The times., 1898-08-01
THE "vE1LED MuRpEREss.o
Mystery of Il Murder in Troy, N. Y
In 1853 Is Solved

l cs N.
In 1853 Is Solved
Chicago. July a-A sensational srorv IN
| the effect that Chicago woman Mrs. C.
| F. Norris, of 1875 Fiftieth, Street, has re-
| vealed the identity of the "veiled murder
ess' at the Matteawan On W Asylum
| for the Criminal Insane, Is in circulation
| Mrs Norris recently Informed her friends
| that since 1871, when she visited Sing Sing
| prison. she has been aware of the iden-
tity of the woman who was then confined
! there and who was known as Henrietta
| Robinson, the "veiled murderess." Ac-
! cording to Mrs. Norris, the prisoner is
| Charlotte Wood, of Quebec, Canada. who
in 1s43 attended the Willard, Seminary. in
Troy, N. Y, and whose parents at that
time occupied high position in Canadian
| society.
According to Mrs. Norris Charlotte
confded to her that she loved a man in
Troy named John Lanigan, but feared
that her father would conpal her to mar
ry another man whom he might choose,
as he had done in the case OF her two Sis
ters. In 1S4S she learned. that Miss Wood
had married Sir William. Elliott, in charge
Mrs Norris's attention was called TO the
poisoning of Lanigan and a Miss Lubee,
at Troy, and the subsequent trial of a
Mrs. Robinson" for the double crime.
The accused was sentenced to DEATH but
Governor Clark commuted the sentence to
life Imprisonment on the plea of insanity
made by her counsel, Martin l. Townsend.
During the trial the prisoner contin-
ually wore a veil and in many ways
tried to avoid recognition In 1871 Mrs.
Norris visited Sing Sing prison TO see If
her suspicious were correct that the
murderess was her old school-mate. She
recognized the prisoner and was Decog-
nized by her. The prisoner begged her
not to reveal her identity. The facts
connected with the murder were: Short
ly after Mrs. Robinson's arrival in Troy
in 1885, Lanigan was married to wo-
man living in another part Of she State
When she heard of this she became yio-
lent, and walked the streets muttering
threats against him. She was supposed
to be insane. On the day of the murder
she went to the shop kept by Lanigan
and his wife and ordered four glasses OF
ale and requested Mrs. Lanigan to sum-
mon her husband and their friend, Miss
Lubee, to drink with her. This was done.
and within "a few hours after drinking
the dle LIillSdn ana MISS l<uptc UlSu
of arsenical poisoning Mrs. Robinson
was arrested tried and convicted. Char
lotte Wood is said 10 have a son who is
memtier of the British Parliament.
Mrs. Norris, who is now sevensy-three
years old, is a woman of veracity.
Charlotte Wood was the maiden name
of the ''veiled prisoner" She was one of
three sisters, daughters of a well-to-do
Quebec family. who were educated at the
l. cd Co. H.
became engaged TO a man who was after
wards conspicuous in politics. He had
previously been betrothed TO her older
sister She was brought to her home by
her father, who desired her to marry an
Englishman her sisters had done.
Two years after her marriage to Col.
William +. Elliott she left his home in
England and returned TO her fathers
house. He would not receive her and
she went to Troy I'm 1852 10 seek employ
ment as a teacher in the Emma Willard
Academy. She lived alone there, and
became acquainted with the family of a
grocer named Timothy Lanigan.
The motives of the crime which led 10
her arrest are not clear, and various
statements have been made concerning
them. But ii is true that on May 25, 1853,
she poisoned the grocer and young wo-
man named Catharine Lubee by putting
INTO peer WHICH tuty were Cflnk-
ing together. Throughout her trial she
wore a veil, and was known as Henrietta
Robinson, the name she bears in prison
today. 1t is said that by an agreement
with her family she denied her identity. u
WhiieIshe was in jaiifawaitfng trial itiI
was rumored that. she was Charlotte I
Wood. In order TO discredit that rumor
a reception was given in the academy and
her brother came from Quebec to attend !
it. With him at the entertainment WAS |
his sister Lady William f. Elliott as she |
was called. That put an endh for the time |
being 10 the stories of her identity with |
the murderess. But few persons knew |
that Lady William Elliott was driven by |
a roundabout way back TO the city jail |
that night. II was TO satisfy her doubts |
on the subject that her old friend. Mrs. |
Norris, eighteen years after the murder, |
went 10 Sing Sing prison.
To this day Henrietta Robinson. as she |
is called, wears her veil. Her relatives
have died. and she is said to have accu-
mulated a fortune from the increase in /
her means since she went to prison. Snc /
is in poor health and her mind Is weak. /
During all the years of her contineluent
the only visitor she ever had was the per-
son who made known her identity.