The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-17
DIR. VOLTS Analysis Shows
This Quantity Of Arse
mic was in Candy
THAT KILLED The WOMEN.
ExCongressman Pennington
Believes His Daugh=
ters Were the
Victims of
HATRED AND JEAL0USLY.

Dover, DEL, August 1f.--Enou4h nrscn
ic to kill over II score Of people lay hddel
in the box of chocolates Mrs, JOHN p Dun
ming received In the mail luss Tuesday, and
from eating Of which she and her sister
Mrs. j. y. Deane, died, ACCORDING to un an
| alysis made by State Chemist Theodore Il
Wolf to day. In three pieces of chocolate
auayzcd by the expert he found enough oI
tho deadly poison TO kill four persons.
Tho candy was taken to the STATE
chemist at the Delaware Agriculture
College. at Newark. Del, this morning by
DR.. L. A. II. Bishop, the physician who at
tended Mrs. Deune ana Mrs Dunning, anG
he was accompanied by Manlove Hayes oil
| this city, who is Il trustee Of the college
| Ex- Congressman Pennington, father of the
| dead women, asked for the analysis. DR..
| Wolf went to work at once. and early this
evening he came to this city with the
result of his Investigation.
Upon the arrival ofDrs Wolf and Bishop
| the Coroler's jury was called toge, her by
Coroner Walls, and the testimony of both
doctors was then submitted, Tho action
Of he jury was awaited by Il crowd Of OK
cited people, who had not long to wait.
Immediately DR.. Wolf made II state 'nent
of his finding, which is us follows.
Il received to-day from DR.. Bishop a
box containing u portion of III, candy
supposed to have been eaten by Mrs. Mary
Elizabeth Dunning and Mrs. j, D. Deane
and several others for analysis From des-
criptiOns Of symptoms ! suspected the
presence of arsenic in the candy. and my
investigation was directed exclusively to
the detection Of that poison as near as pos
slble. In the application Of the usual tests
l found my suspicious were correct, and
that the candy contained very large
quantity OF arsenic and found pieces Of
arsonic as large as peas
"a fatal dose from two to three grains.
and found in three bonbons from 10 to
II grains, enough to kill four persons 1t
requires prescription to purchase arsenic,
put you could buy rough on-rats with u
little coloring, which is the same.
Tho Coroners jury rendered II verdict
that Mrs, Denne and Mrs. Duuning ''came
to their death by poisoning from arsenic
sent by parties unknown to the jury"
'"Ihe poisoner Of my two daughters was
designing woman of Snn Francisco-a
she devil, IA tend--who jealous of Mrs
Dunning," said ex- Congressman Pom.
ington to-day. Her desire was to kill
Mrs. Dnnning and her 6-year Old child
Mary Eliznbeh; but she sent to horrible
death Mrs. Dunning and her sister, Mrs
Dcano, Instead u he added.
The horrible crime Is put down ns nm act
OF revenge Of the woman on Mrs. Dunning
who tho poisoner fancicd WIS her enemy.
This feeling must have been harbored for
two years or more for Mrs Dunning had
left San Francisco In the summer of 1896
and had been living at her fathers home
until her DEATH For over four years, from
the time Of her marriage, in 1891, Mrs.
Dunning lived with her husband in tho
Golden Gate City where he was in charge
OF the Associated Press bureau. Then Mr..
Dunning left bis position, and Mrs. Dun
ming caine Enst, while her husband re.
maincd in the West
1t had been planned for husband and
wife to take up life in New York, IL
hclne of their own, after the wal, And Mrs
that event, when death came so horribly
and unexpeC edly.
The act of the poisoner has boeu reason
ed out, with the analysis proof as con-.
firmation. Tho murderess is believed 10 |
have bought an ordinary box CT chocolates
and to have then introduced the poison,
written the note-"With love to yourself
and baby"-in disguised .bahd, placed
the handkerchief in he box as present"
TO the little girl, and then she either wrote
the address herself, again Disgusting the
writing, or had child or some one else,
who was entirely innocent of the pro-
posed deed, ntldress the package for her
The sender of the poisoned candy evi-
IDENTIFY knew that Mrs Dunuing had two
dear friends whose name commenced
with "C'-Mrs. CORDIALLY, of San Fran
cisco, and Mrs. Craven, of Salem, N j.
and signed tho note that was sent with
ton of leading Mrs. Dunning to think
thnt the present came from one of her
close friends, mother of whom, CT course,
knew anything about what sswas hc!ng
dome. Mrs. CORDIALLY Is at present and has
been for some timo travelling in Maine
and Mrs. Ddnning rCcertly received let
tors from her. Mrs. Craven attended tho
double funeral yesterday.
