The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-28
SHE BURNED
THE BABY.
Mary Barrett Did Not
Want to Care For
The Child.

Dover, DEL, June 27.-Mary Barrett,
q bris III ! colored Girl, 15 years of age was
arrested to might by State Detective Nc
Vsy, charged with having set on fire aud
burned to death jackson. the 49, months
old child Of j. W. Lafferty. She will be
given bearing before Magistrate Cooper
on Thursday morning.
At first she denied any crime, but after
wards, breaking out In tearl. confessed to
the detectives that she had set fire to the
baby's clothes. She snid size was tired OF
attending to the infant, and wanted to b3
relieved. Besides the baby oried too much.
While the baby was playing In the kit
chen, with its mother oil the outside. she
lit two matches aud applied them TO the
child's dress. She closed the door SO the
cries of the infant could not be heard,
and otter waiting until she thought The
baby was burned to death, she called the
mother Tho girl also confessed that she
had made several attempts to set the Laf-
ferty house on fire.
Mary Barrett was employed by Tho
Laffertys, who live near Lsipso On the
day of the childs death, about weeks ago.
she was the last one in the kitchen when
little Jackson caught fire and the first one
to find MIN in flames. She acted suspc-
iously and Levi Pyle, aged 1a "a bound boy,
says she said to him when Pyle was
mourning the little ones fate:
"Oh. don go on So He's too little to
know; and then he won't have TO be taken
care Of now."
She Is said to havo threatened the boy II
hedisclosed anything against her.
The girl seems to have had q mania for
fires. First, u bag of rags was found on
fire in her garret room. Secondly there
came tho baby's death. and last Friday
her bed was found to bs Oh fire. Then she
was discharged.
Tho detective believes that since the
burning Of the child md the attempts to
fire the house. the Barrett girl attempted
to poison the Latferty family On one oc-
casion, the date Mrs. Lafferty does not re-
member, she made The coffee for supper,
and leaving the Kitchen told the colored
girl to pour the coffee when supper was
ready. The girl did 50. placing a cup At
each plate. Mrs. Laferty thought the cof.
fee looked strange, and, thinking it was
to strong. poured the beverage back into
the pot and put moro water ia it. Whom
1t was again poured out 1t appeared 10 be
weak, and thore was greenish scum on
the surface. Her husband took aswallow.
remarked it had srange taste, and the
coffee was thrown out
A few days ago Mr.. Lnfferiy went to get
some Paris green he had purchased to put
on tho potato vines, and found that 1t
missing from the package and some Of the
powder was spilled on the shelf. He said
the girl saw where he placed 1t. The de-
tective did not ask the prisoner about this
matter, as he was SO Mortified by the con-
fession. that the Paris green episode slip
ped his memory
The crime with which the girl is charged
has but one parallel in tho history of
crime in Delaware. About forty years ago
woman in Georgetown poisoned a baby
to keep from attending it. Hho was arres-
ted tried, convicted and hanged She
was the last person hanged in George
town until James Gordy was hanged u
few years ago.
This town and Leipsic Is In a great
state Of excitement over the crime. Had
tho affair been generally Known in Leipsic
it Is thought tho girl would have been
the victim of violence. Much interest is
manifested in the approaching trial. Mag
istrate Cooper's small office will be filed
to over-flowing. Attorney General White
will be here and conduct the prosecution.