The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-27
ANNIE WAGNER IN THE JAIL
D. clares Her Innocence and Does Not
Comprehend the Gravity OF Her Case.
Her Sister Now Recalls Having Given Her
Box of Rat Poison Last Christmas-Pre-
liminary Hearing Postponed.

Annie Wagner. the alleged poisoner of
the BOOSTERS family. was removed from the
police station to q cell In the jail yesterday
morning. At0 o'clock she was arraigned
before the police Judge. and entered plea
of not guilty. Her case was continued
until next Wednesday, and she was imme-
diately ordered to the jail. There were few
new developments in the case yesterday,
and the prisoner continues in her vehement
declarations that she purchased no poison
at the drug store, fact which is consid-
cred to be the most damaging piece of evil
denc0 against her. if truly established.
Charles Koesters, the man win has su ffered
the loss OF his family by deaths presumed
to have been brought about through the
wicked work of the wretohed glrl, has
opened his store again. and has resumed
his daily routine of business. feeling hap
pily secure that the remainder OF his little
family are safe from the Vaccinations of
tue misguided, errlng woman.
Those W no have seen and talked 20 Annie
Wagner are struck with the blank and mp
parently unconcerned features of the girl
when she is approached on the subject OF
the crime of which she Is accused. She ap-
parently does not realize the awful import
of the charge OF murder which stands
against her on the police records. She is
iIlIterate only In the ways of the American
people. Frightened and dazed ut the man.
ner In which she has been arrested.
possessed with the innate disposition of
the stOlld German, she Is totally unable TO
grasp with her befuddled brain the nagni-
tude of the charges heaped against her.
SO swift has been the denunelatlOn and SO
overpowerin0 the evidence-circumsta IL
tial as 1t is-fOund egaInst her. that the
public mind has fallen In with the prevail
ing suspicion and rumor and without a
demur has pronounced her guilty beyond
all question.
Charles Koesters is apparently honest in
his belief that at least three members of
the family died at the hands OF his d0mes-
tie. And be does not stand as her sole &C
cuser. The physicians who attended the
family In the dying hours assert that IL is
highly probable that aside from the infant
child, each member was administered
poison. Yet there is shadow OF pOsslbll-
ity that Annie Wagner may be innocent of
the awful accusatIOus Charles koesters
now says that his mother did not eat
mouth full of food on the day that she at
tended the outing IN the woods. Whiie she
did not complain of being sick she declined
to eat and instead. drank several glasses of
lemonade. She came home in the evening
8Dd was attacked with q violent fit of
vomiting. from which her son does not re-
member whether OF not she suffered before
or after eating the supper prepared by the
domestic
ON the day of her arrest Annie positively
averred that her sister. Mrs. bergman, had
given her the box OF Rough OH Rats n few
weeks before ChrIstmas This statement
the sister denied on Thursday. but yester-
day admitted 10 the detectives shat she re-
membered of handing the girl the poison.
at first Mrs. Bergmen insisted that the
drug was poured out in a paper. but after
ward decided that 1t was in n box.
Yesterday John q. Ohleyer. brOther-in-
law of Charles BOOSTERS. appeared before
the coroner, and. on his oath. stated that
be believed his relatives all died from
poison. and requested that the bodies b.
eXhumed and examined for evidences of
arsenic. Dr. l.. A. StOroh. of No. 6S7 SOuth
Meridian street. testified that ne was called
TO attend Mrs. Koesters on Monday even
ing and that her son had summoned him
with the remark: Mother is suffering just
like father did. vomiting and pIrginG."
The Doctor stated yesterday that he suS-
of the fact and signed the death
certificate. Congestion OF the stomach"
DIR. Eisenbeiss. the chemist who made
the analysis of the stomach of Mrs.
Clara Koesters. is stanch in his belief that
the tests which he has already applied have
gwen the true cause of death. lie states
that he took the organs through three OF
four different operations. all accepted by
the medical profession as infallible. and In
each test the presence of arsenic was
abundantly established. In view of this
fact It is now the intention TO unearth tho
other members of the BOOSTERS family and
submit their stomGchs 10 the same analy sis.
In case they died from RrsenlcAl poisoning
the drug will be easily found. since the
undertaken who buried the bodies states
that he embalmed but one. that of Mrs
Mary BOOSTERS, who was the flrst 10 die.