The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-06-27
Poisoned Her Husband and Two Chill
dren.

PHILADELPHIA, Penna., June To-
The crime for which Mrs. WHEELING
suffered the extreme penalty of the
law was the deliberate poisoning of
her husband and two children with ar
senic for the purpose of occurring the
small insurance which she carried on
each of their lives.
The Whiteling family consisted of
John WHEELING the husband and faith
er aged thirty-eight years; Bertha nine
years old, Willie nearly three and
Sarah J. WHEELING, the murderess
who was two years older than
her husband. The husband
died on March Goth 1888.
and the doctor who attended him gave
certificate of death from inhamma-
ton of the bowels. On the oath of
April Bertha died, and the same doc
tor certified that she died of gastric
fever. Willie died on the 26th, sup
posed at the time of congestion of the
bowels. DIR. Smith, who had attended
the two previous cases, refused to take
charge of Willie's case and another
doctor was called in: After the third
death DR.. Smiths suspicious
were aroused that all was not
right and he communicated his
suspicious to the coroner, who ordered
that the bodies be eXhumed. An an
alYsis of the parts showed the pres
ence of enough arsenic to cause death.
The coroner summoned Mrs. White
ling before him and charged her with
killing her husband and two children.
After some hesitation the woman adj
mitted that she had poisoned her two
children, but claimed that her husband
| took his own life. She made full
confession, infinitely detailing the ag-
onies of her victims in their death Strug-
giles. She first told how her husband,
who was sickly, had been ailing for
several weeks, had told her that he
had taken a portion of box of poison
which she had bought for
the house. ariVs sSgs x Summoned f0%
physician, but did not tell
him that her husband had
| taken the poison because, as she
| said, of a clause in his insurance policy
which declared that no money would
be paid to such deaths. His life was
insured in the industrial company for
| S145. and he was also a member of
the Benevolent order of Buffalo, which
About one month after the death OF
the huband she began administering
poison to the daughter. Bertha, who is
described as having been a sweet
faced, dark-haired child. the favorite
in the school which she attended
a doctor was called in. though after
the neighbors had urged it. Mrs.
WHEELING declared that she had q
promonition that her child would moi
live. The doctor left powders to be
given every half hour. but instead OF
giving them the unnatural mother
gave her child poison and three
days the little girl was dead
Her life was insured for S122. One
month later the woman decided to xii
her little boy whose life was Insured
. for S47. and she used the same meth
DDS as described in little Bertha.
!. case. Altogether the insurance sh.
realized by the three deaths amounted
to $3.50. Mrs. Whlteling's trial tool
place last November, the defense raiseC
beng insanity. Experts were called Il
prove their client insane and she wa
: sentenced to hang.
Mrs. Jane WHEELING was hanged thi
morning in the corridor of the count
I prison. The drop fell at 1907 o'cloci
{ and the body was lowered and removes
at 10:41. The woman's bearing durInl
4 the terrible ordeal was most remark
{ able exhibition OF fortitude and resir
nation to her fate. During the entir
morning she never for nomer,
D showed the slightest evidence Of veal
ness and frequently expressed he