The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-01-21
CHILD PRISONERS
Girls Of Seventeen and
Thirteen Gave Their
Mother Paris
Green.
MAYNARD AND WICKED
False Charge Against Their
Brother Insurance
Money the
Motive

Motive
! Annie Thoms, seventeen years old. and
/ her sister Lizzie, thirteen. were held for
the Grand Jury by Recorder Stanton in
/ the Toboken Police Court this morning.
charged with conspiracy to poison their
mother, Mrs John Thoms, Of No. 500 Park
avenue, that city The case is one OF the
most remarkable in the criminal records
Of this comfy.
Lizzie. the younger sister, who is an
innocent looking child, confessed, after a
rigid examination, that her sister Annie
had concocted the scheme to murder their
mother in order to collect 1926 insurance
on her life. Lizzie confessed thar Annie
bought Paris green and that she. Liz
zie, had put some of it IN her mothers
tea Mrs. Thoms drank the tea. She
became deathly sick, vomiting frequently.
She recovered three days later.
/ The story of the attempted murder was
revealed to the police this morning, when
/ Mrs. Thoms appeared in court as COM
| plainant against her daughter, Annie,
vino, She Charmed, was incorrigible. Mrs.
Thomas said that the girl had taken
/ household effects to the pawn shop and
kept bad company.
She tried to poison me once exelaim-
/ ed Mrs Thoms, breaking into tears. "and
] almost died.
The statement stunned everybody in
the court room.
Recorder Stanton at once asked the wo-
man if she really meant what she said.
Yes, your Honor" replied the witness,
''they put Paris green in my tea"
VINO did?''
''The Children
you mean 10 say that your own chill
dren poisoned your
Yes sir, they did. and I nearly died
1 was so sick
Mrs. Thomas has five children. Only
two were in court. They were Annie. who
was under arrest charge with being in
| corrigible and wayward, and Lizzie.
Did you hear your mothers state
ment?r inquired the Court.
Both girls nodded in the affirmative.
"Wen, is it correct?"
Annie spoke up.
My brother Johnny did it, said she.
/ '.He bought the poison and said that we
should put 1t IN mother s "a.
"Who put it in the tea?''
/ II don't know / think Lizzie did,
Annie went on to say that he brother
/ Johnny, who is fifteen years of age,
worked in a wall paper factory in Hobo
| kers fer $3.50 a week. She said that lie
told her of story he had read in anews-
/ paper about a woman being poisoned. fIe
suggested, she said, that they poison ma
ma Annie also charged Johnny with
/ 10 ,oA 42s1 a nd
! would so and buy the poison This was
| last wednesday afternoon, the same day
that Mrs Thoms drank the tea which
made her so sick.
Recorder Stanton Immediately sent De-
teetive Fenton after Johnny. The boy
| was brought into court a few minutes
later. Meanwhile, Lizzie. the younger
| girl, had corroborated Annie's statement.
Lizzie admitted having put the poison in
her mothers tea.
She said:-"I heard Johnny tell Annie
that he was going to the drug store to
get ten cents worth of poison. Annie
: asked, What do you want with it?' He
said. ITO put in mammals tea Annie
| said nothing Johnny went out and came
| back with a little round box He gave
/ the box to Annie and she put it in her bed
: L
/ wednesday afternoon That night my
sister took 1t from under the mattrass
and gave it to me. asked her what I
should do with it, and she said, Put it
| in mothers tea My sister was with
me when I put it in.
How much did you put IMP asked the
Recorder.
"a few drops"
sswas it liquid?"
| "No, it was powder green powder
.sDid you see your mother drink the
tea?"
'.No, sir
s.why did you want to poison her?"
"Because she put auntie out of the
house and said she would put Johnny
/ out. too.
Johnny wept bitterly when he heard his
sister charge him with having purchas-
ed the poison. He denied having seen
! the poison until the day after his mother
was taken ILL., He said that his mother
! told him to make up mis- sister Annie's
4 bed When he removed the sheet he said
he found the hov containing the poison
/ He gave the poison to his mother, who
threw It into the stove
| The Recorder was inclined to disbelieve
| the boys statement ana ordered ali three
held for the Grand Jury. While little
Lizzie was being taken to a cell ehe broke
down and said that she had told lie.
She was taken back before the Recorder.
she then said that her brother Johnny
was entirely innocent.
II feel sorry for him. she exclaimed.
! .tHe didn't DO anything" Lizzie said that
her older sister Annie had put up the
entire conspiracy in order to obtain the
$2s8 insurance on her mothers life. She
( said that Annie had purchased the Par.s
green in Pallehners drug store at Tfir-
.lteenth and Washington street and that
che, Lizzie. had put the poison in her
| mothers teat at Annie's direction.
The Recorder thersupon discharged the
bog ara held the two girls without bail
for The action OF he Grand Jury
| II making h,r statement Mrs Thoms
/ said that her husband John Thonls was j
Cripple ana was At present in st. Mary's
! Ecspifal. having injured himself by fa7l :
inc an the street while drunk. He Tor
A. ma .ra yNols Trsad Henos3v