Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-06-27
MIA. WHIrnLIxa,. r1noDr,oy
she Calmly meeIs Her Fnte-CIns 4.
Join Her Husband a,,d ft,..,..

she Calmly meeIs Her Fnte-s:Ind,o
JOIN Her Husband and Children.
PHILADELPHIA, June 25.-Mrs. sprah
Jane WHEELING was hanged this morning
sn the corridor of the county nrison
The drop fell at 10 OF o'clock and thu
body waa lowered aud removed AZ 10 Al
The woman's bearing throughout the tar.
lhie ordeal WAS most remarkable ex.
aho'uon OF s0rthIde aud resignation 10
ner fate. Daring the entire morniDg she
never for q moment sho we'd the sliR etest
evidence Of weakness and frequently OK.
pressed her pleasure at the prospsct OF
meeting her husband and children. y
The several physicians who were present
81 the execution and who have more or
less frequently been With the ooudemned
woman since her incarceration Expressed
surprise at the woman's exhibition OF
celmness In meeting her death, although
they agreed In the statement that she
mas at no time shown any evidence what
ever OF an unsound mind.
Mrs. WhiseliDg spent her last night In
walking about her coll, singing and
praying In whion she WIS Joined at
Intervals BY Mrs. Weavor, the prison
matron and watch woman who were
with her throughout the night. Shortly
before q o'olock this morning she ate
with apparent relish breakfast consist-
ing OF fried eggs, toast and chocolate.
Boon after that honr she was taken from
her cell in the female department to a
cell in the male department in the oorri.
aor Of which the scaffold for her exeou
Aon was standing. bhe was Joined in
aer new cell by her spiritual adviser, the
Rey. William d. Jones OF the SCOTT "A. L.
1hurnhi and Samuel W. Kohr, her under.
aher. who is also local Methodist
preacher and who also otiiciated at the
ouriRls OF her poisoned victims. Mrs.
WHEELING joined in the devotional T.
sicea with considerable spirit aud appar.
emily obtained much comfort therefrom.
The hymns "lhere Ia Fountain Filled
With Blood" ~ Am coming" and
"Guide Me, Thou Great Jenovah, y
were rendered intermingled with prayer
by the two min sters
AT 10 O'Clock the condemned woman
was brought from the oe and shsriH
KfUmbhaar and Prison Physician PaxsoI
hradsd the procession TO the soafiold
Mrs. WHEELING was escorted by the min
isters, but they gave her no aid what
sver, she walking firmly and showing nc
hesitation.
Arriving at the scaffold she ascendei
the 10 or dozen steps unassis ed. ex
oepting that each OF her spiritual ad
visers retained gentle hold Of ner Ami
The sherlff'a deputies then placed g
leather strap aronnd her skirts ct the
ankles and shackled her hands, the con
demned meanwhile with upllited eyeI
repeating prayer delivered by the Rev.
Mr.. Jones Tho black cap was then Rd
justed aud a. 1907 O'Clock the trap wa
sprung aud Mrs. whiteling was dropped
into eternity.
The fall was about five feet and the
physicians stated that death was instanta
neous by strRugulation, thou al the heart
continued to beat spasmodically for som,
time thereafter. The body was lowered
at 10 Al O'Clock and turned over TO DR.
Alice Bennett OF the Eorristown Hospita
for the insane for an examination OF th,
brain after which II will be given to th'
undertaken for burial by the side of tn,
murdered husband and children.
The only witnesses OF the execution
were the sheriff and his deputies TIL
prison officials physicians and about |
dozen Newspaper men. This was tn,
first execution OF a female in Philadelphia
county. There have, however, beer
several women hanged In other oountie
in Pennsylvania.
The crime for which Mrs. whitelinJ
suffered the extreme penalty Of the law
was tho deliberate poisoning OF her hus
band and two children with arsenic fol
the purpose of securing the small insur
,noe which was carried on each Of theii
ives.
The WHEELING family consisted o
John WHEELING the husband and father
aged 98 Years. Bertha yeers Old, willie
neorly 8, and Sarah ]. Whitaiing tn
mnrdsress, who was two years older thar
ler husband. iG,tss
The husband died on March goth, 1888
and the doctor who attended him CAV
certificate Of death from inflammation o
the bowels. On the Gath of April Bsrthl
died ADD the game doctor certified
that she died of gastric fever. Wilt
died May 26th az was supposed ct th
tilae OF congestion OF the bowels. DIR
Smith, who had attended the two pre-
yious cases, refused to take charge o
Willie's case and another doctor WA
called in. After the third death DR.. Smith
susptoions were aroused that all WAS no
ripht and he communicated his suspicionI
10 the coroner who ordered that the bodie
bs exhulned. An analysis on the part
showed the presence OF enough arsenic
TO cause death. The coroner summoned
Mrs. WHEELING before him and charged
her with killing her husband and tw'
children. After some hesitation tn
woman admitted that she had poisoned
her two children but claimed that hel
husband took his own life. She made
full confession infinitely detailing tn
aaonies of her victims in their dealt
struggles. She first told how he
husband who was slckly ah'
had been ailing for several weeks, hat
told her that he had taken portion oil
Dor OF poison which she had bought 10
use in driving yermin from the house
She summoned physician, but did no
tell him that her husband had taken tn
noison because as she said of q clause II
his insurance policy which declared tbs
no money would be- paid to suicides. Hi
life was insured In an industrial com
many for SIA5 and he was also = rnemoe
of the Benevolent Order OF Bufaloes
which organization paid the widow $50
One month after the death OF the hus
band she began administering poison Il
the daughter Bertha, who 10 described q
having been sweet-faoed. dark hairet
child, the fayorite in the school whiel
she attended. A doctor was called II
sitter the neighbors had urged il thouel
/ Mrs. WHEELING declared that she had
premonition that her child would no
live. The doctor left powders TO b
+ given every half hour but instead OF CIV
mo the medicine tthe unnatural mothe
gave her child the poison and in TIRE
DAYS the little girl was dead. Her III
Il 90 ixacrad fnr s,1Dl