Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-04-13
A. GRAVE CHARGE.
ACCUSED OF POISONING TWO
PERSONS.

ACCU0EO OE IOAOONANfN
PERSONS.
There sat in the Mayors court room
Wednesday afternoon two young girls. az
whom the dense crowd that packed the
room were gazing with intense CURIOSITY
One was school girl, apparently about
seventeen years of age, with tall, graceful
figure and fresh, pretty face in which
was the healthy color Of youth. Ii was
Miss Florence Meredith who was waiting
to be called on to testify, and while walt
ing was busily engaged In doing one OF
her school examples on q stuieots note
book. Her mother and another lady were
with her. She was one of the brightest
scholars In the stanton public SCHOOLS
and lie the winner OF the prize college
scholarship, A little distance from her
eat a young girl apparently about twenty.
two years Of age, with handsome
face with straight and well cut lea.
lures and black eyes, her brown hair
banged pFeneaneedly over a short fore
head. This was Maggie Gteever who
steed charged with having :i.'au attempt
10 poison Miss Meredith, poisoned her
father, Mr.. w. i. Meredith and Miss
Maria Hulvey an occupant OF the same
heuse with the Meredith family on Fill
more street near the Res ,rvoir. She was
dressed In black and by her side sat her
mother, The latter exhibiting much more
concern about the grave situatiaG in
which her daughter was placed than did
the prisoner herself. Xii
THE NARRATIVE OF THE POISONING
as given by MIR. W. L. Meredith, the ia
Their of Miss Florence. is as follows He
is an assistant at Thornburg's Livery and
Exchange Stables near the T. 4 D. depot
ON Moniay afternoon he went before
Magistrate Terry and took the oath as U.
5. local mail carrier from the postoffice to
the depot. He then went by the postofice
to leave the copy of the bond there. On
handing it in. the clerk handed him out a
package wrapped in newspaper. 1t had
two cent stamp on it, and was addressed
in a female hand to "Miss Florence Mere
dith, Staunton,' and had been dropped
into the newspaper reception box. He took
it on home, AS he was going to supper. and
gave it to his daughter His wife con-
graduated the girl on the nice present she
had gotten. When Miss Florence opened
the package it proved to be box of mixed
candies; gum drops, marsh mallows, choc-
olate drops and the like. On the top of
the candy lay very pretty valentine with
the usual angels and paper filagree work
and these printed verses:
Dear little friend
I send you here
With heart sincere
loving line. RI
And 1t will be
A joy to me
To get from you
valentine.
The candy was handed around, Mr..
Meredith took three pieces and put them
in his pocket thinking he would ea1 them
after he got to the stable. Florence had
tie tooth ache and didn't eat any. Mrs.
Meredith only tasted few pieces of the
crumbs. Miss Maria Hul4ey who &C.
cupies part of the house ate one piece.
After supper and when on his way back to
the stable Mr.. Meredith took a chocolate
drop out of his pocket and bit it, The Bit
ter taste surprised him; he then ate a
gum drop thinking that would be better
but it also had queer bitter taste and be
put tobacco in his mouth to take tha tasta
out. Arriving at the stable he took down
the book to charge up the days work. A
few minutes after, he found that the low
er muscles of his legs were cramped and
on attempting to rise found he could hard
ly walk. He also felt dizzy, and forced
himself to vomlt. He then went to get
some water at the hydrant and on bending
down found he was almost rigid. Just
then messenger came from his home for
him to come home at once as they had
been poisoned there. He got some one to
put him on horse, and when he got to
his own gate had to be lifted off and CARR.
ed in. By this time he could not speak
and only by signs could instruct his wife
to get him the mustard. of which he took
sufficient for an emetic. He suffered
greatly with muscular spasms until nearly
10 o'clock it being impossible for the mes.
senger sent to find physician. About
10 clock his symptoms passed away and
he was easy. Miss Hulvey who had been
also suffering greatly in the same way was
still ill when Dr. F. Il. Henkle arrived.
The doctor promptly gave her an emetic
Of sulphate of zinc and she was speedily
relieved. The candy was taken away for
examination by Or. Henkel and stryeh-
nine powder was found in it. The can.
dy was punctured and the poison inserted
Some of the powder was on the outside OF
the candies. The doctor, on Tuesday
made solution of it, a few drops of which
injected under the skin of a cat killed hey
in few minutes.
Though all the witnesses were present
in court Justice Pearman admitted the
plea of the prisoner, made through Mr..
W. E. Craig, that she had not yet engaged
counsel. and adjourned the case over un.
til yesterday afternoon at O'Clock.
THE EXAMINATION YESTERDAY.
When the court met ye sterday. Magis.
trates Geo. D. Pearman and W. B. Kay
ser presiding. larger crowd than on
wednesday was present. Capt. James
Bumgardner, il. and W. E. Craig appear.
ed for the accused, and Edward Eahsss
for the Commonwealth. Mr.. Meredith.
the young girls father, gave in his testi
mony pretty nearly what be gave In his
statement published above.
MISS FLORENCE MEREDITH
testified that her father brought the box
home and she opened it. She was curious
about who sent it, and saved the hand.
writing of the direction so as to COM