Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-03-17
A Case of fPoisoning.


of her house, in Port Royal, between seven
and eight O'Clock on the morning of the
9th day of March 1886. Mrs Robert Wal
lace heard the wall of woe, and ran to her
something dreadful, must have happened
at McMeen's. Meanwhile the suffering
woman found her way TO the house, and
sent her eight-year-old son for a doctor.
Doctor Shelly, and a number of neighbor
women arriv I'd at the house about one
time. Mrs. McMeeu was then in a st ate of
alton of cOnyulsioa for a moment, during
which, it seemed as if the unfortunate wom-
an desired to speak. If such was her de-
sire she failed to utter a word, aud in the
next convulsion expired. Itwas a shocking
scene, and created an intense excitement
in the little circle of neighbors that had as
sembled. What could the matter be was
asked by every one. After the awe of
death had thrown its stiffness over the as
sembly of startled neighbors, some one no
ticed in an adjoining room on a table, tin
pie-plate with two tablespoons, in each of
which, was some jelly and a whitish SUBJ
stance, tea spoon, and 4 barlow knife al
so lay in the plate, small specks of a white
powder lay scattered in spots op the plate.
A suspicion that shocked every one present
instiDctively took possession OF the mind.
Poison poison! whispered the people. Mrs.
McMeen has died from the effect of dose
of poison administered by herself, was the
opinion expressed. But whence came the
poison The suspicion had become an ex-
preston, and the whole town became ex-
cited. paper with some white powder
was found IN the room, it was horse and
cattle powder advertisement paper, with
ed on it. Drs. Shelly and Graham, pro
nounced the white substance in the spoons,
on the plate, and in the paper 10 be strych-
nine. As the day wore away an invcstiga-
ton was instituted. Squire Joseph Slim
mel summoned jury, consisting of W. T.
McCulioch, R. NJ. Sterrett, J. z. Johnson,
S. &. Ard. p NJ. Kepner, Jacob Grouinger,
an inquest was held, which revealed the
fact, that ]. W. McMeen. husband of the
deceased, had bought strychnine at the
Patterson drug store, the day previous.
McMeen was not al home when the ca
ls:nity overlook his house. The day pre-
vicus, Monday, March 8, hs had come to
this -Miilintown-a5out noon. called
or Mr.. Murray, of the National Hotel, aud
asked him to take him to Daniel Sieber's
sale, in Fermanagh township, where he ex-
pected to meet a man who owed him-Mc-
Meen- a nOt of $40, on which Murray was
bail. They went to the sale, McMeen saw
the man who owed the note, received six
dollars on the paper and released Murray
as bail. They came to this place and Nc
Meen took the IL train P, NJ, east, and
went to Harrisburg, where ne was
informed of the death of bis vile
on the 9ih. He came 10 Port Royal
on the evening of that day, aud when a
post mortem examination of his wife was
spoken of, he discouraged il. he expressed
| the belief that his wife had taken poison,
from what had .heen iod him OF the sur
roundings. He said hs had bought s;rych-
nine in the Patterson drug store on the
previous Wednesday, he had brought it
home, himself, had put it in box where
there were other medicines quinine, salt
peter, assafetids, he had told bis wife to
be careful about the medicine. On the i0,h
a post mortem examination was held by
| doctors, Shelly, Graham, Banks aud Cav
! ford. On Thursday, the llth, the funeral
of Mrs. McMeen took place. The remains
were tsken to the Seceder graveyard, ad-
| joining the Michael Sieber farm, ia Walker
township. On the return Of AcMeen to
Port Royal, he was arrested by Constable
/ Held, on information given before Justice
Joseph StImmel, by 4. J. and George C
/ Funk, brothers Of the deceased wife. He
was charged with being an accessory to
the death of his wife by a 4 ose of strych.
nine, given TO her in some unknown way
Held delivered the prisoner to Sheriff
/ Fowles and Constable Rellmln. who brought
him TO this place before Justice Mcdonald,
who sent bin to Jail. Mrs. AcNeen was ,
widow Of Tyson Moist, deceased, who was
killed on the raiiro1d, somo years ago, by
heing knocked off freight car while in the
discharge of his duty as brakeman. She
had one child by her tirst husband, the boy
who ran for the doctor in the hour of The
distress of his mother. She mad a child
abon: seven months old to AcMccn. Mrs.
Funk, the mother of the deceased, was il
Patterson, at the time Of the death Of her
daughter. Mr.. johnson, of Port POyal
brought. her to her daughters house, but
did not tell her of her death, aud so great
was the shock to the old lady, when she
learned Of the untimsly end of the life o
Mrs. Mcdeen, that she fell sick and her life
has hung by slender thread ever siocs.
Nothing has taken place in Juniala Co. =.
within the period Of the life Of the present
generation, that has so wrought upon tho
mind of the people and brought out such
an universal condemnit itioa of the prisoner.
The expression, "He should be hungr' il
heard on every side, and some men have
gone so far as to declare in favor OF lynch
ing him. Instead of acting under the dec
laration of the law, that man ., Presamet
10 be innocent til he has been proVeg guilty.
three persons in every four that one meet:
give uiterlnce TO such expressions, ths
the prisoner is guilty unless he can prove
himself innocent. Without proof, he il
charged by the public with having poisoned
two female relative previous to the poison
ing of his wife, he is charged with secret
amours and then TO remove the evidence
of indulgence IN forbidden pleasures, pro-
posed the taking of powders that are said
to have been poison. The widest kind oi
I Ill. q