Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-31
A FEMALE POIS0NER.
She Is On Trial for the Murder of
Her Next Door Neighbor.
FORMER SOCIETY BELLIES CRIME.
She Deliberately Sets About to Poison
Her Best Friend
FOB THE POSSESSION OF CERTAIN NOTES
.srEc1Au TKLEeRAM TO THE DIsP ArcE.I

:srEc1AL TELEeRAM TO THE DIsP PATcH.I
ROME, GA, March 30.-A pretty woman
stands at the bar of justice here to-day on
trial for her life. Mrs. Ora Mckee. nee
Bruce, who was for several years a society
belle of Atlanta, is the prisoner, while her
victim was Mrs. Matt Wimpee, a next door
neighbor and friend. 1t is said by Mrs.
Mckee's accusers that she spent money
freely, in fact, with more lavish hand than
her husband could well afford to supply.
They say that she needed some money
$300-but did not care to ask it from her
husband. She went TO Mrs. Wimpee and
asked her to borrow $500 from Mr.. Mckee
and loan it to her. After some preliminary
arrangement, it is said, Mrs. Wimpee OBJ
tanned the money from Mckee, giving him
her notes. She then turned it over to Mrs.
Mckee, taking her notes for $500. These
notes, one for $130, one Tor $120, one for S35
and one for SIS, were placed by Mrs. VIM
pee in tin box and locked up in her ward
robe
Poisoned With Peaches.
The two women continued on the most
friendly terms until September, when the
notes peSau ldilluR uuey anu tneuJ as TIC
money was not forthcoming, something had
to be done. On the 22d of September Mrs.
Mckee prepared plate of canned peaches
and sent them to Mrs. Wimpee. Mrs. Wimpee
ate portion of them and threw the balance OF
them into the yard. That night she was taken
quite sick, and she continued sick for some
time. Mrs. Mckee and another neighbor Mrs.
Deitz, being her attendants.
On the 23d OF September, Mrs. Mckee, to
restore her sick friend, gave her a dose of
whisky n hatfar
on the night of the 10Th Mrs. Wimpee was
worse. Mr.. Wimpee. Mrs. Mckee, Mrs. Deitz
and Mrs: Pouncey were sitting up with her.
Mrs. Mckee prevailed upon Mr.. Wimpee to re-
til to lis room. Mrs. Pouncey was then pre-
vailed upon to leave the sick room, after in
structing those remaining to prepare an egg.
nog for Mrs. Wimpee.
Deadly Eggnogg Prepared.
OF the making of that eggnogg Mrs Deitz
says: AFTER midnight Mrs. Mckee began
preparing the nogg, assisted by myself. She
gave me the whites of the eggs to beat while
she prepared the yellow. We were In the
kitchen and she asked me to 20 into the dining
room, which L did. being followed in about a
minute by her with the light and nogg. Mrs.
Wlmpee took the eggno2g and tasted but
teaspoonful. She refused to take any more,
as she said 1t did not taste right. Mrs. Mckee
then helped TO make her another In the same
way. Mrs. Wimpee saiG the second tasted like
the first.
4uc SldSSeS were Lucu Ldhcu OuL huu Iue Suu-
tents thrown into the slop pail. The next day
the cow owned by Mrs Wimpee was taken
sick, and died in a few days. Mrs. Mckee aft
erward persuaded Mrs. Wimpee to turn her
face to the wall, and got Mrs. Dietz to retire.
Mrs Mckee then secured the tin box, contain
ing the notes, from the wardrobe and depos-
tied it in the woodbox. Mrs. WinDee was not
entirely ignorant oil what was going on, for she
asked Mrs. Dietz in the morning TO examine
the wardrobe. and she discovered that the box
was missing.
Rat Poison Did 1t.
Mrs. Mckee is charged with taking the box.
She said she thought Mrs Wimpee was going
to die that night, SO she took the box to get
paper of hers. She had failed to open it. Mrs.
Mckee disappeared and Mrs Wimpee con-
tnued to grow worse. Mrs. Dietz afterwards
must tell me all you know, that know what
you hav,. done. and unless you tell at once
what you gave Mrs. Wimpee. she will die and
if she dies you Will hang"
"Do you reckon will hang ~ asked Mrs. Nc
kee. "You surely will if she dies, and the
doctors say unless they know what is the mat
ter with her, they can treat her correctly.
that she cannot live" "She then asked me If
would promise not to tell anybody except the
doctors, and l promised. She then hesitated,
and asked me If She would be arrested and
me swear that would tell nobody but the doc
tors"
MRS. Mckee then told her that she had given
her 'get-there rat poison" The next day Mrs.
Mckee disappeared. A few days afterward
Mrs. Wimpee died. In about month Mrs.
Mckee was captured and mas been in jail here
ever since.