Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-13
Z0LAISM AT HOME
Revealed by the Scottdale May
Sullivan Investigations.
MORE ARRESTS LIKELY TO FOLLOW.
The Very Remarkable History of One of the
Women in the Case.
TRIED FOB POISONING HER FAMILY

The arrangements for the hearing of the
defendants in the May Sullivan case from
Scottdale are being pushed on both sides
with vigor. Counsel have been secured on
the part of the defendants, and as far as
known W. J. Bremen will represent j acob
A. Babbs, the principal in the case, and
William Hunter the accessories, Florence
Donelson and Laura Bailey.
Florence Donelson is a woman with a
history. She was Florence Van Eos sen,
of East Liverpool, where in February, 1885,
she was arrested on a charge of poisoning
her whole family. Her father was in the
grocery business and in good circumstances.
The whole family, except three, was taken
i'll one evening with symptoms of poisoning
and 6-year-old child, Laura McBane, a
cousin of Florence, died.
The hired girl was accused Of the crime,
but proved her innocence, and search of
the premises showed the presence of drugs
in Florence Van Fossen's boxes, which
would produce the symptoms indicated by
the diagnosis of the sufferers case. She
could not account for the presence of the
drugs was arrested and placed in Jail where
she was held for five months.
THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE.
The evidence against her at the trial,
which lasted week, was that she had pre-
pared the coffee on the evening of the
poisoning. and that the symptoms of those
affected were those of arsenical poisoning
herself being but slightly affected, while
the hired girl and two children, who drank
tea, were unaffected. The remains of the
child who died were exhumed, and traces Of
arsenic found in the stomach. Florence
was acquitted after nearly ruin1ng her
father financially in paying for counsel and
other legal expenses.
Shortly after her acquittal she started for
Pittsburg, where she entered Ada Criss-
wells disorderTy house on Second avenue,
where she stayed until March 1887, when
she married W. NJ. Donaldson, traveller,
who became infatuated with her. She went
with him to New York, where he went into
business, according to her account at the
corner of Sixth avenue and Four
teenth street She lived with
him for about year or
so and drifted back into her old ways, living
in New York until some two months ago,
W uCu ouS ISluIuSu W lblSUuTS anu eulereu
the house of Laura Bailey, Ill First ave-
nue.. Her story is adventurous and roman
tic enough in some respects to furnish Zola
with material for new and probably worse
novel than he has vet produced, for in ad-
dition to her other excesses she admits the
free use of opium.
Inspector McAleese considers this woman
to have been rendered almost irresponsible
through her excesses.
HILL FEELS HIS POSITION.
Probably one of the most important wit
nesses in the case when it comes before the
courts will be Frank Hill, who feels keenly
his position, and considers himself aban-
doned by Babbs and those who should have
taken his part. Detective Demmel, of the
Pittsburg police force, is close on the heels
of another man implicated in the case
named Harrington, who has skipped for
Ohio, and number of other arrests may be
expected to-day or tomorrow, so that it is
unlikely the hearing Will take place this
afternoon
The history of this 15-vear-old victim of
course of depravity is seldom equaled. May
Sullivan will reveal still more startling dis
closures than any yet made, showing how a
girl still child in years was first led into
the paths OF iniquity.