49, 49, THINKS THE PolsoNER Is NEARER
Though there was doubt ut FIRST about
Tho place the candy came from there is
lone now, in Mr.. penngton's opinion.
Jndcr magnifying glass tho post.murk
vas made out to be "sSan Francisco, Cal" t
Nr. DuLne. however, is firmly of the :
opinion that tho chocolates came from ,
One plnco nearer home, Notwithstanding j.,
he postmark. He believes that some
lie had Iancied wrong stored up against t
'lr|. Dunning, or hat 1t was desired to t
ill the whole family, but reason for
uch ieoling on anyone part he could net d
ucSS. 4
AT the local post Office Assistant Post '.
master Mccoy stated that the package un :
CUB edly came from san Francisco, ns V
ne of the stamps was cancelled wit, tho
AN Francisco stamp. That mark
ould not have been placed on tho
'rapper elsewhere, ho said, unless h
18th tho connvanco of Il postoi,iap -
nployc. The package arrived in the 5.5s 3
lai from tho West, via Philadelphia
uosday afternoon. Mr. D4auaand others "
ia the fact that tho bcx was not at all b
roken, us would likely be the case on such r
long trip, but others heTe declare that r
ley have received from such dista"co r,
enty of packages just US fral, which ~
ave been in perfect condition upon arrival a,
Hours before The analysis of the candy Is
as made by State Chemist Wolf the HI
inclusion that be deaths were caused by fC
'scnical poisoning had been reached by &c
'erybody who had had anything to do Or
it'll the cases. From the actions % the -
.tnnts ana the description Of the bodies =,
ier death, numerous doctors hRd de- ''
nred that tho poison was arsenic J'hc Qt
'dies became horribly swollen especially Il!
at of MIS-. Dnnnlng. Some time be- fit
re her death portions Of hvr body be-
me discolorel and the lips blue. Mr.
sane, when he was led up to the cn,krt
iako last Look at his wife, sad Take
Q away; that docs net look like my Ike
i(e, y the change having been 50 great ah
at in all his experience he had never had Ar
rh eases in which poison was 50 evident. va
hilo ho was cmbalming tn. bodies Nj. -,
lGcr tips, especially about the nails, O. ~
me poisoned from having come in con. HP
1t with arteries IN the poisoned bodies, sol
Il he is now undergoing treatment. Stt
sad TACT IN connection with the de
uble tragedy relates TO Mrs. Dunning's1 yo
ath. About hdlf-hUur before She died res
/ asked DR.. Ri shDn \Nhpf lrr lr DDt hr
IS going TO die. Tho physician humore,: ~ ~
r and said NO" Then Mrs. Dunnns INC
d. Now, | want to know, hocAu.e i. an'
IN going to die l want 10 say some. SAL
ng." Ueath came 90 QUICKLY for her bel
have her wish graf fed. att
,lr. Deane and Mr.. fGningtO II take cX
,tioE to u published statement that DR. |,
shop was not called in until twelve Me,
lrs after Mrs. Deane hud been taken 3, n
X Sho was first scizod with q vomiting il n
II about midnight. and then and dur. forr
the rest Of the night Mr.. Dnane insist
upon calling in the doctor Mrs. Deanu s.
i mo that the trouble was simply
h her stomach, an old complaint Il
la,iy, at I D cluck In the II orung, DR. licA
hop was sought and ho came in i'm all
aMtely, to 4
he othor five victims Of the poisoned 10 !
colat@s, who ato sparlngly. have racov nsu
!, butMis Josephine Bateman, ,daugMcp 10
editor Bat eman, is congratula.ing her Mt,
on hei narrow escape. Mlsi Batcmnn If t
stopped at tho Pennington home on Of I