The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-03-13
THINKS MAN MAY
HAVE SENT CANDY
Belief Grows That Mrs. Dye Did
Not Forward Box of Pois-
oned Confectionery.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
Federal Authorities Conducting
Investigation Find Many Ele-
ments of a Genuine Mystery
Envelop Proceeding.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Boone, Ia, March I2.-There is a grow
ing belief here that a man. and not Mrs
Sherman Dye. sent the box of poisoned
candy that caused the death of Miss Rena
Nelson at Pierre, s. d.
The Federal authorities are investigat.
ing the case, since Governor Cummins re-
fused to grant requisition papers for Mrs
Dyes prosecution in South Dakota, and il
Is probable that an arrest Will be made
for violating the postal laws.
1t is the new theory that a man not only
sent the candy, but surrounded the act
with circumstances that would direct sus-
picion to Mrs. Dye.
Miss Nelson, who was n former resident
Of Boone. received on February q a box
of bon bons sent through the mail. AT
the same time she received n threatening
letter. which she thought was written by
the same woman who, she says, threat
ened her once before, Mrs. Dye.
She ate some of the candy before open
gered ten days and died. The candy was
sent to the State chemist for analysis
and found to contain corrosive sublimate.
Although the candy was received Feb
ruary II, the address was written on an
envelope pasted upon the box, which en-
velope bore a Boone Ua.D January g"
Stamp. ana an anQTPSS, MISS Hpna Nell
son. Pierre. $. D., Personal The hand
writing OF this address, Miss Nelson de-
clared in a letter written to her aunt here
tho day after she received the candy, was
threatening letter.
An important question in the case Is,
Why was an envelope mailed from Boone
January % pasted on a box of candy re-
ceived February q, n to whom was
the envelope returned. so that II could
have been pasted on the box?
Mrs. Dye admits she wrote a letter to
Miss Nelson January : telling her she
was interfering with a husband and wife.
She also says she knows this letter was
returned to Boone.
son accused his wife of sending the poi
soned candy. he said: My Cod can this
be trueT'
When his wife was arrested he broke
down and cried, making statements which
the officials refuse to make public.
FURTHER COMPLICATIONS.
To further complicate the mystery, 1t
is learned that the box OF candy was not
mailed at Boone. The Boone Post Office
cancellng stamps have wave lines. The
stamp on this package had a flag.
Miss Nelson worked in the Office of the
Boone County Telephone Company about
a year, leaving two years and a half ago
to go to Pierre. When she was here Dive
a clerk in the Northwestern Rail-
roads r~oundhouse. and it is stated he was
81 IAN A~D "a 1@hllA WIFI ItI.
Mrs. Dye is an invalid.
There are few in Boone who believe Mrs.
Dye guilty. After Miss Nelson received
the candy, Mrs. Dye arranged with a
friend to let her know IL Miss Nelson came
again to Boone. because she wanted to
arrest her. 1t Is argued that she would
not have lone this If she had already sent
poison TO the girl.
Miss Nelson. in a letter to her aunt here,
Miss Biggs, said:
"When I went to the Post Office his
morning / got q box of bonbons in the
mail and also a letter. 1t was from that
woman at Boone who wrote that awful
letter once before. If / had read the letter
first / never would have eaten the candy.
for. somehow, I am afraid that candy was
poisoned.
Mr.. Dye made love to me while I was
at Boone. II he was married 1t seems to
me somebody would have told me. Mr..
Dye proposed and we became engaged;
though he said be couldn't marry me till
he was making moro money.
1T ant believe he was married, and