The evening world., 1894-05-02
PURSUED BY A BORCIA
An Army Officers Wife Goes to
Byrnes for Protection.
She Accuses a Society Woman Of
Trying to Kill Her.
Thinks Her Cook and Butler Were
Mixed Up In the Plot.

A handsome, richly attired womau
drove up to Police Headquarters yes.
terday afternoon In a cab and was ush
cred into supt. Byrnes's private Office.
She was accompanied by a boy Of about
zen years. who was said to be ner son,
After being In consultation with the Su
p"erintendent for an hour the woman
was driven to the Aston House.
This strange visitor IL the wife OF a
%well-known army officer. who AS until
recently in command OF a garrison rot
far from New York. She says many at
tempts have been made to poison her
and she believes a m high in army
society Is responsible.
Supt. Byrnes told the visitor she
would have to place the matter in the
hands Of the authorities of an adjoln-
ing county, as the alleged crimes were
committed outside this county.
To an Evening World" reporter the
woman told the same story she had
told to Supt. Byrnes.
Exhibiting several bottles and walls,
she declared that they contained guam
titles of poison which had been ad-
ministered to her in her. food. For II
year or more. she said. poison had been
put in her food in small quantities, but
her suspicious were not aroused until
last November. when she was obliged
to take to her bed. The cook, q negress.
had prepared all the dishes and served
them in person. When the condition
OF the army officers wife became SO
serious hat she feared for her life
she suggested to the cook that a ply
stefan be called in.
The negress got into a passion, de-
claring that there was no occasion for
a doctor: that she was fully capable
OF taking care Of her and nursing her
back to health and strength.
Then. the mistress says, she realized
hat she was being poisoned and secretly
consulted a physician. lie advised her
to bottle and seal In the presence OF
one or more members OF the family some
Of the chicken broth and beef tea that
nurse. She followed the advice and took
a sample to a chemist for analysis.
In the mean time she refused to taste
OF anything prepared or served by the
She visited the chemists laboratory and
saw the specimens Of poison developed
from the samples Of food.
little phiai," she says The chemist said,
ito poison your whole family. 1t ia ar
senic. n you were lucky you didn't
drink, the beef tea in which 1t was
placed"
The beef tea had been prepared, the
woman AVS. after she had announced
her intention of callinr n doctor. Shc
believes 1t was the intention OF the ne.
gress to murder her with a single dose.
The cook. the woman says, supposinc
mat detection was Inevitable, left the
family's emnloy. But n colorcd butler
remained. No suspicion was entertained
or him until December. when the mis-
tress's health began to fail again. Sew.
eral bottles of lager beer that had a
peculiar taste We're taken to a New
York chemist, analysed and founC
to contain poison. but not In sufficient
quantity to kill.
The army officers wife saws she &C,
cused the butler of attempting to MUIR
der her and he disappeared.
These two persons, the woman be.
lieves. were merely tools OF one OF her
enemies, who fears exposure, having
been con terned in a crime. Exposure
the army officers wife says. would be
worse than death to this person, who Is
well known In society.
The army officers wife's brother /,
well known In this city. She has gainct
an enviable reputation In the literary
world, and IL the author OF severa
meritorlous works. It was only on tn,
reporters pledge OF not mentioning he
name that she told her story.