The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-11
MURDERED BY
 HE WHOLESALE Detroit Woman Gives StryChnine
 to Eleven Persons MAKES CONFESSION 10 THREE Mrs. Mcknight Poisoned Her Brother, His Wife and Baby, and Says She
 Didn't Mean to Hurt
 Them.
MAKES CONFESSION 10 THREE

Kalkaka, Mich. June 1o-After two weeks work Prosecutor E. C. Smith has secured the confession of Mrs. Mary Me- Knight to the cold-blooded premeditated murder of her own brother, John Murphy Gertrude Murphy, his young wife, and their s-months-old babe partial con- fession was made Monday evening, in which Mrs. Mcknight denied killing the baby Late last night Smith again called at the woman's cell at her request, and this time she made complete confess
 The Confession.
 sion. Last night she said:
 T did not intend harm to any of them. I did give the haby strichnine. It woke up and cried while it's mother was gone and I mixed up a little strichnine in a glass with some water and gave a spoon- full to the baby. l did not mean to harm the little thing at all. I confessed all to the Lord this afternoon and feel that He has forgiven me. l really did not mean to harm any of them. When Gertrude found the baby. dead she got awfully ner- vous. She came to me and said: Mary, can't you give me something to quiet me; something that you take yourselfT l said that l would and I really did not think that 1t would hurt if I gave her one of the capsules. She had spasms right after that, and 1 suppose now that the strichnine killed her. I really did not mean to hurt her, though
 Then John seemed to feel badly about 1t, so that I often thought after Gertie died it would te better if he were to go too. John was feeling bad one night couple of weeks after Gertrude died. He came to me and wanted something to quiet him. had two or three of the cap- sules on my dresser and I told him to go and get one of them. I did not mean to hurt him, but thought 1t would sooth him. and then thought 1t would be for the best if he were to go away. He helped himself. l don't know whether he took one or two. Then he went to bed, and by and by he called me Mother came too, and he began to have those same spasms. l suppose that the strichnine was working"
 The whole of the confession was given voluntarily and Mrs. Mcknight signed it after Prosecutor Smith had written 1t out.
 Wholesale Murder.
 Eight other persons besides the three to whose murder Mrs. Mcknight confess ed today have died in the last fifteen years undercircumstances that in view of the womans confession are now thought to be very suspicious. All of the eight were either relatives or intimate friends who died while living with Mrs Mcknight or while she was at their house. All are said to have shown symp- toms that are now believed to indicate strichnine poisoning. They are:
 Ernest Mcknight the woman's latest husband; James Ambrose, her first hus- band who died in Alpina in 1885; Mrs Me Knight, the wife of James E. Mcknight, who was a partner of Ambrose; Babe Temple, Mrs. McFnight's niece; Eliza Chal6er. another niece who died at Cray ling in May, 1892; Sarah Murphy, Mrs. McKnight's sister, who also died at Gray ling in February, 1893; Mrs. Curry, who died in Saginaw in 1895 while Mrs. Mc- Knight was at her mothers house and Dorothy Jensen, child who died in Crawling while under Mrs McKnight's care during the absence of her mother.
 All Taken Suddenly III.
 Investigation of these deaths shows that all of these persons except Mrs. Curry were taken suddenly Ill and showed what are now regarded as unmistakable synp- toms of strichnine poisoning Dr, Leigh ton, who attended Ernest Mcknight says that he is now confident that MT. Me g. Leighton was baffied by McKnight's trou- ble and the suddenness with which it came, but says he can now sec that he had every symptom of strichnine pois- oning. Eliza Chalker and Sarah Murphy were stricken at the table while Mrs. Mcknight was present. Boti died in con vusons in few hours.
 There was no suspicion against Mrs. Mcknight in connection with the death cf aho gage on her brothers property after his death on which the figures had, 1t is al- legged, been raised from s200 to s600. An in- yestigation was then begun. The body of John Murphy was exhumed and strich- nine was found in the stomach. Mrs Mcknight was placed under arrest the result of which today she confessed. Her confession was entirely voluntary and she seemed perfectly sane although under great mental strain. No motive for the crimes can be found.