The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-06

and Mr.. Davis stood out strongly for
the acquittal of the man at the trial
on the ground that Freeman was in
sane. For this he was harshly criti-
cised at the time.
There were two ( Lughters-Mrs
Gibbs, wife of sea captain of Catau-
met, and Mrs. Gordon, wife of Harry
| Gordon, of Chicago.
Miss Jane Toppan, pleasant and
genial, had rented cottage at Catau-
met for several sunL5ners. This cottage
was owned by Mr.. Davis and adjoined
the Davis hotel Miss Toppan was on
the best of terms with the Davis fam
| lily and they were all fond of her. In
fact, her patients have all been among
the best familiea of New England, and
wherever she has been she has seemed
to gain the affections of the people she
nursed. sa
Mrs. Davig had been an invalid for
long time and in August last she
gfew worse rapidly. Miss Toppan i'm
mediately went to the Davis home and
rendered Ter services as nurse.
Murders One of Her Friends.
1--WE certainly could not get anybody
that mother would like better" said
the family gratefully. Miss Toppan
moved in and took charge of the case
Despite the ILLUSTRATIONS. of the doe
tor and nurse Mrs. Davis continued to
sink rapidly Thinking that a change
night be beneficial, the physician or
dered Mrs. Davis removed to Cam
bridge. Miss Toppan went along and
a few days later Mrs. Davis died in
Cambridge. A physicians certificate
gave chronic diabetes as the cause and
, there appeared to be no suspicious
circumstances attending the DEATH
| Mrs. Harry Gordon, the daughter,
from Chicago, came ON meantime and
Mrs. Gibbs, the second daughter, came
from her house to remain temporarily
| buried at Cataumet. The devotion of
! the members of the, Davis family for
| each other has been a matter of COM
! ment and all are stricken with grief
at the mothers death. Miss Toppan in
| her capacity of friend and nurse looked
| after their comfort. saw all visitors
| and in manner superintended the
| household for a time.
Within week Mrs. Gordon was TAX
en- ill and died. There was apparently
no disease and it was given out that
she died of exhaustion and grief.
In making arrangements for the fu-
neral of his daughter Mr.. Davis had
slight alteration with the undertaken
over what he considered an exorbitant
! bill. He became quite exercised over
what he termed the coffin trust and
| after Mrs. Gordon's burial he went to
Boston to arrange for the printing Of
an article on the alleged extortion
| practieed by coffin manufacturers.
! Within day or two of his return
| he was stricken by illness and died
| suddenly. Heart disease, aggravated
by grief and by the dispute with the
undertaken" was the explanation COM
monty accepted in this instance.
Three days after the death of Mr..
Davis the only remaining member of
the family, Mrs. Gibbs, died.
For week or more after the deaths
no suspicion of foul play was aroused
Is Miss Toppan, who seemed to have
labored day and night in faithful
services for the family, was the SUBJ
1ect OF much praise and many condo
/ lences. Shortly afterward she left the
town, ostensibly on vacation To
! friends sheeconfided the fact that she
| would probably never return to the
town which held so many sad re-
! membranes for her. Capt Irving
Gibbs, husband of Mrs Gibbs, came
home about this time aEld was shocked
to find that his wife land her entire
| family had died during his absence
Bits of evidence began to come out
by degrees and soon the following
facts appeared. Three of the deaths
that is to say, all excepting that of
| Mrs. Davis-were accompanied by sim
liar symptoms. The victims COM
planned of lassitude, nausea, stomach
| disorder and fever.
| Miss Toppan had rursed all of
| them. Mrs. Gibbs, who died last, had
been attended by no one else. Every
| drop of medicine had been administer
/ ed by the trained nurse.
| After Mrs. Gordon's death a num-
Der of medicine bottles had been found
| concealed between the mattresses of
l hn nod a,-Ixy oil ~ Ii19,@ IAN
| remained in the bottles. showing that
the remedies which DR.. Latter had
| prescribed were. not administered. It
| became known that Miss Toppan owed
the Davis family $500. During the
| summer preceding-that is to say, in
| 190O-Miss Toppan had superintend-
| ed a students boarding house at the ia
nous Marine Biological laboratory at
| Woods Holl, Mass. She had contract
| ed debt instead of making profit,
| as the house had ordinarily done, and
| part of this money she had borrowed
from Alden P. Davis, it is claimed.
| In this connection Capt. Paul Gibbs
| furnished valuable data to the police
| Previous to her death and after the
| death of Mr.. Davis Mrs. Gibbs was
| urged by Miss Toppan to sign a pa
per releasing her from the debt. Mrs.
! Gibbs declined to do this
Mrs. Gibbs was in Falmouth the day
| before her death and when she return
| ed to Cataumet that night she was ap-
| parently in the best of health. She
did not complain of feeling unwell and
was particularly bright and cheerful :.
The next .day-the day on which she
and Miss Toppan are alleged to have
talked about the agreement, Miss Top
pan Is said to have requested her to
| slgn-she was taken: i'll, and the day
| following died. Her husband, Capt.
Irving Gibbs, was sent for short time
before she breathed her last, but when
he got to her bedside from his vessel
IN Norfolk, Va. life was just Pickering
in her body.
Reason for Investigation.
/ Capt. Paul Gibbs was convinced
then, he said that there was reason
for an investigation into the deaths