Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-06

member of her family who knew her aw.
full fate, that sho would die without re-
vealing it. In 40 years that she has spent
In Sing Sing, Auburn and Matteawan but
ono person, u woman, has visited her who
knew her true name. Even she did not
know the name she bore after her mar
riage. This woman, on going to see tho
yelled murderess, promised to tell the au-
thorities of the asylum Mrs. Robinson's
maiden name.
Tho moment Mrs. Robinson saw her in
tho ward she placed her finger ON her lip.
When the visitor went, after two hours, she
said:
Il cannot tell you who she is. have
promised her that Will not.''
1t was in 1868, in tho spring, that a
man named flanagan, living in Troy. and
o young woman visiting at his house
drank in Lanagan's cottage two glasses of
beer at the invitation Of n woman calling
herself Mrs. Henrietta Robinson. Both
died inside of five hours, and Mrs. Robin
son was at once arrested, Mt the instigation
of Lanagan's wife, charged with admins
tcring arsenic in the beer. Arsenic was
found under tho carpet in the cottage of
the eccentric Mrs. Robinson, who had re-
peatedly threatened to kill somebody or
anybody.
A famous politician of Troy, known
| throughout the state of New York, who
had been living with Mrs. Robinson in
| this cottage, had not been to see her for q
long time. She believed he had deserted
her. She claimed him as her husband,
| and tho desertion apparently unseated her
| reason. She was an extraordinarily beauti-
full and proud woman, but when she
found tho man neglected her she began
| to drink unreasonably and frequent the
flanagan cottage and store across from her
house. She mad left her husband in Eng
| land, returning to this side. Disowned
| by her family, she went to Troy, drawn
| by memories of the young man she had
loved before her marriage.
Mrs. Robinson was promptly arrested
for Ianagan's murder. When the trial
came, she appeared richly dressed, but
| yelled. The judge requested her to remove
| the veil. She declined. Her counsel could
not persuade her to do so, they said She
insisted that rather than have her face ex-
posed to recognition, she would run the
risk of all the damage it might do her
| case. The courtrooms were thronged with
people curious to SEQ her face Day after
day counsel and judge endeavored to get
her to remove the dark blue veil that she
wore twisted about her face and even
about the back of the head. The cxtraor-
binary spectacle was presented of jury
and judge trying a prisoner whose face
they had not seen. Once or twice the
judge made determined order that she
must throw back the veil and the prisoner
| obeyed, but never so that q clear view of
her face could be had by even the Jury.
When the veil was partly removed, she
drew a rich mantilla about her face, SO
that it hid part of her features, and used
her handkerchief to hide the rest. But un-
less absolutely compelled the thick blue
| veil was never disturbed.
The excitement as to the identity of the
prisoner was intense. 1t was asserted that
she was Emma Wood, daughter of a rich
Englishman of Canada, who had been OF
the Emma Willard academy in Troy. The
Willards issued cards saying she was not
Emma Wood, but it didn't satisfy the
public or the newspapers, who vainly
struggled to find out who she might be.
A Mr.. William Wood of Canada visited
her. She would not see him in the pres.
ence of any one, but they were alone two
hours. At the end of the time Mr.. Wood
stated she was not his sister Emma, and
tried by letters to prove she did not belong
to his family.
| Mr.. Wood did have one sister named
Charlotte. A marriage notice, to which
Mrs. Robinson has once made reference as
being hers, says that Charlotte Wood was
married to the eldest son of William Fran
els Elliott, Bart, of S:ob's Castle. Rox.
burgshire, Scotland. The bridegroom was
named William +. Elliott, and he was an
officer of the Nincty-third Highlanders.
Mr.. Wood showed letters trying to prove
Mrs. Robinson was neither of his sisters.
but it is generally believed that her name
was Charlotte Wood. She has guarded her
secret well all these years, and the family,
having cast her of, has never interfered
with her attempts TO do SO. Every intlica-
ton points to the fact that her maiden
name was Charlotte Wood.
Mrs. Robinson was undoubtedly insane
ut the time the murder was committed.
But evidence as to insanity was not ad.
J mitted. Troy was determined to avencs