The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-06-15
USED STRYCHN|NE ON
WHOLE FAMILY.
Poisons Baby First and Then Its
Parents To Save Them Grief.
Has Confessed to the Lord
and Is Sure lie Has
Forgiven Her.

Kalkaka, Mich, June 1o.-After two
weeks work Prosecutor E. C. Smith has
secured the cor fession Of Mrs. Mary Nc
Knight TO the cold blooded. premeditated
murder Of her own brother John Muir
ply; Gertrude Murphy. his young wife,
and their 3-months-ol1 babe A partial
confession WAS made Monday evening, in
which Mrs. Mcknight denied killing the
baby. Late last night Smith again called
at the womans cell at her request. and
this time she made a com olete confess
sion.
Last night she said:
Il didn't intend harm to any of them
] did give the baby strychniae 1t woke
up and cried while IT'S mother was gone
end 1 mixed up a little strychnine in a
glass with some water and gave a spoon
full to the baby. I ala not mean to harm
the little thing at all. | confessed all
to the Lord this afternoon and | feel
that He has forgiven me I really did not
mean to harm any OF them. When Ger
trude came home and found the baby
dead she got awfuHy nervous She
came to me and said: Mary, can't you
| give me something to quiet me-something
that you take YOURSELF? ] said that
would and I really did not think that 1t
would hurt II l gave her one of the cap
sules. She had spasms right after that
and l suppose now that the strychnine
killed her. l really aid not mean to hurt
| her, though Then John seemed to feel
badly about it, so broken up that l often
| thought after Gertte aled that it would
| be better IL 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 capsules on
| my dresser and l told him TO go and
/ get one OF them. / aid not mean to hurt
! him. but l thought that it would soothe
| him. and then 1 thought 1t would be
for the best If he were to go. anyway.
! He helped himself / don't know Wheth-
err he took one or two Then he went to
bed. and by and by he called me. Moth
er came, roo, and he began to have those
same spasms l suppose that the strych-
nine was working.
/ The whole of the confession was given
voluntarily and Ms Mcknight signed
1t after Prosecutor smith had written
1t out.
Eight other persons besides the three
to whose murder Mrs Mcknight con-
fessed today, have died IN the last fifteen
years under circumstances that. in view
Of the woman's 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 symptoms that are now believed
to indicate strychniue poisoning They
are:
Ernest Mcknight. the woman's latest
husband James Ambrose her nrst hts
4
Mcknight th@ wifo % jar - NJ
Knight, who was 9 partner of Ambrose
Baby Teeple, Mrs Meningitis niece;
Eliza Chal6er. another niece, who died
az Grayllng Ia May 1852; Sarah Murphy
Mrs. Meningitis sister who also died at
/ Crawling in February 1898; a Mrs. Cur
~, who died In Saginaw, n 1898 while
Mrs. Mcknight was at her mothers
house, and Dorothy Jensen, 4 child who
died in Craving while under Mrs. Nc
knights care during the absence Of her
mother
Investigation Of these deaths shows that
all of these persons except Mrs. Curry
were taken suddenly i'll. and showed what
are now regarded as un1nistakable symp-
toms OF strychnine poisoning DR.. Leigh
ton, who attended Ernest Mcknight, says
that he ~ now confident that Mr. Nc
-
Leighton was baffled by Meningitis
/ trouble and the suddenness with which 1t
came. but says he can now SEQ that he
had every symptom Of strychnine poison
ing. Eliza Chalker and Sarah Murphy
were stricken ut the table while Mrs.
Mcknight was present. Both died in
commissions IN "A few hours.
There was no suspicion against Mrs.
Mcknight in connection with the death
OF Murphy until She filed a mortgage on
her brothers property after his death,
on which the figures had 1t is alleged,
been raised from 5000 to $500 Gu in
vestlgatton was then begun The body
of John Murphy was eXhumed and
| strychnine 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.