The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1905-03-28
ATROCIOUS DEED
OF DEPRAVED MOTHER
Mrs. Br0Ckwelrs Confession duplicates
George Albritton.
Tells How She Made Them Drink the Poison-..Will
Plead Insanity.

The poisoning OF the three little
daughters of Mrs. Mary Brockwell.
of Ashbrook avenue, Mechanicsburg
and the mothers confession yester-
day afternoon that she administered
morphine in coal Gil for the purpose
of getting rid of them, have created
the most profound sensation that
Paducah has known in many a year.
Feeling is bitter i'm some respects
against the cruel, inhuman mother
and against the man she alleges in
fuenced' her to take the lives of her
own children. But this Is commu-
nifty that believes in letting the law
take its course in such matters and
there has never been the slightest
danger of mob violence. despite the
reports that have been circulated
freely to the contrary; neither was
there ever the Slightest necessity for
thinking of sending the two prison
ers away for safe keeping.
EXCITEMENT has now about died out,
even in the locality where the crime
was committed. The mothers story
about the man persuading her to
poison the children is believed by
many but not by everyone. He may
have told her that she had to get rid
of three of the children before he
would marry her and take care of
her, but It is doubtful IL he advised
Der to poison them.
One theory is that when he made
his proposition to marry her If she
got rid of the three children she
made several Intellectual attempts to
get the children into the Home of
the Friendless, and finally failing,
decided in a fit of desperation to
poison them.
It is likely that the woman's plea
will be temporary insanity She will
no doubt find many to believe she is
crazy, for her act was so atrociously
unnatural and heartless that many
people cannot conceive how any
mother clothed in her right mind
could have steeled herself up to the
point of committing il. And 1t is not
understood how mother in her
right mind would have committed
the deed in such bungling manner,
and then afterwards confessed to It,
But her defense will no doubt be
insanity. Today the jail has been Wis
tied by many people anxious to get a
glimpse of the prisoners.
A picture of the woman was taken
this morning. but George Albritton.
her alleged accomplish. declined to
pose. The woman seems to take the
whole awful affair with stolid, ignor
ant indifference.
She is the first white woman ar
rested in McCracken county for muir
der in many a year. II is not known
Just exactly for how long, as no rec
ord of the last one tried could be
found at the court house.
Deputy Clerk Kidd, however, re-
members when a white woman was
tried and acqultted-years ago OF a
charge. Judge Randall was
circuit Judge and Attorney Sam
Grassland commemorative attorney,
As her name could not be recalled
the year of the trial could not con
sequently be ascertained. She was
the last ever tried here.
The Trial.
From present indications the
trial of both Mrs. Brockwell and Al
britton will not be held before Mon
day. certainly not before Friday, the
detectives asking for that much time
in getting up all evidence.
Mrs. Brockwell and Albritton
have been the object of much curios-
ity aud hundreds have visited the