The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-11
Startling New Theory Evolved at
Boone for the Death of
Miss Nelson.
Address upon Package and Pecu-
liar Conduct of Dye Have
Aroused Suspicious.
No One in Boone Believes His
Wife Guilty-Prosecution
Likely After All.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Boone, Iowa, March 11.-That Sher-
man Dye and not his wife sent the box
OF poisoned candy that caused the
death of Miss Rena Nelson at Pierre
S. D., is the growing belief in official
circles here. The federal authorities
are investigating the case, since Gov
ernor Cummins refused to grant requi-
sition papers for Mrs. Dyes prose-
oution in South Dakota, and 1t Is likely
they will prosecute for violating the
postal laws.
1t is the new theory that Dye not
only sent the candy, but surrounded
the act with circumstances that would
direct suspicion to his wife and thus
free himself from her; in this event, it
is believed, he had no intention Of kill
ing the girl, but merely wanted to
make her sick enough to result in a
serious charge against his wife.
This new theory Is based upon Dyes
conduct and circumstances that can
not be explained In accordance with
the theory of Mrs. Dyes guilt.
Address on the Candy.
On Saturday, Feb. 27, Miss Nelson
received the box Of bon-bons thru the
mail. At the same time she received
threatening letter which she thought
was written by the same woman who,
she said, threatened her once before,
Mrs. Dye. In spite Of the fact that
the candy was received Feb. q, the
address was written on an envelop,
pasted upon the box, which envelop
bore a Boone, Iowa, Jan. 23 stamp,
and an address, Miss Rena Nelson,
Pierre. s. D., PERSONAL" The hand
writing of this address, Miss Nelson
declared in a letter written to her
the candy, was the same as that in the
accompanying threatening letter.
The most important question in the
case has been simmered down to this:
Why was an envelope mailed from
Boone, Jan. %, pasted on the box of
candy. received Feb. ~, and to whom
was this envelope returned so that it
could have been pasted on the box?
Mrs. Dyes Letter Returned.
Mrs Dye admits size wrote a letter
to Miss Nelson Jan. 4, telling her she
was interfering with a husband and
WIFE She also says she knows this
letter was returned to Boone. At
Pierre 1t Is stated that an anonymous,
threatening letter was received by Miss
Nelson about the last of january, and
she believed it was written by Mrs.
Dye. Was such a letter written, and,
if so, was it returned to Boone
so, would not this explain the fact
that an envelop mailed at Boone, Jan.
23, was pasted on the box of candy re-
ceived in Pierre, Feb. II? Pierre
postal authorities say the box came
to that office in the mail 1t was not,
then, mailed there by Miss Nelson.
Fourth-class matter is not stamped by
the postoffice, SO the Jan. % stamp
could not have been mistake by the
Boone office.
Conduct of Dye Significant.
In this connection the conduct Of
Dive when first appraised Of the charge
at Pierre, is significant. When first
told Of the fact that Miss Nelson &C
cused his wife of sending the poisoned
candy, he said: my God, can this
be true ?'' but asked not one
accusation. When his wife was ar
rested, he broke down completely and
cried making statements which the
officials refuse to make public.
To further complicate the mystery
1T is learned that the box OF candy was
postoffice canceling stamps all have
wave lines The stamp on this pack
age had a flag of straight lines.
Knew He Was Married.
It is stated here that Miss Nelson
knew that Dye was a married man.
Mrs Dye was an invalid, near death,
the year preceding Miss Nelson's de-
parture for Pierre, and physicians
finally prohibited Dye from going into
her room, because she saw in his face
that something was wrong and it wor-
ried her. Miss Nelson returned here
for visit last August and was out
with Dye several times.
Hold His Wife GuiltIess.
There is no one in Boone who be-
lieves Mrs. Dye guilty, apparently.
Her reputation is not spotted. She
has acted with a frankness quite in
contrast to the insolent sullenness of
her husband.
After Miss Nelson received the can
dy Mrs. Dye arranged with a friend to
let her know If Miss Nelson came
again to Boone, because she wanted
to arrest her. It is argued that she
would not have done this if she had
already sent poison to the girl.
The most difficult thing to explain,
If Mrs. Dye is guilty, is the fact that
an envelope used a month before was
used for the address on the box of
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