Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-26


Tania yesterday. Two of them, Mrs. Sarah
Jane Whiteling and Michael Rizzele, were
legally executed. The other, james Nc.
Cam, who killed his wife recently, hanged
himself to the door knob in cell few feet
distant from the one occupied by Mrs.
Whiteling in the Philadelphia Jail.
PHILADELPHIA, J June 25.-There was one
more hanging in the Jail to-day than had
been arranged for. While Mrs. Whiteling
was counseling with her spiritual advisers
preparatory to her exit from the world by
way of the scafold in cell but a few feet
distant another prisoner was deliberately
taking his own life. George McCann, who
was awaiting trial for the murder of his
wife on Saturday, June Is, by crushing her
skull with hatchet while she lay asleep in
bed, hanged himself with pocket handker-
chief fastened to the doorknob of the cell.
Mrs. Whiteling was the first woman to be
legally hanged In Philadelphia, Her bear
ing throughout the terrible ordeal was a
most remarkable exhibition OF tortitude
and resignation to her fate. During the
early morning she never for a moment
showed the slightest evidence Of weakness,
and frequently expressed her pleasure at the
prospect of meeting her husband and chill
dren." The several physicians who were
present at the execution, and who have
more or less frequently been with the con-
demned woman since her incarceration, ex-
pressed surprise at her exhibition of calm
ness in meeting death, although they agreed
in the statement that she has at no time
shown any evidence whatever of an un-
sound mind.
LAST NIGHT ON EARTH.
Mrs. Whiteling spent her last night in
walking about her cell, singing and pray
ing, 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 she ate with
apparent relish breakfast consisting of
fried eggs, toast and chocolate. Soon after
that hour she was taken from her cell in the
female department to a cell in the male de-
partment in the corridor of which the scaf-
fold for her execution was standing.
She was Joined in her new cell by her
spiritual adviser, Rev. VIM. D. Jones, of
the Scott Methodist Episcopal Church, and
Samuel W. Kehr, undertaken, who is also a
local Methodist preacher, and who also
oficiated at the burials of her poisoned hus-
band and childen. Mrs. Whiteling Joined
in the devotional services with considerable
spirit, and apparently obtained much COM
fort therefrom. At 10 o'clock the con-
demned woman was brought from the cell
and Sheriff Krummbharr and Prison Phy-
ician Paxson headed the procession to the
scsfold. Mrs. Whiteling was escorted by
the two ministers, and mounted the scafold
without an apparent tremor. A moment
later the drop fell and all was over.
There have previously been but two cases
Of women sentenced to capital punishment
in this county. On April q, 1885, Judge
Mitchell passed sentence of death upon
Annie Cutler. who was convicted OF the
murder of William H. Knight. In Feb
ruary, 1868, Hester Vaughan, an English
girl, was convicted of the murder of her
child and sentenced to be hanged. Both
women, however, escaped the death pen
atty.
HER HORRIBLE CRIME.
The crime for which Mrs. Whiteling
suffered the extreme penalty of the law was
the poisoning of her husband and two chill
dren, with arsenic, for the purpose of secur-
ing the small insurance which she carried
on each of their lives. The WhitelIng fam
lily consisted of John Whiteling, the hus-
band and father, aged 36 years; Bertha, 9
years old; Willie, nearly 8, and Sarah j.
Whiteling, the murderess, who was two
years older than her husband. The husband
died on March 20, 1888, and the doctor who
gave a.certi6cate of death from in
fammation of The bowels. On the oath of
April Bertha died, and the same doctor GER
titled that she died of gastric fever. Willie
died May 26, as was supposed at the time of
of the bowels. DR.. Smith, who
had attended the two previous cases, re-
fused to take charge of Willie's case, and
another doctor was called in.
After the third death, DR.. Smiths sus-
picions-were aroused that all was not right,
and he communicated his suspicious TO the
Coroner, who ordered that the bodies be ex-
humed- An analysis of the parts showed
the presence of enough arsenic to cause
death. The CornOr summoned Mrs. White
ling before him, and charged her with kill
ing her husband and children. After some
hesitation the woman admitted that she had
poisoned her children, but claimed that her
husband took his own life. She made a
full confession, minutely detailing the
Rgonies of her victims in their death strug-
giles She first told how her husband, who
was sickly and had been ailing for several
weeks, had told her that he had taken por-
ton of box Of poison which she had
bought for use in driving vermin from the
house. She summoned physician, but did
not tell him that her husband had taken the
poison, because, as she said, of a clause in
bis insurance policy which declared that no
money would be paid to suicides.
THE PITIFUL TEMPTATION.
His life was insured in an industrial COM
pany for $145, and he was also a member Of
D benevolent order of Buffalo, which organ
ization paid the widow $65. About one
month after the death of the husband, Mrs.
began administering poison to
her daughter Bertha, who is described as
having been a sweet-faced, dark-haired
child, the favorite in the school which she
attended. A doctor was called in after the
neighbors had urged 4. though Mrs. White
ling declared that she had a premonition
that her child would not live.
The doctor left powders to be given every
half hour, but instead of giving the medi-
cine the unnatural mother gave her child
poison, and 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 SAT,
and she used the same method described in
Bertha's case. Altogether, the insurance
she realized by the three deaths amounted
% $399.
Mrs. Whiteling's trial took place last No
Vember, the defense raised being insanity,
put her counsel were totally unable, though
! number of insanity experts were called, to
prove their client insane, and she was con-
7icted and sentenced to be hanged.
Every effort was made by Mrs. White
ing's counsel to save her life, first by try
ng to prove her insane and also on the sem
imental ground that, being woman, the
,xtreme penalty of the law should not be
A number of philanthropic
rovnan oleo interested Themselves in her be-