The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-06-28
KILLED MANY PATIENTS
FOR THE PLEASURE
Modern BOrgia Explains
Her Symptoms 10 the
Doctors

6aT.istable, Mass, June 2S.--Not
since the days of Lucretia Borgia and
other subtle pois6ners of the middle
ages has there been one known to
equal Jane Toppan. who was locked
up this week in the Taunton Insane
asylum for poisoning Mrs. Mary ID.
Gibbs, at Cataument last August. By
her own confession this nurse has
killed thirty-one sick persons who
have been under her care in the last
ten years. Some she murdered with
morphine aid atropInae and others
with poisons which she cannot re-
member When not gratifying her
passion by killing people she set fire
to The houses where she was & guest
or was employed in a professional
capacity
Many of the persons who have died
from poison administered by the muir
deress died IRON disease. according
to death certificates fled by their
physicians, but the physicians were
easily fooled. Miss roppan says, and
in most cases unhesitatingly accepted
the stories she told them.
Insists She is not Insane.
The first day Judge Bixby saw Miss
Toppan she admitted her guilt OF the
crimes with which sne was charged.
When the physicians sent to ascertain
her mental condition went to Barn.
stable to see her she told them OF
eleven persons she mad murdered to
crafty a passion. She was responsible
for numerous nres in houses in which
che was nurse, and had she remain
ed at liberty. she admitted, many
more people would have died and
many more incendiary fires would
have occurred.
"You say ] am insane" she told
Juage Bixby one day when he ques
tioned her about ner crimes. "How
can beg knew | was doing wrong
every time | killed any one
Admits Numbering a chicagoaa.
Upon tho arst visit of Drs. George
9. jay. Tenry r. stedman and II. M
ouimby. the committee of alienist'
appointed by the state to examine
Hiss Toppan she was rather uncom
municatlve, looking on them witt
some suspicion. But the second inter
view. an examination OF five hours
found her tractable and CONFIDENTIAL
She admitted that she had poisoned
eleven persons. including Mrs. Harry
Gordon, OF Chicago.
The experts were interested prih
oipally in what had Deen the life q
this woman that hae developed s1ci
an unprecedented and subtle homicio
al mania. She told them. Her lonl
experiepee with doctors enabled he
TO discuss unnatural circumstance
without hesitation over ndelieate de
tails.
Describes Her Mania for Murder
When II years old Jane Toppan wa
addicted TO habits that developed int
a mania OF such atrocious charaete
that toying with death alone woul'
satisfy a. Miss Toppan herself appr'
ciateu this and barred her mental pai
oxysms TO the scrutiny Of the alier
lists. she said she could crafty he
abnormai passion only by handling ds
ing persons. SO degenerate had sh
become that nothing short Of fondlin
men and women in the agony OF deaf
could excite her
These paroxysms were intermitier
Miss Toppan told tie doctors. sh
might nurse a patient faithfully an
seek only to effect a cure. When /
the midst OF devoted attention to he
duty she would be overcome with
stress of passion desire 70 see a HI
man being die Nothing but forcibl
restraint then would defeat the HON
cidal purpose. No matter how nea
ly recovered her patient was sf
would administer poison that in