Smyrna times., 1898-08-17
MYSTERIOUS DEATHS.
TWO Deaths In Dover Believed to Have
Been Caused From Poison.

D~etns Ih DOFer be1eVeQ 10 nave
Been Caused From Poison.
The, death of Mrs. J. d. Dean and
ner sister, Mrs. Dunning, wife of J.
r Dunnlng, a newspaper correspond
ent who went with the army to Cuba,
both residing in Dover, has caused in
tense interest wherever they were
known. Mrs. Dean died on Thursday
and Mrs. Dunning on Friday evening.
Mrs. Dean had been in her usual
health until Wednesday evening, when
her sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Dunning,
received in the mail package of candy.
The family all ate of the candy, as did
also three or four neighbors. Ali who
partook of the candy were sick; the
PeningtOns especially suffered sever
ely. The symptoms resembled cholera
mOrbus.
The funeral of the two ladies was on
Monday afternoon, and one of the larg-
est ever attended in Dover. The SER
vices at the house were conducted by
the Rev. j. F. StOnecipher, who mar
rled Mr.. and Mrs. Dunning on Febru-
ary ~, 1891, and the Rev. Joseph
Brown Turner, the pastor of the Pres
byterian church there. Both minis
ters spoke feelingly of the death of the
sisters and told of the Christian lives
they had led. They also spoke words
OF comfort to the grief-stricken par
ents.
HELD A CONFERENCE.
Ex-COngressman John P. Pening-
ton held a conference with his old
legal friend, Edward Ridgely, to
whom he stated the case and on whose
advice, together with his own legal
knowledge, he will act in the future
). 2. Dunning, husband of Mrs. Dun
ming, cabled Mr.. Pennington that he
would sail for home on the Resolute.
He has been in Porto Rico for the AS
sociated Press recently. Mrs. Dun
ming was with her father for about
two years, her husband being engaged
IN business which kept him away.
The last time she saw him was just be-
fore he went to Cuba. 1t is said that
they intended to live in New York on
his return from Porto Rico, where he
now is for the Associated Press.
ARsENICAL POISONING.
All indications at present are that
both women lost their lives by arseni-
cal poison taken in the candy sent from
San Francisco by person unknown.
The funeral of both the victims took
place from the home of their father, ex-
| Congressman John B. Pennington.
| Before the services Coroner Wells
began an investigation. DIR. Bishop
who attended the women after they
had been taken ill, gave it as his opin-
ion that the deaths were due to poi
sOned candy. No analysis of the
candy has as yet been made, but Mr..
Pennington will place samples of it in
the hands of several expert chemists.
On the result of these tests he pro-
poses to have further action. INMATE
examination of the box, wrapper and
contents has only served to deepen the
mystery as to the identity of the sender.
CANDY TO BE TESTED.
Several samples of the candy will be
tested. The Hon. George V. Massey
sent a letter to ex-Congressman PEN
ington asking for a sample of the
candy, and he will have it analyzed by
the chemists of the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company at Altoona, where one
of the finest laboratories in the world
is located. Another piece of candy
will be analysed by a chemist EN-.
plOyed by the Associated Press, by
whom Mr.. Dunning is now employed
while Fir. Pennington will send a speci.
men to DIR. Theodore r. Wolf, state
chemist at Newark. When these tests
are made the result will be announced
to the cOrOner's jury. If the candy
shows poison, and there is every rea
son to believe that it will, the investi
cation to find where the the candI
came from will be pushed.
SENT BY A WOMEN.
The local authorities who are invest.
igating the case, will, unless the,
change their minds, look for tn
women in the case. The candy wa
sent by a woman and it is believed tina
women sent it with the deliberate in
) tention of killing Mrs. Dunning
, Who the women is may be found ou
J later. There may be a suspicion o
, who she is now, but that is not known
! There has been talk of the box of cand.
{ coming from San Francisco. That
I all surmise. The pOstmark is so blu1
red that it may be anything. The gov
s ernment, however, can trace the pack
: age, and trained agents of the govern
ment will be used to trace it.
The writing on both the inside ant
outside of the paper box containin
g the candy is that of women. The
|. may be the same writing and that of
woman on both the inside and outside
/. The writing on the inside is apparentl
: in disguise. 1t is not q natural hanC
I while on the outside the writing is al
. parently natural.
v PRONOUNCED ARsENICAL POISONING.
g DIR. Wolf, State Chemist has mad
i an examination of the candy and foun
it contained large quantity of arsenic
1t was plot to murder.