San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-11-29
WAS IT POISON ?
IF SO, WHETHER ROUGH ON RATS
OR MORPHINEy
The Pretty Daughter Of a Dallas Editor
In Trouble over Grave
Charge

] III. u IliDE 1ThNtb Nhb IhtiGh
! to No. 40 SOledad street Saturday after
| noon to attend the 10 months old child
! of Mr. Peyt, an emplOye on the new
opera house. The DR.. after examining
| the child and its symptoms thought it
was case Of morphine poisoning, and
! administered remedies so successfully
| that the child was soon out of danger.
Certain facts seemed TO point out a lady
named Mrs D. l.. Kaufman, the wife of
A Young drummer, as the party who
administered the morphine TO the child,
| though whether Intentionally or acci-
dentally could not he determined, and
Detective Hughes was sent for and be-
gan working on the case. The wife OF
SIR. Peyt seemed 80 positive that Mrs.
Kaufman had given the child morphine
that she made an affidavit against her
before Justice Barnes. charging her with
assault with intent to kill by
the use of morphine, and Mrs..
Kaufman was arrested and locked
in the county Jail over night.
Yesterday her husband secured bonds
men for her and she was released. This
morning at IL O'Clock preliminary ex-
animation was begun before the Justice
and is still going on. Following is the
statement of Mrs. Kaufman, made to the
Justice this morning ana the evidence
OF Mrs. Peyt:
Mrs. Kaufman said:
Accused had been roOming with Mrs.
Peyt one week. She had used morphine
for Illness OF chronic nature. On Sat-
urday she asked Mrs. Peyt where to find
drug store, and went there and bought
a bottle of morphine. She did not in
tend at first to purchase the morphine,
but was after Carriers pills. An hour
Ff.,r I nnapaH tho mainline with
knife, and took a small portion on the
point of Ii, abO0t halt a grain. After
using the knife | laid it back on the table
without cleaning ii. A saucer with
piece OF sweet potato was there also.
About dinner time | asked the little
girl. Mr.. Peyt's daughter, to let me hold
the baby. | had been in the habit of
fondling it. 1t was between 10 aud IL
months of age. The little girl was in
the room sitting in the chair near me the
entire time | held the child, and after
dinner, in the mothers room, | took the
baby again, but its two little sisters were
present then. | walked into my room
and gave it a piece of the potato. The
door was open between the rooms. 1t
was fretting. | loved to see the baby
eat. | remained with the child about ID
minutes. and then went in end picked
ment with my husband to meet him
down town and go to dinner, but decided
to stay as | was not hungry, and did not
have time to dress.
About that time Miss Alice Banks,
neighbOr, came In and began looking at
some books on my table, and some time
after that, hearing some excitement in
the back of the house went out and
found the baby quite sick. Mrs. Little,
n neighbor had the baby in her arms.
The mother seemed very much dis
tressed In the morning Miss Alice
BanEs had borrowed some rat poison
from Mrs. Peyt, the bsby's mother, and
had scattered it around the house. We
told her to wash her hands good after
using it. When asked them what was
the matter with the baby they told me
that the baby had taken morphine or
opium, it appeared.
Then | asked Mrs. Peyt had she given
baby any soothing syrup or other medj-
cine. She said 10. | went in my room,
dipped handkerchief in cold water 10
put ii on the baby's head, but they
would not let me come near
the baby and kept repeating
that it was poisoned. Then |
asked the mother if it could possibly
have gotten hold of any of the rat
poison. She said no, and turned TO me
quite eXCitedly and said that | had
taken morphine myself and had given it
TO her baby. When saw she was really
in earnest, and all remOnstrance would
do no good, went for my husband, but
met him coming home 10 take me to
my dinner. Then felt that had been
insulted and would not re-enter the
house, but sent my husband TO see Mrs.
Peyt while | went 10 an hotel and
waited for him. He came back in about
an hour, and he said he had heard moth
ing of the sort; there was so much ex-
element he could get no hearing OF any
kind, and so | told him TO come back
with me to the house. | wanted to see
what motive she had for making such a
grave charge against me. When we got
there we found the door of my room
locked on the inside, and my husband
getting through the window opened 1t;
changed my dress and was going TO Mrs.
Peyt's room when we met the officers. |
stated to them what have told you and
then waited until 10 o'clock at night,
when they arrested me. DR.. WoOten
performed an operation on me about four
weeks ago, in Austin. | suffer constant
pain. In the past four weeks | have
taken from four to six doses in half grain
doses. My name was Helen Martin be-
fore | was married, four years ago. My
father ia Charles l.. Martin. editor Of the
Dallas Herald. gave the child no NOR
phine.
Mrs. o. J.. Kaufman is her present
name. She looked for the bottle of NOR
phine after she had spoken with the
officers and could not find it.
MRS. PEYT SAID:
live at 440 Soledad street. Am mar
ried. Have one child and two step
daughters. My child was ten months
old yesterday. Saturday he was we'll
and ate heartily at dinner. He was in
my care about twenty minutes after din
ner. Then Mrs. kaufman came in and
took the child up. She WAS not in the
habit of taking the child up and did not
like it. That was why had noticed it,
and this was the second time that day
she had taken 1t. She went round the
house when she took him, and did not
come through the house. She had taken
him In her arms once or twice that same
week, but did not seem attached to him
particularly or want to carry him off to
room and nurse him. When she car
ried him in her room she closed the door
after her. She haG put three sweet
potatoes in my oven to bake for her din.
ner. | sent them in to her
on a saucer, while she had
the child and called to her to know If
her potatoes were done, and she replied,
"Yes: they are very nice; thank you"
and she came tn the door nnanad IN ond