The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-20
WOMANPACES MURDERCHARCE
DID MRS. NTNSON GIVE POISON
10 OLD MRS. WILSON:
Question Stirs . Connecticut TOwn--GOssip
Connects Names Of a son Of the woman
Who u IL Belie,e Ell Died Of Arsenic
and woman Accused Of Her Murder.

Young Ruhbun Munson is in Jail at Brook
lyn, Conn, tonight, charged with the
murder by poison of Mrs Julia Wilson OF
Ashford. whose nurse and housekeeper she
was. The feeling Of Windham count v
against the woman II becoming slowly
worked up TO a. high a pitch as d Con-
nectictt community can he against per-
son accused of crime.
Resent ment is not all against Mrs. Mum
son. No small plrt Of il is directed against
young George Wilson, the son Of the dead
woman. whose relations with Lille, Nunson
have kept more than one town gossiping
for several months.
Tomorrow Mrs. Wilson's body will be
disinterred in order that the poison expert
who il examining some Of the organs of
Mrs. Wilson's body may have fuller
opportunity 10 determine the cause Of her
death.
Old Mrs Wilson's family in Ashford
had the respect of the community. The
boys were truckmen and farmers. The
elder brother. George. about whose act =
there is so much gossip, has known Mrs
Munson for some time. He is married
bu, his wife has not lived with him for a
long time.
Lillian Munson was known until her first
marriage as the prettiest mill girl in this
part of the country. She Is not to
be described as beautiful to-day. A
plain. rather severe faced woman Of IS
with a close shut. rather hard mouth and
decidedly sharp voice and manner. her
airing and conduct are those of a woman
who has feed much trouble and has con-
cuded that the less she talks Of il the
better.
She was married TO Q man named Rath-
bun when she was a hand in Johnson's
mill at Mansfield Hollow Nobody can re-
member Just when Rathbun disappeared
or how he come to GO but States Attorney
Hunter said tonight that they probably
were divorced She married James Mum
son soon after Rathbun went away. but
separated from him after a rather 5, ormy
married life. years ago.
At about that time there was some talk
of prosecuting her for an attempt to poison
her husband. but he cleared her Of any
guilt in a statement 10 the authori, les
There was no question about his having
been poisoned While he was critically
i'll in the Day-Kiml all Hospital at Putnam
the woman was placed under surveillance.
In some way she persuaded the hospital
authorities that even under such crcum-
stances a wife's place was beside her hus-
band and they permitted her to nurse him.
When he recovered he said that he had
taken a dose of arsenic by mistake. But
he left her and went to Bridgeport and
afterward TO Waterbury Mrs, Munson
stayedhere. Their 10y went with his father.
The daughter Esther. who is years old,
was kept by tho mother
Mrs. Munson lived with the family Of
A. Weeks, truck contractor here in
Willimantic, for time. Mrs. Weeks
told the Coroner at to-day's inquest that
Mrs. Munson was a woman Of very bitter
temper and that she made ugly threats
against any of the family or the neighbors
against whom she had spite.
She said that George Wilson frequently
visited Mrs. Munson at her house and once
or twice stayed at he house over night when
he was in Niilmantic.
On July 5 last Arthur Girard. the phar-
macist at Cheseboroughs drug store, was
called to the front of the store by a man
and a woman in a buggy. The man was
apparently about - years old and had a
slight black mlistache, and the woman was
noticeably older than The man and not
very good looking. The clerk has never
seen either Mrs Munson or George Wilson
so far a. he knows. The woman said
that she wanted an ounce of arsenic and
ne sold it To her, registering the sale in the
poison book.
The woman said that her name was
Julia Wilson Z Mansfield Centre. There
has never been any julia Wilson at Mans.
field Centre, and the woman was much
old lady who has just died. George Will
Son has a slight black mustache.
Within two months Mrs. Wilson went
out to Ashford. so she told her acquaint-
ances, to look out for old Mrs. Wilson"
There was trouble in the Wilson family
right of. II first became common talk
when a constable from Windham went
over TO Ashford to serve a body attach
ment on George Wilson A South Wind
ham contractor had found load which
Georg" had driven into South Windham
for him short several blankets. valued al
together at $25. He swore that he thought
George had taken the blankets and asked
for his arrest or payment for the blankets.
The constable found George, according
to States Attorney Hunters statement, in
Ashford near his mothers house. walking
with Mrs. Munson. The three went to-
gether to old Mrs. Wilson, who heard what
the constable had TO say, and AT once made
"A settlement with him, which saved George
from going to jail. Then she addressed
the constable as follows
Say. now, while you are about ii ] want
you To arrest that woman" She poin ted
To Mrs. Munson. She got the hoy into
this trouble and she will get him into more
trouble than this If she isn't taken avail from
here.
The constable said that he had no au-
thority 10 arrest Mrs. Munson and left the
old woman complaining qlerulously that
if Lille wasn't arrested they would all he
sorry for it.
Three weeks ago Mrs Munson came TO
the house of Mrs Mary Johnston with whom
she once boarded here, and got an octoroon
girl, Eliza DIN. who also boards there,
TO go to Cheseborough's drug store and
buy for her some alcohol some carbolic acid
and some peppermint water.
The DIN girl test flied to-day that the al
cohol was in big bottle and that the other
two solutions were in small bottles. When
the bottles were bro ught back to Mrs
Johnston, according to the landlady's story
to the Coroner, Mrs Munson poured tie
contents Of one Of the small bottles into The
large bottle.
What are you doing that for?- asked
Mrs. Johnston.
oh replied Mrs. Munson according
TO the testimony, Mrs. Wilson K - 10 drink
this stun and ] think II il strong This
that ] am putting in Is just ~ much water
Mrs. Johnston brought pitcher Of water
and said why not Use this? II will
pour easier.
Mrs Munson refused the pitcher and
went into the pantry and lighted a lamp
and completed the operation.
Then she asked Mrs. Johnston 10 say
nothing to George Wilson about having
mixed the contents Of the bottles.
Some time later the Wilson's, with Mrs