The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-07-12
murderous intent of killing some one or
possibly all the members OF che family.
THEY HAVE THEIa Suspicious.


Members of the Family Suspect who Did Is,
but Are Afraid TO Talk.
About 9 o'clock last night q Journal rep
resentative called at the home of Mrs.
Mountain TO verify the statements made
by others in regard 60 the affair. Mrs.
Mountain and her daughter. Nora Hicks,
sat in the front room, the dim light of q
lamp howing the fearful ravages of the
suffering through which the mother had
passed. and which was plainly indicated on
her white, pinched face. The husband of
Mrs. Hicks has been dead several years.
and Mrs AIhans left her husband some
years ago. She was not at home when the
reporter called. having been delayed at her
work some squares away. The old lady
~nervously started up at the reporters In
query for Mary Alhans. and replied:
MARY Is not here and before you come
into this house you must tell us your bust.
nees with her. She Is our daughter and We
have q right TO know what you want"
The speakers manner indicated that, since
the family were made the victims of @
deyilish plot they considered as intruders
all stran gers. On being enlightened as to
the VISITORS business both women talked
freely. the elder In feeble and broken tones.
lit Is awful TO think of what might have
happened to rs had / not discovered the
poison" said Mrs. Hicks. and continuing:
Sunday i went TO see Mr.. Ryan, who has
something to do with city affairs, and told
him about che well. He said ho would
have the matter attended to, but has not
done so. i think the poison was put there
last Friday night. some time, for we had no
occasion to use the water until Saturday
afternoon. i thought it was Paris green.
but L guess IL was something else. OF
conrse. | have nv ideas of who did this
outrageous Work, but | do dot dare TO say q
word.o
At this point Mrs. Mountain attempted to
speak. but was sllenced by her daughter
with q cautionary remark:
Mother. be careful how you talk about
this; you know how dangerous 1t is TO
speak sroundhere." Mrs. Mountain lapsed
into silence. and soon after the other
daughter came in from her work. Mrs. Al
hans Is q prepossessing woman of about
t~nirty-ive years. who shows the marks of
domestic suffering. She. too, has her opin-
Ion of some ones guilt. but. like her sister.
was fearful of talking. She was asked il
her husband was suspected OF having any
rhing TO do With the plan to kill them all.
but the question was answered by her
mother. With vehement speech the old
lady replied:
mo: you could not hire that man to cross
this yard. He's afraid TO come into this
part of the town. oh. no; it wasn't him"
DurinR the time the reporter spent In the
afflicted house the family conversed IN
whispers or low tones. and seemed to
evinco a desire to keep their bors
from hearing what was said. IL is plainly
evident Lnat Lney suspect persons In the
neighborhood of having carried ont
the plot against them. but they
were careful to mention the names
of no one. From q conversation
with one of the daughters it was learned
that they have incurred the ill will or per-
sons living within u stones throw of them.
and who, they are inclined to believe,
would not hesitate TO conceive the deadly
scheme so plainly evIdent.
The women. frightened and horror
stricken that they should have been made
the victims of an crime OF such
magnitude. carefully reirained from max
ing the facts generally known until
yesterday evening, when Mrs. Hicks
determined to unburden her mind,
and sought police officer Wurtz.
TO whom she told the story. The patrol
man at once visited the premises and
wisely secured a portion of the poison.
quantities of which may yet be seen around
the curbing. The mothers of the infant
children are d%evoutly thankful that their
little ones escaped, and implicitly believe
that il was the kind hand OF Providence
that guided the little feet away from the
death that lurked in the water. The dan
gerous we'll is being carefully watched.
and no one is allowed near it until the
officers investigate the matter aud the
chemist has made a more complete analysis.