The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-07-12
Dastardly Effort to Kill q Family OF
Three Women and Four Children.
Large Quantity of Powder Full Of Arsenical
Poison Dumped Into Well by sn
Unknown Miscreant.
Mrs. Kate Mountain Drinks of the Water
and Narrowly Escapes Death.
Analysis of the Powder Proves Its Deadly
Nature-Members of the Family
Think They know the fiend.
THE WELL HAD BEEN DRUGGED.

THE WELL HAD BEEN DRUGGED.
Mrs. Mountains Narrow Escape from u Ter
ribIe Death.
Kate Mountain, seventy years old. drank
of poisoned waters last Saturday after
noon. but through an indomitsble will and
careful attention lives TO tell the story.
The woman. pitifully prostrated and tot
terlng on the verge of the grave. is living
proof that she has looked into the valley of
death through the diabolical instrumental
ity of q person possessing the mind of O
fend.
In ON unpretentious little cottage at No.
22S Maple street reside Mrs. Kate Mount
ain, the aged mother of Michael Mountain,
of the los hose company. and her two
daughters, Mrs. Nora Hicks and Mrs. Mary
Alhans. Until an event of the past few
days brought to light dastardly plan to
destroy them. the three women have lived
q comparatively peaceful existence. the
two daughters laboring hard each day TO
furnish a sustenance for four little chill
dren and their old mother. Between and
o'clock on Saturday Mrs. Hicks.
the eldest daughter, repaired TO
the well. which stands within five
feet of the rear Of the house. for the pur.
pose of drawing q bucket of water. As
Mrs Hicks approached the well platform
she caught sight of an unusual condition
of the TOP of the platform. A fine powder
of greenish- w hite color was strewn about
in profusion. and. tracing the source of the
drug. Mrs. Hicks saw that quantities Of il
had gone into the well. lntuitively she
hurried away and. entering the kitchen.
screamed to her mother that the well had
been poisoned. With a pailid face. the old
woman tottered toward her and exclaimed:
MY God! Nora, l just drank CUP OF
that water" Retaining her presence Of
mind, the daughter called In a number OF
her neighbors and examined the suspected
we'll. The platform about the pump waa
old and dilspidated. and Mrs. Hicks re-
membered that some time ago q corner Of
one of the boards had rotted of, leaving an
opening of perhaps six inches. She had
placed covering over the aperture. and
noticed on examination that this had been
removed. The quantity of the fine powder
on the platform was probably sufficient TO
fill two tablespoons and on ledge of the
curbing where rt had lodged was a plentl-
full sprinklIng OF the drug. The appear.
anoe of the powder as it lay on the plat
form would indicate that some one had ap-
preached the well and burriedly emptied
the contents of vessel or box in the Gireo-
tion of the opening.
While the frightened women were dis
cussing the matter. Mrs. Mountain bsgsn
to com plain of a peculiar sensation of the
stomach and soon grew deathIy sick. As
the afternoon wore away she grew worse
and by night had developed weli-defined
symptoms of arsenical poison, although her
daughters were then unaware of the dam
gerous tendency of the symptoms. Violent
vomiting was followed by severe purginp
and the patients stomach began to swell
at an alarming rate. The family pleaded
with the sick woman to allow them to call
y physician. but she declined the service
and directed that homemade remedies of q
heroic nature be brought into effect Her
sufferings, for several hours. were intense.
but finally. by strong doses Of burned
whisky. the pain was allsyed and Mrs.
Mountain. greatly prostrated. declared
that she would get well.
In the family are four small children be-
longing to Mrs. Mountains daughters. and
during Saturday night, as each hour passed,
the mothers of the little ones were fearful
lest they should be attacked with the
awful symptoms visited on the grand
mother. Happily the children had not
drank of the deadly water. and it was only
hg f.fn had
taken of it, She spent Saturday morning
away from the house. and. returning
shortly after noon. had expressed herself
as famishing for q cool drink. One of the
children. without noticing the condition
of the well, drew bucket of water. from
which the grandmother drank.