The record-union., 1895-04-19
DEATH FROM SLOW POISON.
4 Lady Seeking TO Indict a Physician
of New York.

n Lady seeking TO lndtCt a Physician
of New York.
New York, April lS.-Mrs. Flora
Adams Darling, writer OF war letters and
one OF the founders of the Daughters of
the Revolution, is seeking the Indictment
Of DR.. Francis Xavier Spranger and his
wife, who was formerly her daughter-in-
law, Mrs. Edward /. Darling, by the
Grand Jury of New York County. The
case is IN the hands of Assistant District
Attorney Battle, and is now in such q
shape that it will probably be presented
to the Grand Jury the coming week.
Mrs. DarIing'S son, Edward Irving
Darling, died February 3, 1884, at Mount
Clemens, Mich, from what she claims to
have been slow poison. lie was d
musical composer, and poet of some re-
nown. Shortly after his marriage to
Beatrice May kIingle in Washington III
1885, he met with an accident in falling
out of window and breaking several
bones of his body. DR.. Sprauger, then a
recent graduate OF Western college, was
called III to attend him. For many weeks
the unfortunate man lay in a plaster Of
paris cast, and it is now alleged that dur
ing this time the doctor tell in love with
his PATIENTS wife. On July I, 1892, the
younger Mrs. Darling received news OF
the death OF her father in Washington.
This left her an estate of more than
100000 Mr.. and Mrs. Darling went to
W ashIngton to attend the funeral, and
stopped at the EDbitt House in that city.
| " hlle there the young man became vio-
lently i'll alter drinking glass OF milk.
Mrs. Darling, the mother, now claims
that the milk contained poison. After
the funeral OF MIR. hlingle MIR. and Mrs.
| Darling returned to Detroit, and from
that time on it is said that the husband
became an invalid.
According to the story told by the
mother, Dr.. Spranger was in constant at
tendance upon her son. When DR..
Spranger was questioned as TO the CAUSE
OF the IlIuess. he said Darling was suffer
ing from Brghts disease. on Novem-
Der 25, 1892, while in a bad condition
physically, mir. Darling came TO
KS city and visited his aunt,
Mrs. Duval. While stopping with
her his health continued to Improve, and
he gained twenty-five pounds. Mrs.
Darling joined her husband in New
York on January 4, 1893, and, it is SAID,
brought with her medicines prescribed
by DR.. SpraDger. After a short time the
son began TO grow i'll again-accordiug to
the story OF the mother-aud when his
wife returned home on March lst he was
again in precariOus condition.
Darling returned to Michigan on June
I'd OF that year to live with his mother at
Mount Clemens. There he was attended
by DR.. Richard Lochner, who said the
young mad had been under the influence
OF violent drugs, which had DESTROYED
the tissues of the body, and that his death
was only question OF time. The patient
died February ), 1894, but previous 10 his
death he made a statement that his wife
and DR.. Spranger had Systematically
poisoned him, and that he would die from
the effects OF the drugs given him. The
body WAS cremated without post NOR
tenn examination at the request of the
patient, who maintained that he did not
want his body to fall into the hands OF
his wife.
Mrs. Darling, the mother, then realized,
as she claims, that her son had been
murdered, and took the matter before
District Attorney Fraser of Detroit, who
said that the suspicious, while perhaps
well-tounded, were not strong enough to
warrant the arrest of the doctor and her
daughter-in-law.
The motive, according to the dead
mans mother, has now been established
through the public marriage of DR..
Spranger to Mrs. Darling in Baltimore i'll
March OF this year. DIR. Spranger and
his wife are now in Southern California
enjoying their honeymoon.
as soon as their marriage was an
nOuuced, John Quincy Adams, brother
Of tho dead mans mother, residing in
this city, took the case before District
Attorney Fellows. He submitted proof,
as he claims, that poison was admins
tered to the son by his wife while they
were stopping in this city in the early
part of 1898. District Attorney Fellows
assigned the case to Assistant District At
torney George c. Battle, who is making q
thorough examination of all the circum-
stances surrounding the death of young
Darling.