The Washington times., 1895-04-20

triCt Attorney Battle said to-day that be
was still investigating the charges made
by Mrs. Flora Adams Darling, that in her
belief her son, Edward Irving Darling, who
died in Mount Clemens, Mich, on February
IA, 1894, was deliberately poisoned. 1t
is not believed, however, by the members
of the district attorneys staff, that her
suspicious aud accusations are borne out by
the facts. 1t is regarded as scarcely prob
able, therefore, that the grand jury will
be asked to act OH the matter until more
specific proofs are presented.
Mr.. o. c. Green, who was the trustee,
and afterward the agent of the Joshua
Pierce estate, from which young Mrs.
Darling Inherited about $3.50 900, said
yesterday i'll reference to the charges made
against DR.. and Mrs Spranger
THE whole thing is base fabrication
from beginning TO end, and is nothing more
or less than a blackmailiDg scheme on the
part OF Flora Adams Darling to gain
money and to ruin as worthy and lovely a
girl as ever lived. This woman has been
ting her daughter iu-law ever
since her marriage to young Darling, a
worthless, drunken scoundrel.
CLERK IN A MUSIC STORE.
Daring was formerly employed as a clerk
in music store somewhere on Seventh
street in this city, when Beatrice met him.
She became infatuated with him and they
ran away and were married Beatrice
had little money which she had inherited
from her grandfather, Charles Tiernan of
Baltimore, after the death of his widow and
this, Darling gsoonranthrough. Hisdrunken
and brutal habits soon disgusted the young
wife and she made application for a di-
vorce.
''soon after she had begun proceedings
the Daring woman wrote me a most sea ndaI-
Gus letter, IN which she accused me OF be-
ing Instrumental in the separation of the
young people, and said that my object was
to aid in the divorce proceedings, and then
to marry the young girl. The fact tnat l
was married man and had children nearly
as old as Beatrice did not seem to enter the
mind of this schemng woman.
Il had been very intimate friend of the
young lady's father, and was selected as
trustee to manage the Joshua Pierce estate
IN which Mr.. j. +. klingle. the father of
Beatrice, had q life interest, with the
revers ION of the entire estate to his daughter
''After his death / became the agent for
Beatrice and it was then that / first be-
came acquainted with the schemes of Mrs.
Darling. She was continually demand
ing money on one pretext or another, claim
loaned $4,000 10 Ter con and that as his
wife was responsible for his debts, I
should at once pay the money over TO her.
BEATRICE INTERCEDED.
"Wheu received the letter accusing me
of trying to separate Darling and his wife
/ consulted District Attorney Birney, who
was the counsel for young Mrs. Darling,
and he advised me to bring an action for
N.,I 4l,al
was only through the intercession OF
Beatrice that did not DO So Beatrice was
married to the fellow when she was only
seventeen years old. That was about ten
years ago. They Mad two children, who are
now with their mother.
Beatrice did not see Darling for over a
year before his death He went out to
employment as clerk in music store
there. That was about all he knew how to
do. His claim that he fell out of a window
and was hurt is false. He was injured
by sign falling from the front of the
place where he was employed, and his back
was hurt.
"Dr. Spranger is as fire young fellow
as one would wish to meet. He is iude
dependently rich. and is about twenty nine
years old. They were married from her
aunt's, Mrs. Gay Fenwick, of Baltimore.
This woman, Darling, claims to have
been one OF the founders of the Daughters
of the Revolution. She was, / believe,
a member, but was put out of the society
on. account of some crookedness in money
This fellow did not have
a particle OF respect for his wife or her rel
atives, sand she is connected with some of
the best families in Washington. When
Mr.. Klingle, her father, died, he came on
to the funeral, and was in such a beaStly
state of intoxicatiou as to disgust everone
who saw him.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY BIRNEY' SSTATE
MENT.
Editor Times: In yourissue of to-day you
publish a most sensational article headed
Put to Death by Poison; Edward Darling's
Wife. Washington Girl. Charged With 1t"
and reciting charges said to have been made
in New Nork by Mrs. Flora Adams Darling,
mother of the lady s first usband, charging
that his death was caused by poison admin
istered by his wife aided by her present hus
band. DIR. Spranger. who was then Mr.. Dar-
ling's physician.
II am quiet sure that The Times would not
wish TO lend itself to the wanton injury of
any person, least ofall a young lady. Asst
attorney for Mrs. Spranger from shortly
after the time she became the wife OF thelate
Mr.. Darling down TO the present time, and
made familiar during a series of years past
with hermarital trou preceding thedeath
of her first husband. am in position to
state unqualifiedly that the charges made by
b.. i
extreme, prompted by the utmost hatred for
her daug hter-in-law, that hatred being
caused by her defeated attempts to obtain
part of the property which belongs to Mrs.
Spranger and which came to her Dotfrom her
husband. who married her when she was a
child of but seventeen, but through her
fathers relativeS.
HAD APPLIED FOR DIVORCE
''At the time of Edward l. Darling's
death. which occurred in Detroit, Mr.
n n ri
was maintaining a suit against him for di-
vorce. She had not seen him for months
and his attending physicians certified that
his death resulted from tuberculosis The
young lady was at that time under the ad-
of Detroit. who, having heard these ma
icious stories. even before the death of
Edward L. Darling. being circulated by his
Dr.. Byron R. Erskine and Dr. Joseph N
Cromam. to bis mother to request that a
post mortem examination be made.
have before me copy. of their report to
the attorney. from which / quote:
Dear Sir: AS per your request. l went
with Dr.. Croman to The Villa for the pur
pose of securing. if possible, q post moTtem
we sent for Mrs. Weller. aud inquired who
had the charge of the body. She stated
tna5 MIS-. Smith. sister of Mrs. Flora
ADAMS Darling. now said to be uniting in
these charges. and herself had, and at my
request Mrs. Smith was called in. l then
stated III the presence ofMrs. Smith and Mrs
Melier that l requested. i'll the name of
Mrs. Darling. the widow, that post NOR
tenn OF the body take place; that we would
pay all the expenses; would consent to their
own physician and DR.. sGronan or any
other reputable physician that their own
doctor might select making the examination.
CONSUMPTION CAUSED DEATH
Mrs. Smith then asked me why we
made such q request. thereupon stated
to her that stories had been set in circula-
ton by the mother of the deceased and
others to the effect that the widow had
made attempts to poison HIM, and that
..&i, ixr,c