Evening journal., 1902-06-25
NURSE CONFRSSRS
TO MANY MURDERS
Jane TODpin, Modern BOrgia,
Makes a Statement
StyS She Is Not Insane, TuI Could
Not Help Committing the
Grimes

Boston, June 25.-Jane Toppan, VINO
was sent to the Taunton Insane Asy-
lum by a jury at Barnstable Monday
where she was tried for the murder
of Mrs. Mary ID. Gibbs, has made
confession to her senior counsel, Judge
Fred M. Bixby, that during her career
as a professional nurse she killed no
less than 81 human beings. Judge
Bixby said that Miss Toppan had ad-
mitted that she had set fires and COM
mitted other serious acts. She said
she could not help committing the
crimes. She argued, moreover, that
she was not insane. She said she
knew she was doing wrong when she
administered poison to her victims,
and she asked Judge Bixby how, un-
der the circumstances, she could be
of unsound mind.
Morphine was Miss Toppans agency
for producing death. Many of her vic
tins were unsuspecting and most inti-
mate friends, others were the patients
of reputable physicians, who employed
her on account of her ability as a
nurse. Miss Toppan was so expert in
her knowledge of how to employ drugs
and poisons that she was able to es-
cape detection for years. In the de-
tailed story as told to Judge Bixby by
Miss Toppan she did not enumerate
her many victims, although she did
admit the killing of Mrs. Gibbs, Mrs.
Harry Gordon, of Chicago. and Alden
p. Davis, all of whom died at Catau-
met last summer.
Miss Toppan murdered to crafty a
passion. She was responsible for nu-
merous fires in houses in which she
was a nurse and had she remained at
liberty she admits that many more
people would have died and many more
incendiary fires would have occurred.
Jane Toppan's crimes were revolt
ing beyond all description, but the de-
tails perhaps will never be known, for
the lips Of her counsel are sealed. Her
confession was not made as a story
of wholesale murder, but has been
drawn out little by little, from time to
time, when he counsel have talked
with her in Barnstable Jail
She said her impulses irresistibly
in order that she might enjoy the
sight of their struggles. She told how
she killed each. saying she used NOR
phine and atrophine mixed in mineral
water and whiskey, In the presence
of death she would gleefully fondlC
the patient. stare into the eyes as if Il
were to see the inner workings of the
soul, do all possible to intensity the
agony OF the patients, and when the
end came she would become hersel
again.
Alienists say that Jane Toppan EN-
bodied the worst types of degeneracy
and with this clear, there was NJ
doubt of her mental condition. While
murder was Jane Toppans creates
crime, there we're many lesser forms o
mental depravity, each in themselve
deplorable. She told of setting fire
in homes in which she was a nurse o
visitor, and intimate acquaintance
tell of peculations of money and jew
elry.
Judge Bixby and the experts doub
the accuracy of portions of Miss TOY
pans confession, but it is doubtful
they can find evidence that will eve
disprove or substantiate 1t. No mat
ter what the doctors say, Miss TOT
pan has stated that she killed thos
81 people. and despite reputation sh
has for being untruthful, this state
ment will doubtless have to be accepf
ed as true.