Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-06-22
A WOMAN'S CRIME.
She COnfeSses to Numbering Her
Husband and Children.
The Deed Committed to Obtain a
Small Sum of Insurance Money.

Mrs. Sarah J. WHEELING, forty years old,
was committed to prison by Coroner Ash
bridge, at Philadelphia, after she had con-
fessed TO deliberately numbering her husband
and two children for less than 800, for which
their lives were insured. The WHEELING
family consisted, besides the wife, of John
WHEELING. the husband, aged thirty-eght
years; Bertha, aged nine years, and Willie,
aged two years and nine months.
The husband died March 20, and Dr. @. W.
Smith, who attended him, gave a certificate
of death due to inflammation of the bowels.
On April "a Bertha died, and DR.. Smith Ger
titled that her death was due to gastric fever.
May % Willie died, and DIR. Dietrich, who
was called in after DR.. Smith had abandoned
the case, said death was caused by congeS
ton of the bowels.
John Whiteling's life was insured for s145
in the John Hancock Company. He was
also a member of Herd No. 2 Benevolent
Order OF 3uffalOs, which pays a death benefit
lected by Mrs. Whitelng Immediately after
her husbands death. She insured Bertha in
the Hancock Company for S122, and Willie
was insured in the Prudential Insurance
Insurance Company for SIT, and in the Han
cock Company for $50. The amount of
money received on the death of husband and
children was 1899.
The fact of the three deaths at intervals of
only one month was brought to the notice of
Coroner AShbridge, and after examining the
records in the Health Office he was satisfied
the case was one his office should investigate.
He communicated with Chief of Detectives
Wood, and Detective oyer was detailed to
assist the Coroner. The bodies had all been
buried in one grave in Mechanics Cemetery.
The Coroner ordered them to be exhumed
for examination. Professor Lehman made
an analysis of the parts given to him by the
Coroner and reported to Coroner Ashbridge
that he found arsenic enough i'll the bodies
to cause death. Mrs. Whiteing was taken
in custody and locked up i'll the Central
station. She was closely watched to pre-
vent her from committing suicide. She
spent most of the day in praying and suf-
fered so from nervous prostration that
charged her with killing her husband and
children and told her to send for him when
she was ready to make confession.
Finally she made full clear confession to
the Coroner and was committed to MOya-
mensing prison. In her confession Mrs.
Whiteling says: my only reason for poi
sohing the children was that Bertha
might not grow up to be sinful
and wicked girl, as she had at vari-
Gus times stolen pennies and once
a poclletbook from her teacher at school at
Hancock and Thompson streets Bertha
acknowledged taking the pOcketbOok. She
told many had stories She was very sinful
for one so young, and L did not want her to
grow up and become a great sinner. My
little boy was sinless, and l poisoned
him because he was in the way.
/ could not go out to work, for there was no
one to take care of him, and he was a burden
to me. Without him could get along. Now
know my children are angels i'll heaven and
l want to meet them there when die"