The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-01-01

SeSSing Young country woman, WIS
placed in iail last evening. Against her
name on the slate was written tho COM
mon-Dlace charge of lunacy, but behind
that ls the accusation of a crime so hor-
riblc rs to be almost Incredible.
The unnatural mother is accused Of
poisoning four of her children with ar
senic. One at time they died from the
same fearful drug. but not until the last
little life had been taken was suspicion
aroused.
She next made futile attempt on her
own litc with the same poison. Since
then she has attempted to kill her hus-
band. She ls undoubtedly q mad wOm-
an, however, and this fact is the only
thing that relieves the horror of her aw-
full deeds.
Until the past three months there
were no signs Of mental failing on the
part of the mother, and until an cXamin-
alton of the bodies, which took place
here, she was thought TO be perfectly
sane, hcrstranSc actions in the past hay
ing been attributed to grief over the first
child's death.
The unfortunate woman is native OF
this city, but since her marriage had been
living on plantation in Meade county.
Her husband is well known and is one
of the most prominent farmers in that
section. No definite cause has been
assigned for the strange and unnatural
GRIMES. Until the death Of the first
child she was remarkable for her dcvo-
tion and care of her little ones.
The first murder was committed on
The cvcnin" ofOct0bcr 1t, and the others
followed at intervals OF two weeks.
Durin" the illness of each child the
mother showed SiOld indifference
which her friends and physician con-
strucd as gricl. Each murder WAS care
fully planned and cunninyly executed.
Though every child was attacked with
the same symptoms and died with the
spasmodic cramps which accompany
arsenic poisoning, the suspicion of no
one was aroused until after the death Of
the fourth child, when the mother at
tempted her own life.
The women is % years of arc. and
was the mother Of five children. the
eldest of which was s years of age. 1t
was only for the sake Of the fifth child
and i'll order to save its life from the in
human mother, that the husband told
his suspicious and suggested post
mortcm examination Of the children.
IL was then for the first time learned
that they were the victims OF Their
mothers work, and that while pretend.
ing to give them dcllcacics before send
lns them to bed, she in reality was ar
ranging for their death.
During tho illness, sutlcrings and
tho deaths of each of these Victims,
Ihuhnn o1> III,
rooms, fulfilling tho physician's instruc.
tions and admimstcrin. the medicines al
tho right time without showing an,
signs OF grief or bctraying herself as Tho
author OF their deaths. Her manner
more than anything else, threw the hus
band and physicians or their guard, an,
Huictcd any suspicious which may hav,
been aroused.
After the death Of the third child hel
actions were strange, but this was at
trlbltcd to her supposed grief. She sci.
dom spoke, and moved about the house
with cat-likc stiffness.
On Dec. $. the day before the oldest
child. and the last victimc, was taken i'll,
Mrs. lliTbcc expressed herself rs very
ANXIOUS about the chlld's health, and
asked her husband if he thought the "a
tlcnt looked we'll. He replied that he
thought she was looking unusually well,
and prayed she would not suffer the fate
OF the other children. AT this she re-
pied that no one could tell when they
were going to die, and that she had a
prcscntmcnt that they all would be dead
inside OF two weeks. The next morning
before Halle, the oldest child. started TO
school, Mrs. lligbcc told hcrnot to both
er about her lunch, us she would arrange
1t herself. While the rest of the family
were out OF tho room she buttcrcd sey-
eral biscuits, and when the child came
IN had them wrapped up in a napkin.
The mother kissed the child rood-byc.
and told her to come home as soon as
school was over.
During the morning, while the child
was absent, Mrs. IIiTbcc called her hus-
band, and again began asking about the
absent child's health. lie attempted to
rcassurc her, but she was not to be COM
iortcd and several times was heard to
say that she was certain the child would
dic as the others had.
The first intimation which Mr.. IIigbce
had that his wife was numbering his
childrcn was the fact that it was hardly
an hour alter she had ceased talking
ABOUT the child at school, when the little
one returned. suffering from cramps, as
'hc other victims had been attacked. In
lew hours she rclapsed into uncon-
seriousness, and remained so until her
death. The husband then told his fears
10 tne attending physician. and request
CO.. MN 10 make post mOrtcm cxamin-
atlon. This, however, was so bitterly
opposed 10y the mother that the matter
was dropped. She become indignant
when she learned what was intended.
and threatened to kill any one who
should attempt it.
81 will be dead very soon myself" she
said to her husband, land the Y can cut
me up II they choose, but no one shall
cut my Children"
Her grief was, apparently, so real that
her husbands suspicious we're, for n
time allayed.
When the husband was informed that
his suspicious were corroboratcd his rricf
was pitiable, He then told that no ond