The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-07-03
SHE MET DEATH CALMLY.
MRS. WHEELING STRETCHES HEMP.
a Most Remarkable Exhibition of Forth
tude and Resignation to Her Fate
Death Instantaneous From Stran-
GuIation-Story OF Her Crime.

fell at 10:07 o'clock and the body was lowered
and removed at 10:41. The woman's bearing
! throughout the terrible ordeal was a most re-
marl<able exhibition of fortitude and resigna-
| ton to her fate. During the entire morning
she never for moment showed the slightest
| evidence of weakness and frequently expressed
| her pleasure at the prospect of meeting her
husband and children" The several physi-
| clans who were present at the execution, and
| who have more or less frequently been with the
| condemned woman during her incarceration,
/ expressed surprise at the woman's calmness in
meeting her death, although they agreed in the
statement that she has at time shown any
| evidence whatever of an unsound mind.
| Mrs. Whiteling spent her last night in walk
ing about her cell, singing and praying, in
which she was joined at intervals by Mrs.
| Weaver, the prison matron, and watch
woman, who were with her throughout the
night Shortly before o'clock this morning
she ate with apparent relish breakfast con-
sstine of fried eggs, toast and chocolate. Soon
/ after that hour she was taken from her cell in
the female department 10 a cell in the male de-
| partment, in the corridor of which the scaHold
| for her execution was standing. She was joined
| In her new cell by her spiritual adviser, the
| Rev. William D. Jones, OF the Scott methodist
| episcopal church, and her undertaken,
Samuel w. kehr, who is also a local
methodist preacher, and who also
| offieiated at the burials of her poisoned hus-
/ band and children. Mrs. Whiteling joined in the
| devotional services with considerable spirit and
apparently obtained much comfort therefrom.
| At 10 o'clock the condemned woman was
brought from the cell and Sheriff KrumbhaaT
| and Prison Physician PaxsOn headed the pro-
/ cession the scaffold. Mrs. Whiteling
escorted by the two ministers, but they gave
| her no aid whatever she walking firmly aud
/ showing hesitation. Arriving at the scat
| fold she ascended the ten or dozen steps un-
assisted, excepting that each of her spiritual
| advisers retained a gentle hold of either arm.
| The shenff's deputies then placed a leather
strap around her skirts at the ankles and
| shaekled her hands, the condemned woman
meanwhile, with uplifted eyes, repeating
prayer delivered 10y the Rev. Mr.. Jones. The
black cap was then adjusted, and at l0:07 the
trap was sprung and Mrs. Whiteling was
| dropped into eternity. The fall was about five
| feet and the physicians stated that death was
instantaneous from strangulation, though the
heart continued TO beat spasmOdically for some
time thereafter. The body was lowered at 1O:4l
and turned over to Dr. Alice Bennett of the in
sane hospital, for examination of the brain,
after which the remains will be turned over to
the undertaken for burial at the side OF the
murdered husband and children.
The only witnesses OF the execution were the
sheriff and his deputies, the prison officials,
physicians and about dozen newspaper men.
This was the first execution of a female in
Philadelphia county. There have however,
been several women hanged in other counties
in Pennsylvania.
The crime for which Mrs Whteling suffered
the extreme penalty of the law was the delib-
crate poisoning of her husband and two chill
dren with arsenic for the purpose OF securing
the small insurance which she carried on each
of their lives. The Whiteing family consisted
of John Whiteling, the husband and father,
aged thirty-eight years: Bertha, nine years old;
/ Willie, nearly three years old and Sarah j.
Whiteling, the mUrderess, who was two years
older than her husband. The husband died on
| March 20 1855, and the doctor who attended
him gave certificate Of death from Inflammation
of the bowels. On the 24h of April Bertha
| died and the same doctor certified that she
died of gastric fever. Willie died May %, as
was supposed at the time, of congestion OF the
| bowels Dr. Smith, who had attended the two
previous cases, refused to take charge OF Will
lies case and another doctor was called in.
After the third death Dr. Smiths suspicious
we're aroused that all was not right and he
communicated his suspicious to the coroner,
| who ordered that the bodies be exumed. An
analysis of the corpses showed enough arsenic
| to cause death. The coroner summoned Mrs
Whiteling and charged her with killing her
husband and the two children. After some
hesitation the woman admitted that she had
| poisoned her two children, but claimed that
her husband took his own life. She made
| full confession, minutely detailing the agOnies
| of her victims in their death struggles. She
| first told how her husband who was sickly and
had been ailing for several weeks had told her
| that he had taken a portion of box Of poison
which she had bought for use in driving vermin
from the house. She summoned a physician,
but did not tell him that her husband had taken
the poison. because, as she said, of clause in
his insurance policy. which declared that no
money would be paid TO suicides. His life was
insured in an industrial company for Sl45, and
bo ali a mon her Of no hpnpuolpur rdn
Of Buffalo, which organization paid the widow
$50.
About one month after the death Of the hus-
band she began administering poison TO the
daughter, Bertha, who is described as having
been a sWeet.faced dark.haired child, the ia.
vorite in the school which she attended. \
doctor was called in after the neighbOrs had
urged it, though Mrs. Whiteling declared that
she had premOnitiOn that her child would not
live. The doctor left powders to be given every
half hour but instead of giving the medicine
the unnatural mother gave her child poison,
and in three days the little girl was dead. Her
life insured for S122. One month later the
woman decided to kill her little boy whose life
was insured for S47, and she used the same
methods as described in little Bertha's case.
Altogether the insurance she realized by the
three deaths amounted to 1899.
Mrs. Whiteling's trial took place last Novem-
ber the defense raised being insanity, but her
counsel were totally unable, though a number
OF insanity experts were called, TO prove their
client insane, and she convicted and SEN
fenced to be hanged.
All the circumstances point to the woman
hanged to-day as being one of the most calcu-
lating and deliberate murderesses ever
cuted It is stated that while her children
were i'll she gave to the little ones in the neigh.
borhOod candy which made them very sick
and in which she had probably placed some of
the deadly poison, her evident idea being to
create false impression as to the cause Of the
4 Il ,1,f 4 81 a..
coroner first questioned her, she told him that
her children ate great deal Of candy and she
thought that might have had something to do
with their disease
Every effort had been made by Mrs. White
liDg's counsel to save her life; first, by proving
her to be insane, and also on the sentimental
atty of the law should not be administered,
and a number of philanthropie women also in
terested themselves in her behalf and endeav-
ored TO secure Communication OF her death SEN
tence, but the efforts were unavailing and the
miserable woman had to hang, the only elem
ency extended her being short respite by the
governor.
cred Nosed Mike" Hanged.
WILKEsBARRE. Pa, June %. - Michael
Rizello, alias Red Nosed Nike" was hanged
here at 10 o'clock this morning. Death re-
suited from strangulation.
The crime for which he paid the death
penalty was the murder OF j. Brainerd Mcclure,
paymaster for Contractor Charles McFadden,
and Hugh Flanagan, in October last. The
murder was committed for the purpose Of rob-