Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-25
A WOMAN HANGED.
Mrs. whftelfng Executed for Poison
ing Her Husband and Chfldren.

n
SHE NET HER FATE WITH CALM xKsrexArrox-
HER LAST xIour SPENT IN sISorxa Axp.
PRAYING N HER crLL-sHE WALKED rrRxIx
10 rHK scAFfoLD-THE STORY OF HKR cRrnK.
PHuADEIPHrA, June 2s-Mrs. white;ing,
who poisoned her husband and two children,
was executed this morning. The drop fell a
1907.
The voman's bearing throughout the terrible
ordeal was a most remarkable exhibition Of
fortitude and resignation 10 her fate.
During the entire morning she never for o
moment showed the slightest evidence OF weak
ness, aud frequently expressed her pleasure as
the prospect of meeting her husband and
children" The several physicians who were
present at the execution, and who have more
or less frequently been with the condemned
woman since her Incarceration, expressed sur
prise at the woman's exhibition Of calmness in
meeting her death, although they agreed i'm
the statement that she has at no time shown
any evidence whatever OF an unsound mind.
MRS WHEELING SPENT HrR LAST NIGHT
in walking about her cell, singing and praying,
in which she was Joined at intervals by Mrs.
Weaver, the prison matron, anda watch woman,
who were with her throughout the night.
Shortly before O'Clock this morning she ate
with apparent relish a breakfast. consisting Of
fried eggs, toast and chocolate. Soon after
that hour she was taken from her cell in tls
female department 10 a cell in the male DEPART
ment, in the corridor of which the scaffold FOG
her execution was standing She was Joined in
her new cell by her spiritual adviser. Rev.
VIM. ID. Jones, Of the Scott Methodist Episco-
pal church, and Samuel W. Kerr. her UNDER
taker, who is also local Methodist preacher,
and who also ofiiciated at the burials of her
poisoned husband and children. Mrs. White
ling Joined in the devotional services with con-
siderable spirit and apparently obtained much
comfort therefrom. The hymns There IL q
fountain filed with blood" Il am coming"
and Guide me, D thou great Jehovah"
were rendered, intermingled with prayer
by the two ministers. At 10 o'clock
the condemned woman was brought
from the cell and Sheriff krumbhaar and Prison
Physician Paxson headed the procession 20 tho
scafold. Mrs. Whifeling was escorted by the
two ministers, but they gave her no aid what
ever, she walking firmly and showing no hesita-
ton. Arriving at the scaffold she assembled the
ten or dozen steps unassisted. excepting that
each OF her spiritual advisers retained a gentle
hold of either arm. The sheriffs deputies then
placed leather strap around her skirts at tho
ankles and shackled her hands. the condemned
woman meanwhile, with uplifted ewes. repeat
ing prayer delivered by Rev Mr. Jones' Tho
black cap was then adjusted. and at 1907 the
trap was sprung and Mrs. wbiteling was dropped
nto eternity.
THE MURDEREss' CRIME
The crime for which Mrs. Whiteling suffered
the extreme penalty of the law was the delib-
crate poisoning of her husband and two chill
dren with arsenic TO secure the small in
surance which she carried on each of their
lives. The husband died on March 20. 1858,
and the doctor who attended him gave certit-
cate OF death from Inflammation Of the bowels.
On the oath Of April Bertha died. and the same
doctor certified that she died of gastric fever.
Willie died May 26, was supposed at the
time. of congestion of the bowels. DIR.
Smith, who had attended the two previous
cases, refused to take charge Of
Willies case and another doctor was called in.
After the third death DIR. Smiths suspicious
were aroused that all was not right, and he
communicated his suspicious 10 the coroner,
who ordered that the bodies be exhumed. An
analysis of the parts showed the presence Of
enough arsenic to cause death When sum-
moned before the coroner Mrs. Whiteling
admitted that she bad poisoned her
her husband took his own life His life was
insured in an industrial company for sl45, and
he was also member of the Benevolent order
Of Buffalo, which organization paid the
widow SS5. About one month after the
death OF the husband she began admin
istering poison TO the daughter, Bertha.
A doctor called in after the neighbors had
urged it, though Mrs. Whiteling declared that
she had premOnition that her child would not
/ i've. Ihe doctor lett poWde TO be given
every half-hour, but instead of giving the
medicine the unnatural mother gave her child
the poison aud in three days the little girl was
! dead. Her life was insured for Sl22
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 Berthas case. Altogether the assurances
she realized by the three deaths amounted to
| $3.50.
| Mrs. whiteling's trial took place last Novem-
| Der, the defense raised being insanity, but her
counsel we're totally unable 10 prove the claim,
and she was convicted and sentenced 10 be
hanged. Every effort had been made by Mrs.
Whiteling's counsel TO save her life-frst, by
proving her to be insane and also on the senti-
mental ground that being a woman. the ex-
treme penalty of the law should not be admin
istered, and a number of philanthropic women
| also interested themselves in her behalf and
endeayored to secure a communication of the
death sentence; but these efforts were unavail-
ing and the miserable woman had to hang, the
| only clemency extended her being a short re-
| prieve by the governor.
The only witnesses 10 the execution were the
sheriff and his deputies, the prison officials,
| physicians and about dozen newspaper men.
| This was the first execution of female in
Philadelphia county. There have, however,
been several women hanged in other counties
1 - IlZ.