The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-12-05
To6JsuRANcE
Maine Woman Probably Poi
soned Her Two Daughters
KILLS HERSELF BY HANGING
In the Home of Deputy Sheriff, to
Whose Charge She Had Been Re-
manded-Abrupt End of Case Which
Promised to Be Highly Sensational

Dexter, Me-, Dec. Mrs. Hattie L..
Written. who was arrested Saturday
on suspicion Of having poisoned her O.
year-old daughter, from whose funeral
she had just returned, committed sui
eide yesterday by hanging from bed
post while il: the custody of Deputy
Sheriff Curtis Her death ends, as far
as the law can be invoked. case prom
Used, from the suspicious held against
Mrs. Whitten, to be as sensational as
any inquired into in Maine for a long
time.
Mrs. Written was suspected of hay
ing caused the death of an elder
this body lad been exhumed The
deaths Of the children was given in the
certificates as meningitis and heart
failure respectively, and as the end
came suddenly in both instances it is
pointed out that Mrs. Whitten's hus-
band died suddenly two years ago. At
that time there was talk by the people
of the town about Mr. Whitten's death
being peculiar, but no inquiry was
made.
After the funeral on Saturday, and
while the girls body was at the ceme-
terry awaiting interment, physicians
held an autopsy, finding traces Of
arsenic and strychnine. Mrs. Whit
tens arrest followed. Without delay
a coroner's jury was empanelled and on
evidence presented reported that the
girls death was due to poison adj
ministered by the mother The body Of
the elder girl was then eXhumcd and
the autopsy held Mrs. Written was
arraigned in court, pleaded not guilty
to the charge of murder, was held until
Tuesday for a hearing and remanded
into the care of Deputy Sheriff Curtis.
She was taken to the home of her son,
Lewis, who is married and lives here,
for the night.
At 10 o'clock yesterday Deputy
Sheriff Curtis took her to his home.
She was allowed to remain alone in
the room while changing her dress and
her request for two towels from her
grip was granted Curtis then re-
manned in the room until 2 o'clock.
when he left her for five minutes to feed
his horse. LII that short time she tied
the towels together, made a moose with
a square knot and fastened one end to
the top of the old-fashioned bedpost.
five feet from the floor. When Curtis
returned he found her hanging from the
post, with life extinct. Another towel
found inside her dress showed that the
act had been carefully planned before
leaving home. 1t was learned she had
told her parents that all would be we'll
after o'clock.
Information was given out yesterday
that George e. Brewster, the local
druggist, testified at the coroner's in
quest that Mrs. Written purchased
laudanum at his store on Sept. 10; Sept.
IS, ounce of arsenic ito kill rats" Nov.
20, five grains strychnine; Nov %, one
half ounce of laudanum; Nov. 81, ole
ounce arsenic and small bottle of castor
OIL
The next day after the first purchase
of arsenic, Fannie, the 11-year-old
daughter, died suddenly after suffering
many commissions. Nov "a, the day of
the second purchase of arsenic, Jennie
was taken sick and died three days
later.
The autopsy showed evidences Of
poisoning in the stomach, intestines
and brain, warranting the sending of
these parts to Professor Robinson of
Bowdoin college for analysis. The
usual symptoms of strychnine poisoning
were Shown. The stomach and in
testines from the body of the daughter
who died Sept. 10 were also sent to
Professor Robinson.
Mrs. Written was about 40 years cid
and came here from Dover Me-, three
months ago. Her husband died at
Dover on Jan. "a. 1901, under sinilar
suspicious circumstances, but there was
no investigation. The two daughters
were insured for $50 and $50 and it is
believed their deaths were sought for
this trivial sum.