
spsaIal % coarIst- loarnal

special 70 courief-Joarnai.
MI, VERNON, o December 3l.-A
report having reached this city yester.
day Of on Astonishing confession made
By a woman on her Heath bed at
Waterford, q small village in the
northwestern part Of this eounty. your
correspondents visited the place and
took down the story as related by the
dying woman, a story so horrible that
but Tor INCORPORATING testimony it
would seem more like the fancy Of a
diseased mind than a story of true
life. The Invalid, a woman named
Emma Siillwell, arrived at the home
OF her husbands father, Z. NJ. Still
well, at Waterford, November IL,
suffering from lung uisease, accompan-
led by her infant child, 8 months old.
Her condition rapidly becoming worse
her husband, a freight conductor on
The Chicago, Burlington aud Quincy
railroad, residing at 0ttumwa, Iowa
was telegraphed for, and in response
arrived here on the 9Th. On the Sun
day iullowlng the vile Informed him
that, knowing herself to be a dying
woman, she had a confession to make
aud imploriOg his pardcn, related her
horrible story.
She states that before her aequaint
ance with her present husband sht
was married when fifteen years old al
Maryville, Nodaway county, Mo, C.
Ben Swigert. by whom she had tive
children. That in March, 1877. she.
assisted by her brother, Chester Hoard
and their mother, murdered her hus
oand, whom they believed TO hsv,
considerable money; that they wer,
arrested for the crime but we're dis
charged for lack OF evidence, the zen
erai belief being that S@igsrt came to
his death in d drunken fit. Sh,
also related that, after the death
OF her husband, the family kept .
clearinghouse at Maryville for som,
time, and that a few months after
ward the same trio murdered o
transient boarder, whose name she
vas unable to recollect, and told wha,
disposition was made of the body.
they throsing it into a deep raVin,
near the town. where it was iouno
nearly u year after, but that the,
were unsupported Of the crime.
She msrrh Aer present husband
It that time s brakeman on the Kah
sas City, st. 10 aud Council Bluff.
railway, in January, 1878, aud tn,
family soon alter removing TO Rulo.
Neb., where she coniesses, ia MAY
1880, to having strangled their fourteen
mon hO old baby. named Gertrude; b.
the assistance of her aunt, a womaI
named Betsy Sunshine, for the reason
that IL was puny and sickly, and sh,
thought she would have more liberty
il il were dead. She described how
the horrible deed was accomplished.
the ene. making a strong tea FROM
peach leaves, ghich she poured down
III. baby's throat, while the unnatural
mother held the baby, assisting 10 it,
testh by strangling il with her hand
She also informed her husband o
making three different attempts to TAX,
his life, the object being to obtain a
small insurance he was carrying
in hei favor, aud related details which
leaves no doubt in his mind but wha,
his life was saved each time by the
merest accident.
The hush and bore the terrible secret
rs long as he was able, and on Tuesday
last four Of tie best men OF the neigh
borhoOd, including a minister and a
Justice Of the Peace, we're celled 10
and the terrible If .ir revealed to them,
the wife signing the statement. The
mother OF the woman received iata
injuries in a railroad accident il
March, 1881, while travelling iron
Rule to Ottumwa, the vile says, fo,
the av0Wed purpose OF Ooncociiug >
plan to kill the present husband. a
letter was received by Mrs. StillWelI
from her brother, dated December ~
"a which he expresses the utmosi
nxiety to know ii his sister was doad
md it she had told anything sbou
him, saying be could not rest until b,
knew. The woman is very weak an,
could scarcely speak above : whisper
aud when requested to repeat hel
story to your correspondent was great
terrified and alarmed, fearing tba
ticers were present to arrest her
UpoI being assured that they wer,
ner friends, she told her story and de
Jared it to be true in every partiou
lar.