Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-06-28
A WOMAN HANGED.
MRS. WHEELING EXECUTED FOR
POISONING HER HUSBAND
AND CHILDREN.


w hiteling, who poisoned her bus
band and Two children, was exc
cuted tins morning. The drop fell
at 1000.
The woman's bearing throughout
the terrible ordeal was most re-
maTkable exhibition OF forlitude
and resignation to her fate.
During the entire morning she
never for a moment showed the
slightest evidence of weakness, and
frequently expressed her pleasure
az 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 in
generation, expressed surprise at
the wOman's exhibition of calmness
in meeting her death, although
they agreed in the statement that
she has at no time shown any
evidence Whatever Of an unsOund
mind.
Mrs. Whiteing spent her last
night in walking about her cell,
singing and praying, in which she
was Joined at intervals by Mrs.
Weaver, the prison matrOn, and a
watch woman, who were with her
throughout the night. AT 10 o'clock
the condemned woman was brought
from the cell and Sheriff Krum-
bhaar and Prison Physician PaxsOn
headed the procession TO the scat
fold. Mrs. Whiteling was escorted
by the two ministers, but they
gave her no aid whatever, she
walking firmly and showing no
hesitation. Arriving at the scat.
told she assembled the ten or a
dozen steps uuassisted, excepting
that each of her spiritual advisers
retained a gentle hold OF either
arm. The sherill's deputies then
placed a leather strap around heT
skIts at the ankles and shackled
her hands, the condemned woman
meanwhile, with uplitted eyes
repeating a prayer delivered by
Rev. Mr.. Jones. The black CAP
was then adjusted, and at 1907 the
trap was sprung aud Mrs. White
ling was dropped into eternity.
The crime for which Mrs. White
ling suffered the extreme penalty
OF the law was the deliberate pol
soning of her husband and two
children with arsenic to secure the
small insurance which she carried
on each of their lives. The hus
band died OH March 20, 1888, and
the doctor who attended him gave
a certificate of death from infiam
nation of the bowels. On the 18th
of April Bertha died, and the same
doctor certified that she died OF
gastric fever. Willie died May 20,
as was supposed at the time, OF
congestion of the bowels. DR.,
Smith, who bad attended the two
previous cases, refused to take
charge of Willle's case and another
doctor was called in. After a third
death DR.. Smiths suspicious were
aroused that all was not right, aud
he communicated his suspicious to
the coroner, who ordered that the
bodies be exhumed. An analysis
Of the parts showed the presence OF
enough arsenic TO cause death.
" hen summoned before the cOrO-
ner Mrs. Whiteling admitted that
she had poisoned her two children
but she claimed that her husband
took his own lite. His life was In
sured In an industrial company for
S145, and he was also member OF
the BenevOlen; Order of Buffalo,
which organization paid the widow
$S5. About one month after the
death of her husband she began
administering poison to the daugh-
ter, Bertha. A doctor was called
In after the neigbors had urged It,,
though Mrs. Whiteling declared
that she had a premOnition that
her child would not live. The
doctor left powders to be gwen
every half hour, but instead Of Civ
ing the medicine the unnatural
mother gave her child the poison,
and in three days the little girl
was dead. Her life was insured
for Sl22.
One month later the woman de.
cided to kill her little boy, whose
life was insured for $47, and she
used the same methods as descrlb-
ed in little Bertha's case. Alto.
gether the assurances she realized
by the three deaths amounted to
1890.
Mrs. Whiteling's trial took place
last Nol ember, the defense raised
being insanity, but her counsel
were totally unable to prove the
claim, aud she was convicted and
sentenced to be hanged. Every
effort had been made by Mrs.
Whlteling's counsel to save her
lite-frst, by proving her to be
insane, and also on the sentimental
ground that, being a woman, the
extreme penalty of the law should
not be administered, and a number
of phllanthrOpic women also inter
ested themselves in her behalf and
endeavoTed TO secure communal
ton of the death sentence but
these efforts were unavaillng and
the miserable woman had to hang,
the only clemency extended her
being short reprieve by the
governor.
The only witnesses to the exc.
cution were the sheriff and his
deputies, the prison officials,
physicians and about o dozen
newspaper men. This WAS the first
execution Of a female in Phlla.
delphia county. There have,
however, been several women
hanged in other counties III Penn.
sylvania.
A TRIPLE TRAGEDY.