The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-07-21
DID SHE POisON THEM!
Mrs. Hannah Dorsey Accused Of KILLING
Biz Roraonn.

Sic Psrsons.
INDIANAPoLIs, Ind, July l6.-The
case of Mrs. Hannah Dorsey, who has
been suspected OF poisoning six or eight
persons, including four husbands, has
not been particularly noticed by the In
dianapolis papers. because the suspic-
lon was largely the outcome of the heed
less gossip o. people who lived in the
Dorsey neighborhoOd. The examlna-
ton of the remains of Mrs. Taylor, the
mother of Mrs. Dorsey, has not been
completed yet by the chemiat. She was
the last one to die in the same house
with Mrs. Dorsey. The chemist found
some arsenic but he says 1t may have
been that used by the undertaken who
embalmed the remains. He is testing
the embalming iuid. and will report
more fully next week.
Mrs. Dorsey. who has been referred
to in many papers as "the indianapolis
Borgia," is now in failing health, and
her physician fears y serlOus result nIi-
less q marked change occurs soon. She
was seen at her home by Coroner Maui
ker today. She stated that she was q
victim OF circumstances sufficient to
have wrecked others completely, but her
sense of innocence alone has sustained
her during q trying ordeal.
Public attention was attracted to this
peculiar case when Coroner Marker be-
gan as investigation ofthe death of Mrs.
Nancy Jane Wright several weeks ago.
After a chemical analysis discl> &c (eVl-
dences of prison in the stomach 'oroner
Marker told Mrs. Dorsey that he was
suspected of administering pc son not
only to Mrs. Wright, who 10 her sister,
but to her mother, Mrs. Mary Taylor,
who died q couple Of weeks previous.
Mrs. Dorsey s%trenuously denied any
knowledge OF the poissns, and said she
could throw no light upon the matter.
Afterward DR.. Marker had Mrs. Tay.
lor's remains exhumsd and arsenic was
found in the stomach. This discovery
occurred last week, but today was the
first opportunity the coroner found to
secure another statement from Mrs..
Dorsey. The coroner told her of the
discovery Of poison in Mrs. Taylor's
stomach and asked for an explanation
"As God is my Judge, and realizing
that it 10 probable that 1 have but q short
time to live, l want to say, Doctor, that
l IN q innocent Of any act leading to
the death of either my sister or mother
as you are. There is only II thing
that l do know that night assist your
investigation, and that IL that my sister
frequently threatened to kill herself and
my mother, too. She was an extremely
high tempered woman, and on one Occa-
sion when she and mother q%uarrsled /
heard her say that she would killed her
self and get mother out OF the way too.
Her little girl, Lizzie, heard her make
the same threats. and 40 did nv sister.
inlaw, Mrs. Taylor, though at different
times"
do you SUPPOSE" asked Coroner
ried out her threat by poisoning her
mother2"
Eyes that is my opinion, since 1t Is
shown that their stomschs contained
poison"
Continuing Mrs. Dorsey told her mari.
tai history. Her first husband was Dan
Sanley, who died of sunstroke two years
after his marriage, she says. The Sec
ond was John Temple, who, after living
six years with her, went from bronchitis
to consumption and died. Her third,
Albert Conklln, died in Illinois of con-
gestion of the brain, she says. after liv.
ing three years with her.5, Her fourth
was Joseph Stenett, wh6tdied in the
spring of 1890. Mrs. Dorsey was mar
ried to her present husband last Febru-
airy.
Coroner Marker says: "Clippings
from papers at the time show that Conk-
lin worked where he was employed the
day before his death, and, instead of
dying from congestion of the brain, died
Of q violent stomach trouble"