St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-01
A WOMAN's WILD LIFE.
The Career of Mrs. Wharton. Who
Was Tried for Poisoning Her

The Career of Mrs. Wharton, Who
Was Tried for Poisoning Her
Friends.
Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mrs. Ellen &. Wharton, formerly a
resident of Boston, died recently at the
house of her son-in-law, Moore Wharton,
near this city, in the list year of her
age. In 1871 Mrs. Wharton was charged
with poisoning Gen. William Scott Ket-
chum, and two years later with attempt
ing to poison Eugene Van Ness at her
home, No. 263 Hamilton place, Bal
timore. Mrs. Wharton was Ellen G.
Nugent, a Pennsylvania girl. She
married Henry Wharton, who became
during the war colonel of a Delaware
regiment. Their family included a son,
who died shortly before the charge of
murder was preferred against his mother
and the daughter, who is now Mrs.
Moore Wharton. The deceased was the
daughter of George Nugent, silk and
fine goods importer.by his second wife.
Ellen was his favorite child, and he in
dulged to the utmost her fondness for
dress and display. Despite his gem
crosby to her, however, the young lady
ran into debt, and her bills ran up into
the thousands.
Miss Nugent had become an acknowl-
edged belle. She had many admirers,
yet her friends were surprised when she
announced her approaching marriage
to Mr.. Williamson. and sent out In
yitations to her wedding. The day
came. The guests came, but the bride
] groom did not, and the family were
again surprised by finding that he knew
nothing about the wedding, and had
| never engaged himself to the woman.
This queer freak led the father to be-
lieve that his daughter must be COM
mitted to an institution for the insane.
Two days before she was to be sent to the
asylum Miss Nugent ran away with
| Lieut.. Harry w, Wharton, and when
| her father next heard of her, bride and
groom were spending their honeymoon
| where the German Democrat is now
published, the building. much of which
remains, being at that time the famous
Jones' hotel. The hayward daughter
and her husband were forgiven, taken
home and made much of. Mrs. Whar-
| ton ere long 60 into financial difficult
ties, but her fathers purse was alengthy
| one, and the second time he paid her
debts. Capt. Wharton, in course of
time, was ordered to Fort kearney,
WnlCu6T SilG accompanied uiiA, oiil az
| the breaking out of the war received a
colonel's commission in Delaware re-
giment, and was afterwards a general
disbursing agent, stationed in Bal
| timore.
There it was that Gen. Ketchum pc
came the friend of the family, and, con-
i tinuing his acquaintance with Mrs.
Wharton, after her husbands death, in
! 1867 he himself died after short i'll
| ness that involved Mrs. Wharton in the
charge of poisoning in order to rob him.
| of which accusation she was fully ac-
Quilted, after trial lasting forty-three
days.
Two years later Eugene Van Ness, a
bank clerk visiting Mrs. Wharton.
drank glass of beer at her house and
was Immediately taken viOletly i'll with
supposed SYMPTOMS of poisoning. Sus-
| picion instantly revived against Mrs.
Wharton. She was tried for his murder,
and she was accused of poisoning her
husband, her husbands cousin, Col.
Edward Wharton, and her own sou,
| Capt. Henry C.. Wharton.
These latter charges never came out