Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-26
COMMITTED TO JAIL
Mrs. Maggie Smith Accused
Of Poisoning Child.
INQUEST HELD TODAY
THE JURY RETURNED VERDICT
WITHOUT DELAY.
The Prisoner Said to Be a Fortune
Teller and Believed in "Night
Doctors"


of six men today Coroner hewitt conduct
ed the examination at the sixth precinct
police station. Detectives Hartigan. Helan
and McNamee, who worked up the case,
were present at the hearing. They presented
the letters Mrs Smith had written, and the
jury heard testimony regarding the circum-
stances attending the childs last illness.
Witnesses recited alleged threats made by
Mrs. Smith. and the jury reached conclu-
sion Without extended elaboration.
Captain Bingham. assistant District at
torney, represented the prosecution. and At
torney Daish appeared for the defendant.
After the verdict was rendered Mrs. Smith
was committed to jail.
The Testimony.
Precinct Detective Johnson Of the ninth
precinct was the first witness examined.
He told the jury that he was summoned to
the Hamilton home last Friday. The first
he knew of the affair was when DR.. Scott
reported the child's death to the station
and said he thought an investigation should
be made. When he reached the house he
was informed that Mrs. Hamilton and two
children had been sick. and that one Of
them. Mary Hamilton. had died. Mrs.
Hamilton said she thought poison had been
put in her tea
Witness took charge Of the teapot, a
package of tea and some tea leaves taken
from the yard. He afterward turned them
over to the police Mrs. Hamilton informed
witness that after she had noticed there
was something hot probably pepper, In
the tea the children drank some Of 1t. Wit
ness was not at the house Of Mrs. Smith
when the arrests were made.
William Schonenberger, superintendent OF
the morgue, testified that he was present
when the autopsy was performed. He took
the contents Of the child's stomach to the
health department and delivered them to
Prof. Hird. the chemist.
Prof. Hird testified that he received the
teapot in question and it contained q
quantity of white powder. which proved to
be arsenic. There was also arsenic in the
tea leaves which had been used. He found
no poison in the unused package of tea.
Witness found that the child had taken a
comparatively large amount Of the poison.
There was more than enough to have
caused death.
The Detectives Statement.
Detective Hartigan was next sworn. He
was detailed on the poisoning case by Capt.
Boardman. Witness first learned Of the
child's death about $50 o'clock Friday night
and he went to the house with Detectives
Flather and Parham. Lieut. Daley, Precinct
Detective Johnson and Detectives Helan and
McNamee were at the house when he ar
rived. Witness told Of the statement made
to him by Mrs. Hamilton. She told him she
found the teapot in the dining room behind
the stove and not where she had left 1t
the night before. The pot contained clear
water and some tea. and thinking the chill
dren had put the tea and water in It she
put the pot on the stove and let 1t remain
there until its contents boiled. When she
tasted the tea she thought Il contained
pepper. Two Of the children tasted It,. he
was told Mary drinking what was left in
the cup.
Witness further explained Mrs. Hamil-
of her children and of what she said about
Mrs. Smith. The latter, Mrs. Hamilton
stated, had accused her (Mrs Hamilton) of
almost every crime on the calendar. She
had accused the members of her family of
being might Doctors and ghouls. Mrs.
Hamilton told of letter Mrs. Smith had
sent her husband, and related an incident In
which Mrs. Smith had called to her hus-
band to return home and get pistol. This
was about 4 o'clock In the morning.
Mrs. Smiths Charges.
Witness visited Mrs. Smith, and she told
him that she had seen Mrs. Hamilton and
her daughter Alice carry a body in the
house on one occasion. She heard the body
fall, and, she said, the body was buried
under the floor Mrs. Smith told him Of an
alleged attempt on the part of Mrs. Hamil-
tons husband and other men to catch her
husband. She told him she had witnessed
an effort to chloroform her husband. On
saw Mrs. Hamilton sprinkling graveyard
dust on flowers and kill them.
The bodies Of poisoned rats had been
thrown in her yard, Mrs. Smith told wit
ness. They were poisoned by Mrs Hamil-
ton, she stated. Witness said he was told
by Mrs. Smith that she was the seventh
daughter and was gifted" being able to
tell fortunes. She showed him glass jars Of
water which she used for curing headaches.
1t was her practice to rub the water on the
head of the patient and pray with Bible
in her hand.
Witness then read the several letters
which Mrs Smith admitted she had writ
ten. In these letters she accused the Ham
iltons of being body snatchers" and "mur-
derers.'' and recited at length her belief re-
garding their conduct In her letters to
the police she made serious charges, and
suggested that the floors be taken up and
search made.
Two of the letters have already been pub
lished in The Star and the others contained
about the same charges. The writer gave
the police minute Instructions as to how to
examine the premises and to make the ar
rests
Saw Body Taken In.
After reading the letters witness said Mrs.
Smith had told him that on one occasion
She saw an undertaker's wagon stop at the
Hamilton house. George Hamilton and
five or six other men got out of the vehicle
A body was taken into the house, and she
d
sound and soon afterward the noise ceased
She said she knew George Hamilton was a
body snatcher," and she had seen a let
ter delivered there from the Cincinnati
Medical College. Witness was told by Mrs
Smith that she was on good terms with the
Hamiltons when the latter moved next door
to her. but they could not get along togeth-
er. the Hamiltons wereJ Catholics and
she was not. The latter. she said, injured
her business very much. She said she had
one letter written by heavily yelled white
woman: that she had taken the woman to
the yard and she could see through a hole
In the fence people cutting UP a body
Witness then told of the conversation he
had with Mrs. Smith at police headquarters.
She reported that she was gifted" and
said she could tell witness some things in
his past life which he would not want any
body to know. She also said she could tell
him what he had had for his breakfast that
day, and that. by direction Of her husband,
she could tell what he had ON his mind at
that time. The husband said she could do
everything she had said she could
Detective Hartigan described the houses
and fences on the property of the Hannil-
| tons and the Smiths. and said the kitchen
of the former could easily have been en-
tered from the rear. Witness told of a
letter sent to the board of guardians COM
planning about the Hamilton jury In re-
spouse to a question of a juror witness
said he had investigated Hau,tItor,S 90.