The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-14
MRS. CUNNING WAS MURDERED
THAT rs THE BELIEF OF HER
FATHER.
Deaths of the Two Women at Dover,
Caused by Eating Poisoned Candy
An Accident Theory.

Dover, Del, Aug 13.-The identity of
the person who sent the box of poi
soned candy to Mrs. ]. P. Dunning,
which caused the death of the reclpi-
ent, as well as that of her sister, Mrs.
J. D. Deane, is still a mystery, al
though strenuous efforts are being
made to locate the donor. 1t is the
general belief that the candy was not
sent with the intention of poisoning the
recipients, but it is thought it became
stale on the way and that poison was
generated in the bonbons. The candy
was in plain white box.
DR.. Bishop, who has been continually
in attendance on the patient, is of the
opinion that Mrs. Deane and Mrs. Dun
ming died of heart disease, induced ny
some unknown poisonous substance.
Both suffered in the same manner.
When they became i'll they were at
tackled with vomiting spells. 1t was
thought an autopsy on the bodies of the
victims might reveal the cause of the
poisoning, but DR.. Bishop is of the
opinion that the vomiting had been so
great that nothing to examine was left
in the stomachs, and the idea has been
abandoned. All hopes are based on the
analysis of the candy. John PenninS-
ton, the father of Mrs. Deane and Mrs.
Dunning, is Frustrated by the terrible
affair. The five other victims of the
poisoned candy will recover.
Philadelphia, Aug. 1S.-The Record TO-
morrow will publish the following:
Dover, Del, Aug. 13.-'l believe that
candy was sent for the purpose of TAX
ing the lives of my daughter and her lit
That was the emphatic statement made
today by eX-Congressman John B. Pen
nington, in the parlor of whose house lay
the bodies of his two daughters, Mrs.
John D. Deane and Mrs. John P. Dun
ming, who died in agony after they had
partaken of chocolates that had been sent
to Mrs. Dunning through the mails. When
it was urged that the poisoning of the
Mr.. Pennington declared that he would
tell later why he held to such belief.
The paper in which the box of candy
was wrapped was closely examined and
the postmark San Francisco" was made
out.
There is a division among the people
here as to whether a crime was commit
ted or the deaths We're caused by poison
ing that developed in the candy on its
trip from San Francisco. Mr.. Pennington
believes the Mrs c." signature was as
sumed and that the candy was prepared
with poison and sent east for the Dur-
pose of causing the death of Mrs. Dun
ming and her little girl. Mr.. Pennington
says the signature was of the forged or
der and Furthermore, he declared that
Mrs. Cummings friend, whose name com
mences with &C" is now in Maine. There
were five doctors called in at the Pen
nington home to attend Mrs. Deane and
Mrs. Dunning. DR.. Bishop, one of the
physicians, stated TODAY that there was
no question but that the candy was pois-
oned. but he leaned toward the accident
theory. He said there were no indications
that arsenic had been introduced in the
system of the victims. DR.. Bishop de-
clared that if the candy had been sub
iected to excessive heat, ptomaines may
have been developed. He could not say
what particular poison caused the deaths.
called in, asserted that the poison that
caused the deaths paralyzed the f-----
centers and then the heart action ceased.
He rather inclined to the belief that the
candy had been Intentionally poisoned
though he said the chances for accidental
poisoning were numerous.
There will be no post mortem examina-
lions on either OF the dead women, as both
bodies have been embalmed.