Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-11
MIGHT Be
MURDER.
Death of Charles Kuhn, at
Delta, More Mysterious
Than Ever.
RESULT OF THE AUTOPSY
Ugly Rumcrs Bring an old Lovers
Name into the Matter-Death Said
to Have Been Caused by Strych-
nine-Empty Bottle Found.

Delta, Sept. 7.-(Special.) -Chas.
Kuhn was mysteriously poisoned Tues
day evening and died in short time.
He and his wife drove over to What
Cheer Tuesday and while there bought
four bottles of beer, two of which were
drunk on the road home. Just before
reaching Delta he screamed that he
was poisoned and would die unless he
got help Immediately. He was driven
rapidly to the doctors office but was
beyond help and died in few min
utes. His last words to his wife were,
You have poisoned me-" The coron-
er's inquest was held next morning
and the evidence was SO strong
against his wife that post mortem
was held and Mrs. Kuhn was arrested
and is now in the Sigourney Jail. The
evidence is said to have showed it was
premeditated and that there was a
man in the alleged plot
Delta, Sept S.-(Special.)-J as
Mrs. Charles Kuhn was entering the
carriage to accompany her husbands
funeral cortege to the cemetery, she
was placed under arrest charged with
his murder. This little town is all
torn UP over Kuhn's death which is
strychnine placed in bottled beer, ru-
NOR has it, by his young wife. AS sta
ted yesterday in the Courier, Mrs.
Kuhn was incarcerated in the Keokuk
county Jail at Sigourney after post
mortem examination of the remains of
her husband had been made and after
a coroner's jury had returned a ver-
dict recommending that she be held
on the charge of murder. She is cool
and collected over the affair and evil
dences neither fright nor sorrow. A
bottle containing few grains Of
strychnine has been found on
the road over which the cou-
pie travelled when Mr.. Kuhn
began to evidence signs of dis
tress. To further complicate matters
there was a great difference in the
ages of the couple and since the death
4 of the husband ugly little stories are
being circulated. Mrs. Kuhn's prelim-
mary examination will be held next
Friday at Sigourney and in the mean
time the people of this place are get
ting worked up more every day.
The Details.
Mr.. Kuhn was cripple. His limbs
were drawn and stiffened SO that he
WdlhSu WILL uiiuCulIS. IlS Was d COD-
bier by trade, and by industry and
close attention to business had amass-
ed property to the value of about
$4,000. He was AZ years of age and
last Decoration day was united in mar
riage with Miss Sarah Crane, 10 years
of age. Seemingly the couple lived
happily together but since the deatn
Of Mr.. Kuhn people in the neighbor-
hood say that she became discontent-
ed and wanted him to divide his prop
erty with her and allow her her free
dom. 1t was generally thought that
he made all provision for his wife
commensurate with his means and re-
Gently purchased horse and buggy.
Last Tuesday evening the couple went
to What Cheer, about seven miles
away. Upon their arrival Mrs. Kuhn
left the vehicle while the husband re-
paired to saloon where he purchased
twelve bottles of beer. In about TWEEN
ty minutes the couple started for
home. They had gone but short dis
lance when he evidenced desire for
bologna sausage. The couple turned
back to What Cheer where the bolog-
ma was purchased, she holding the
horses while he went into the store.
They started home second time, he
drinking the beer and eating the bo-
logna. After drinking nearly all of the
4 beer in two of the bottles and eating a
quantity of the sausage, he complained
/ of feeling badly. The horse was whip
( ned up and driven very fast in the di-
Yection Of home. When on the out