The herald., 1893-08-27
A HORRIBLE DISCOVERY
A Wife Uncovers a Fiendish
Plot.
The Terrible Price of Unlawful
Affection.
One Murder Planned, and Another
Barely Prevented.
The Letters MRS. Hsskett Found In Her
Husbands Trunk-The Particulars
OF why She Now Wants
. Divorce.

CHIcAGo, Aug. 28.-In a bill for di-
voree fled in the superior court today
by Mrs. Bella II. Hassett against VIM.
e. Hassett Of this city, the most as
founding charges are made. 1t is al
legged, and the allegations are supported
by written evidence, that Hassett con-
spired with the wife of q wealthy
farmer named Stone, now living near
Nashua, Iowa, to murder Stone, get .
divorce from his own wife and then
marry the widow Stone, who BY the
letters attached, was more than ready
to put her own husbandopt Of the way
that she might marry Hassett.
Hassett comes from wealthy family
in Jefferson, Iowa. His father,
who is weslthy hardware dealer,
died some time ago and left him
from $4,000 10 $4,000. He was mar
ried to Miss Hicks, who lived in Ham
ilton, O. About one yesr ago, while
Hassett WAS travelling through Iowa he
beame acquainted with Mrs. Stone, who
was living with her husband, wealthy
farmer In Nashua. The woman, the
bill alleges, became enamored OF Hassett
and it is charged made preparations to
make away with her husband, who is
past middle age and an invalid. The
alleged plot, as evidenced by the data
attached to the bill. was to bring Stone
to Chicago on trip to the worlds fair
and put quantity Of poison in the med
icine he was taking. The couple hoped
to shield themselves, 1t is said, from the
clutches OF the law by giving out that
the death of Stons Was from natural
caupes-
THE PLOT DISCOVERED. ~
Mrs. Hassett became aware Of the So
called intrigue through ~u accident. Not
long sgo her husband came home intox-
tested and q quarrel arose, resulting in
the defendant telling his wife that he
had . woman living in Iowa who loved
him more than she, and IL she did not
believe 1t che would find a number Of
sstasf ip htgprYR5b R5bennssd nsd-iib the pS, ssask wbis
her husband was away from home and
found the letters. She wac horri6ed 1t
their contents. and Immediately placed
the matter In the hands Of her attorneys,
who prepared the papers for the divorce.
THE TELL-TALE LETTERS.
The first letter is dated Nashua, Iowa.
June 28th, in which the preliminaries
were decided upon. 1t was planned to
reach Chicago early the following Sun
day morning and to attend the fair July
9th, when she was to administer some
thing that would make her husband
sick and then, if death resulted, attrib-
ute it to something else. The next
letter announced a change of time in
starting. In this letter Mrs. Stone
asked Hassett to procure some acid and
morphine. The letter ends with q
caution to Hassett to destroy all the
letters. The letters are signed "Nellie"
and are thickly besprinkled with terms
OF endearment.
ANOTHER CRIME ATTEMPTED.
When Hassett became aware in his
sober moments that his wife had OBJ
tanned possession Of the letters, he
made an attempt to kill her, il is said,
and Was only prevented from doing go
by the interference of neighbors. He
was in Chicago tonight, but could not
be located.
Mrs. Hassett was seen tonight and
admitted all the allegations contained
in the BILL r.
Whether the alleged plot to take the
life of Stone was frustrated or not could
not be ascertained tonight. 1t is
thought by the attorneys that Mr.. and
Mrs. Stone were in Chicago the night Of
July 4th. but nothing definite was
learned.