Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-17
MURDER BY INCHES
A New Jersey Mothers Crime
Against Her Son.
HER METHOD OF SLOW POISONING.

She Gives Him Repeated Doses of Gro
ton OIL in His Food The Accused
Prominent in Society and Leading
Church Member-The Motive for the
Crime-Previous Bad Record of the
Unnatural Mother.
MOUNT HOLLY, n. j., April 1.-THE grand
jury of Burlington county found an indict-
ment yesterday against Mrs Carrie E. Van
degrift, one of the most prominent women
of Burlington and a leading member of the
Broad Street Methodist church. The charge
is that she attempted to kill her son, Frank
c. Newman, by means of repeated doses of
croton oil administered in his food at inter-
walls since the LIST of April The charge was
first made by the family physician, DR..
Walter T. Hall, who was called upon to at
tend the patient, who is % years old, and
oil, as it is now explained, had kept up a
constant irritation of the intestines. This
| irritation resisted the treatment of the ply
| stefan.
Did a Little Detective Work.
As the patient continued TO grow worse
| hourly, DIR. Hall called To his aid DR. Grant
and DIR. Pugh, both of whom said the pa
ton oil. This conceded precisely with the
diagnosis made by DR.. Hall A watch was
then set upon the drug store. and it was
| found that the only purchaser of oil was
Mrs Vandegrift or her servant, Berence
| Kane On one occasion, when the druggist
| had Intentionally given something else in
! the place of croton oil, there was a marked
Improvement in Newman's condition, and
traces of the innocent drug which had been
| substituted were found in the food which
had been prepared for him.
| Lame Explanation.
| The physicians then taxed Mrs. Vande
| grift with having given the oil to her son.
| This she denied. On being pressed she adj
| mitted that she had made one purchase OF
croton oil which she had used on trouble
some corn. This explanation was not sat
isfactory TO the physicians. and when add
| tional evidence, as it Is declared, was secured
the matter was laid before Prosecutor OF
the Pleas Budd, who at once caused sub
pdnas to be issued, summoning witnesses to
appear before the grand jury. The result
was an Indictment for attempted murder
| Newman is resting easier now He is in
charge OF nurse who has instructions not
to leave his bedside, and to give him no food
| of any kind that has been prepared by his
mother
| Discovery of the Motive.
For time no one was able to assign
motive for the deed. but one was discovere
| Tuesday among the records of mortgages il
the recorders Office at Mount Holly There
was found a mortgage given by Mrs. Vande
grift to the United Security Life Insurance
and Trust company of Pennsylvania fol
S2e 900 on all her real estate in Burlington
1t was what is known as an insurance mort
gage. The policy was issued in the name o.
Frank c. Newman, and it is in the form o
a twenty year endowment. In the event o
Newman's death the mortgage would b.
cancelled and the property turned over Il
Mrs Eandegrift free of all incumbrance
| Her Bad Previous Reputation.
1t is alleged that prior to her marriage Il
Joseph Nandegrift, in 1877, the woman
served several terms of Imprisonment il
Moyamensing prison, Philadelphia, OIL
charges of larceny. Mrs. Vandegrift, il
fact, did not deny this statement when sh
was asked about it during a certain trial il
which she was a witness in 1884 Philip Ru
dolph. a member of the South Ward Metho
dist church, in Philadelphia, testified tina
Mrs. Vandegrift, who then was callei Carri
Newman, had sued him to recover $40, 90
damages for defamation of character, be
cause ne had said her reputation was bad
When the case was called for trial she wa
in prison on charge of stealing a watch
So the suit was dismissed.