The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-12-03
HER Life AT STAKE.
Trial of Mrs Shoots for Murder,
ing Two of Her Children
TOBEGIN AT CAMBRIDGE, OHIO,
To.day-Thc Story of the Alleged
Crimc-Thc Mysterious Deaths OF
the Children aud the Evidence
that Led to the Arrest.

Special Di,pateh 10 ne IHItgigaeer.
CAMBRIDGE, o., Dec. 2.-Ntrs. Anni
Shoots will be put on trial here to.mor
row for her life. She stands charged
with the premcGtated murder Of two o
her own children, and the evidence
which the State relies upon to bring hel
to the gallows, although largely circum
stantial, is yet so damaging that already
she must feel the halter draw.
Mrs. Shoots is 80 years old, OF slender
figure and medium height, the common
country typo that is neither brunette
nor blonde, and still she is rather pre-
possessing than otherwise, But she
does not look the extraordinary crimi,
nal which she is alleged to be. OF fair
intelligence and ordinary education,
there is nothing singular or remarkable
about her character or her history, aside
from the grave charges preferred against
her by tho State. She was born and
reared in Muskingun county and was
IluITANl llllllIti NNNi5 AAES W
Harvey Shoots, OF Adamsville, a
quiet aud inoGensiye farmer, who
firmly believes in his wife's
innocence. She has been the mother Of
five children, four rofwhomnre dead. The
only one living is a babe in arms, born
last August, after its mothers arrest
formurder. The last child to die was little
Carrie, aged perhaps six, who died July
q, 1887, after few days OF severe illness.
II was given out that she had died Of in
flammNtiOn of the stomach and bowels,
but something about the symptoms OF
her illness aroused the suspicious OF the
attending physicians, and a few weeks
later, the remains were eXhumedi the
stomach taken out aud sent away for
analysis. The analysis revealed the pres.
ence OF Paris Green in the stomach in
suCh quantities as to leave
NO ROOM ron DOUBT
Of what produced death. With the
knowledge OF this fact, the State set to
work to discover the poisOher and n
clear train of circumstances was devel-
oped which pointed to the mother her
self rs the murderess. She was accord
ingly indicted BY the Muskingum county
grand jury at the November term in
1887 for murder in the first degree.
Upon her arrest aud arraignment she
displayed no marked emotion, but in
stead nm unexpected stoiidity. She was
admitted to bnil by Judge Phillips in
the sum OF $4,000 The case was
twice set for trial in the Niuskin-
gum Common Pleas, but was
continued the first time because
of the defendants pregnancy, and the
second time n change OF venue to Guern-
sev county was granted by the court on
the motion OF the defense. The counsel
for the defense recited in support OF this
motion the extreme prejudice enter.
tanned against the accused by most OF
the Zancsville and Muskingum county
people by reason OF highly CoIored
newspaper reports and the consequent
difficulty that there would be in securing
4 fair trial. Nearly all Of this difficulty
is obviated by the transfer OF the case to
the Guernsey Common Pleas for trial,
as very little is known OF the case, and
what prejudice there is will not operate
to the advantage OF the prosecution. The
defense scores
A CONSIDERABLE ADVANTAGE
by the change OF Venue. 1t will take
the hardest kind OF work to make
Guernsey county jury convict woman
OF a crime for which she would have to
hang. Judge j. w. Campbell will preside
during the trial, and q special veniIe OF
thirty.six names has been drawn from
which the Jury will be chosen.
II the STATE fails TO secure aconViction
on this indictment there is yet another
Indictment for another act of murder on
which Mrs. Shoots will be brought to
trial. Some time lastsummCr the defense
unearthed suspicious circumstances at
tending the death OF others OF the chill:
dren OF Mrs. Shoots, and the remains OF
Blanche who died October II, 1883, in Il
wav very similar to Carries death, were
disintcrred and the contents OF the
stomach analysed. A mineral poison
was found in the stomach sufficient TO
cause death, and the grand jury at the
October torn returned u second bill OF
indictment against Mrs, Shoots, charg.
ing. her with the willul murder OF
Blanche. On this Indictment she is now
in confinement with her baby at Zanes-
vile. They will be brought here to-
morrow aud remain in custody oi the
Sheriff OF Guernsey county until the trial
10 cnurluJnJ