Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-01-31
THE ELKTON POISONING.
Ehe Hall Family Poisoned Again
The Eldest Daughter Suspected and
Arrested-A VISIT TO the House
The Phy ysicIan PerpIexed and Re-


Ehe Hall Family Poisoned Again
The Eldest Daughter Suspected ana
Arrested-A VISIT TO the House
The Pay sicIan PerpIexed and Re-
ticenf.
special Correspondence OF Gazstte and journal.
RLKToN, Jan. 2a.-A case OIL poisoning
took place here on Tuesday. There re-
sides in Elkton, on East High street, the
family of William Hail, consisting Of Mr..
Hall, his wife and seven children, OF
ages ran. lug from a up to l6 years. The
family has been III distressed oiroum-
stances. Tue father is hard working
laborer, but receives very meager wages.
Tuesday morning, shortly after breakfast,
OF which the mother did not psrtaks, she
and four OF the children wers
taken violently i'll. DR.. C. Nj.
Ellis WAS called in and rem
dered medical assistance. He at onye
perceived that the ailiDg persons had
been poisoned and mentioned this to Mrs.
Hall, which caused her to be annoyed
ana indignant. A careful search OF the
provisions failed TO reveal the cause. 1t
could not have been taken in the food at
breakfast as the mother had not partaken
thereof, while one of the children who
ate heartily was not unwell. Arsinic,
the ply sician thinks, was probably the
drug that CAUSED tha sickness.
[Specials to Baltimore papers say that
the poison WAS administered by the
mother, who was too proud to beg and
preferred death to poverty; that she had
not enough OF the drug to kill all the
family and, in dividing it up, no one
received a fatal dose
RLKToH, Jan. 29.-The wife and five
children Of William Hall, who were
mysteriously poisoned on Tuesday of last
week, were taken violently Ill again
yesterday morning, with all the symp-
toms of irritant poisoning. They were
not so i'll as at the first poisoning, proba-
bly, owning to less of the drug bsipg
taken. This family consists of William
Hall. thrifty man who works as farm
band about two miles from town, his wife
aud seven children. Halls wages are
$15 month and board. He is
only at home twice 3 week and
was absent at both the times that his
family were poisoned. OF the children,
Lizzie, the eldest, is about l6 years of
age. She is suspected as the. perpetrator
of this crime, and is now In jail. She is
of wild and unruly character and has
spent one term OF imprisonment in the
house Of correction and her father has
been trying to have her committed to
that institution again. She was once
tried before the circuit court for Cecil
county on the charge of larceny and was
acquitted on the ground Of being of un-
sound mind.
Lizzie has for the last week or more
been working for Sheriff Smith. She goes
home at night. 1t is related by q neigh
Dor that on a week from last Friday
Mrs. Hall told Lizzie, who is fond of stay
ing away from home at night until a late
hour, that II she did not make her ap-
psarsncs at a reasonable hour she would
lock up the house and retire, leaving
her to look out for herself. The girl not
coming home as desired, she went to bed.
The next morning the nsighbor WAS sur
prised to see Lizzie lying on the porch,
where she had apparently spent q great
part of the night. 1t is said that she did
not even try to arouse ner mother. The
night was very cold one.
Lucy, the second child, is a bright
looking girl of IA years. She is also at
service, but during her family's illness
has been attending to their wants. Some
think it worthy OF note that the meal
after which the family were taken sick,
was the first one that the no;her had
prepared. A relative OF Mrs. Halls who
had called, was importuned to stay and
partaks of the meal, but happily WAS
compelled to leave before it was prepared.
The GAzETTg's correspondent called
to see Mr.. and Mrs. Hall at their home,
on East High street. They live in a
small, unpretentious frame house. 1t ia
not destitute of furniture, &o., as some
more enterprising than truthful reporter
has stated. The front room, in which
| your correspondent was taken, was nestly
| furnished. There is a bed in the room,
| on which three small children were lying.
| Mrs. Hall, a careworn looking woman,
who appeared TO be about 40 years Of
age, said she was completely mystified
about the affair. The first meal that
morning as delayed by reason of having
visitors, and was not taken until IL
| o'clock. They had bread, coffee and tea.
| There was some pork on the stove cook
ing, but they were taken sick before any
| of 1T was eaten.
The members of the fsmily, beside her
SELF who sta. and were sick were Ella, 10
years of age Housekeeper, 1; Arthur.
S; Willie, years and Johnnie, %
months. They are all now doing well
and will recover. Mrs. Hall says she
only drank coffee with milk and no
sugar. The attending physician appeared
to be of the opinion that the poison was
in the sugar. He said it would cost
several hundred dollars to investigate
the osse and appeared to be
mystified about the matter and
didn't care to talk. Mr.. Hall speak
ing of Lizzis's arrest said "Some people
think che might have done it, and
think it best to keep her away" Mrs.
Hall seems to think that the poison was
placed in an old coffee grinder through
which the coffee was passed. The rest
say that If they get poisoned while Lizzie
is away they will know she had nothing
to do with 1t.
Baltimore Day special.
RLKToN, Nd, Jan. 29.-There have
been no new developments in the Hall