Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-23
sUICIDED IN JAIL.
AN INSANE WOMAN TAKES A
FATAL DOSE OF ARSENIC.
The Death Yesterday Of Mrs. Aida Z.
winters-The Evidence at the In
quest.

The Death Yesterday Of Mrs. Aida e
winters-Ths Evidence at the In
quest.
About o'clock yesterday morning
Mrs. Aida f. Winters, who had beer
adjudged insane by the lunacy commits
sioners and by them committed to the
asylum at Napa, died in the county jail
from an overdose of arsenic administered
by herself with suicidal intent.
Mrs. Winters, who was divorced from
her husband some five years ago, sold
her old home in st. Paul, Minn., and
came to California and located in this
city, with her only child, girl then
years old. She was induced to part with
some of her money by one of the many
land sharks which infested Los Angeles
during the boom, by investing in wild
cat speculation from which, oi
course, she received no returns. She
also purchased the house No. 213a
Enterprise street, and the lot on which
it stands for $11 900, and here she en-
deavored to make living for herself and
child by renting some Of her rooms.
subsequently she opened a restaurant
on the corner of Los Angeles and Fourth
streets, but this venture was not finan-
cial success. In July, 1883, baker
named G. r. Davis took up his quarters
there.
On the 10th instant Davis swore to q
complaint charging the woman with in
sanity, and on the same day she was
committed, as above stated. She was
to have been sent to Napa, Wednesday
morning, in charge of B. G.. Wier, but
the authorities at the county jail stated
that the woman had been taken sud-
denly ill, and the trip wae postponed.
Jailor Pallett, in an interview with a
HERALD reporter last night, gave the
following account of the affair:
ION Wednesday morning Mrs. Win
ters complained Of cramps in the stom-
ach. We gave her peppermint and
ginger, but she appeared to be unable to
hold anything on her stomach, and
threw it up. The night before another
woman who is confined in the Jail was
taken in similar manner, ~ hich wound
up in a bad case of dysentery, and we
thought that was the trouble with Mrs.
Winters. About O'Clock she got no
better, and the county physician was
sent for. He did not arrive until nearly
2 O'Clock, and had examined the patient
thoroughly and was about to leave, when
my wife called his attention to the
fact that Mrs. Winters had some
thing attached to a string which was
fastened around her waist next to the
flesh. The doctor cut the string and
upon pulling it out found that small
bag was attached to it, and upon ex-
amining the contents of the bag it
was found to be arsenic. Soon after
wards the woman admitted that she had
taken poison, and said it was some she
had bought q long time ago, and had
been concealed where it was eventually
found.
"She finally rallied little and ex-
pressed desire to see two men named
j. Ewing and George vacher, but they
could not be found. Through my wife
she sent this message to her little girl
I am going to die, and want you always
Ito be q good, true and honest girl.'''
She died at about o'clock yesterday
morning. The body was removed to
the undertaking parlors of Orr & Sutch,
where an inquest was held by Coroner
Weldon at 2:30 O'Clock p. m.
At the inquest DR.. Wv. Hitchcock,
one of the physicians who examined
Mrs. Winters on the 10th inst, testified
as to finding her to be crazy and COM
mitting her to Napa asylum.
DR.. H. &. Brainerd, the county ply
sician, testified to seeing Mrs. Winters
at 2 O'Clock that day. She evidenced all
the symptoms OF having taken corros-
i've poison, and on questioning her. she
admitted that she had taken arsenic,
which he found upon her person in a
small sack tied round her body, under
her clothing. He was subsequently
notified of her death at O'Clock next
morning.
DR.. NJ. M. Kannon testified as to hav-
ing held post mortem examination of
the body, and in his opinion death was
caused by corrosive poison, probably
arsenic.
G. R. Davis, the baker, testified that
he had lived at Mrs. Winters house
since July 18th, 1883 that he had caused
her arrest as insane on the 10Th inst.
She had previously told him that she
had been in an asylum in Dakota.
The jury on learning the facts in the
case returned q verdict of suicide, and
appended the following rider to their
verdict: ~
We the jury summoned to appear be-
fore the coroner of Los Angeles county,
find that the sheriff of Los Angeles
county, by or through his deputy the
jailor, is guilty OF gross negligence in
not searching the person of the deceased
at the time she was committed to his
charge. as the evidence shows that the
said deceased had quantity Of arsenic
concealed on her person, and we recon-
mend that more careful examination
of all persons committed to his charge
in future be made.
DAN KEvANE, foreman.
THos. F. PHILBIN, AL. CoBLER,
]. J. DEL VALE, F. =. REFS,
HUGH Ross, g. EDGAR.
The deceased was native OF New
York and 81 years Of age.
Original fackages.
GILT odUnd sy1i1k dolivonod In y fp