Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-07

CHICAGO, April GA champion story
teller is in Jail here in the person of the
woman Mamie Starr, who cooked the corn
that poisoned to death Mr.. and Mrs. New
land, by whom she was employed. The
prisoners narrative that she had sister
who was perfect image Of her was start
ling in its ingenious detail, but her latest
explanation, the most sensational yet ad-
vanced, Is that she bought the rough on rats
at the drug store intending to kill herself,
and afterwards threw it away without once
opening the box.
When Chief of Police Marsh and his as
sistants locked the girl up last night she
had positively denied all connection with
the poisoning. More singular than this she
had denied that she was ever at the Anchor
age Mission, the institution from which the
Newland family secured her as servant
IT WAS HER TWIN SISTER.
She also denied ever being the residence
of the Newlands, and maintained, in spite
of the fact that a dozen persons identified
her, that her sister must have been the girl who
prepared the fatal dish. circumstance that
greatly strengthened the denials occurred
when she was taken before DR..
Rogers, the druggist who sold the
poison. DR.. Rogers looked her
over carefully in all possible lights, and formed
his conclusion most deliberately. Finally he
said: "She is not the girl who bought the
rough on rats. l am just as sure of that fact
as am of the fact that am alive. The girl
who came IN for that poison looked very cool
and collected and concluded as soon as saw
her that it would be perfectly safe to trust her
with the stuff. She said she wanted it to kill
rats with, and remarked that she would have
to be very careful to keep her little brother
from getting hold of it She was older than
this girl and better dressed than this girl.".
This evening the girl was brought up from
the cell where she had been confined and taken
into the presence of Chief Marsh, Inspector
Hunt, Captain Laughlin and other detectives.
STARTLING CONTRADICTIONS.
'.Mamie," commenced the Chief, "Why did
you tell me you were not in that drug store?"
Surely, 1 never said anything of the kind"
said the girl, and her eyes rolled wildly. "Of
course l was in the drug store. I went there
and bought the box of poison. 1 paid Is cents
for it and 10 cents for some gum. had just a
quarter"
why, you told me last night that you had
never been in Hyde Park in your life. that you
had never seen the Newlands, that you were
never in the Anchorage Mission. and a dozen
other things"
impossible: you must have misunderstood
me. OF course l was in Hyde Park. I'll tell
you just how it was. l was very Respondent.
and did not want to live any longer; you know
have often been respondent. and once tried
to kill myself in Chicago two years ago. So
went to the store for the poison, and thought
would take it while the family were asleep
that night. l hid the stuff while 1 cooked
supper. 1 cooked the corn and 1
am sure there could not have been any poison
in it, but 1t was wrong somehow. for took
taste of it myself and was dreadfully sick after
wards. When all the family began to get sick
I was scared and thought the best thing could
do would be to get out. took the box Of poison
and rolled it up in my apron and then went
away was very much excited at the time,
but remember that l threw both apron and
poison away. wrapped them up tight and
threw the package over fence. ! am sure
don't know just where it was, but probably
could find it If had half chance"
SHE WANTS HER UMBRELLA.
This is an altogether different story from
the one you told yesterday" remarked In
spector Hunt.
"Oh, no." responded the girl, and the same
crazy CLEAN was in her eyes. that is just ex-
actly what said yesterday. By the way, do
you know can't find my umbrella anywhere.
wonder where it is'
1t was an open question with the officers after
the examination whether the woman's ap-
parent insanity was feigned or real. II never
heard of case similar to this one" said Chief
Marsh. 'Inever saw prisoner so self-possessed
and cool when under arrest for serious crime.
do not know whether the members of the
family were poisoned by rough on rats or by
some other substance in the corn. l am sure
that the girl had no possible motive to poison
them and that she had never seen them before
last Friday morning. All the rest is in the
dark"