The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-03-02
POISON KILLS
MRS. STANFORD
Founder of Great University
Dies in Agony.
AN AMAZING MYSTERY.
Was in Honolulu Where She Went a
Few Weeks Ago After Being
Poisoned by Drinking
Mineral Water.
AN AMAZING MYSTERY

Stanford University, Cal, March z'--
A private cable dispatch says that Mrs.
Leland Sanford died in Honolulu Tues
day night.
There is a rumor that poison may !
have been the cause of her demise.
She was taken i'll at eleven o'clock,
and said: Il have been poisoned" Her |
last words were @Tbis is a horrible |
death to die"
Only week ago Mrs. Sanford left
for Honolulu to escape pIotters who
may have sought to take her life. But
short time ago an old servant Of the
family was dismissed on suspicion Of
being connected with the plot.
The detective force of San Francisco
is busily engaged in looking up every
one of the former dependents Of the
dead woman.
No news has yet come from Honolulu
as to whether the body viii be brought
back to this country at once.
San Francisco, March Mrs Leland
Stanford, who died suddenly in Honolu-
In, last night, en- route to Japan, was
victim Of stryehnine poisoning, ae
cording to the opinion of the coroner
who was summoned immediately al
ter her death.
A post mortem has been ordered
Strict investigation viii be made.
The poisoning Of Mrs. Stanford on
, February II remains one Of the mys
teries of San Francisco Immediately
afterward, and while the police were
still at work III the matter Mrs. Stan
ford started for Japan. From the spe.
cial dispatches received here from Hon.
olulu it seems that on the steamer she
grew worse, probably from after-effects
! of the poison, and was compelled to
stop at Honolulu, where she died.
So far as the police have been able
to learn Mrs. Stanford had not an en-
envy in the world. She had been left
the second richest woman in the United
I States by her husbands death, and
every bit Of her vast fortune had gone
in charity and in support of education
al institutions. The Leland Stanford,
Jr., University was place where the
poorest might get an education without
cost
/ It is believed by the police that there
was deep-laid plot back of the at.
tempt on Mrs. Stanford's life Immedi.
ately after drinking the water contain
/ ing the poison she became violently III
| and physicians were allied Sufficient
poison was found in the bottle from
which she had taken the water to kill d
dozen persons. The only explanation
the police and doctors we're able to give
az to why she was not killed was that
the person had given her too much POI
son. In itself it was an antidote.
This left Mrs. Stanford i'll and weak.
and giving up her numerous social OBJ
| legations she decided to take a sea trip.
and chose Japan. Only few months
before she had returned from the East,
when she visited Boston, in perfect
health. In that city she was entertain.
ed iayishly She was leader in Cal |
4 ifornia society, despite her age, she be-
/ ing about seventy-five, and was active
in all philanthropic movements.
!
Mrs. LELAND Stamford was Miss Jane
4 Lathrop, the daughter Of the late Dyer
! Lathrop, Of Albany, NJ. y. The Lathrop
Memorial, an institution founded by her
for the care of infants and children.
is located on her fathers old homestead
/ in Albany. Leland Stanford and Miss
Lathrop were married in Albany short |
| " after he was admitted to the bar.
Shortly after their marriage the STAN |
/ fords removed to Wisconsin, and later
\ to California. in 1855, in memory Of |
their young son, Leland Stanford Jr.,
who had died, Senator Stanford and |
I his wife conveyed to Lorenzo Sawyer
( and twenty-three associate trustees. for |
the purpose Of founding schools. col |
i leges. seminaries, museums and galleries |
/ Of art to be known as the Leland Stan
| ford, Jr, University, $1,000 acres Of /
land in the County Of Butte, Cal, the |
/ Senator's Vina farm OF ranch, in the /
counties Of Butte and Tehama, contains I
| ing $4,000 acres, and the Palo Alto farm
in the counties Of San Mateo and Santa /
Clara, consisting of 1000 acres. all val. /
ued at the time at S5,400,000 The cor.
ner stone was laid on Nav Ia. 1887 |
and the university was opened On Oh.
1 /, 1891.
Before the university was founded I
Mrs. Stamford maintained at her own
expense seven or eight kinderpartens
in San Francisco, and other institutions
for the education Of the young in other
parts OF the country.
II was said at one time that her
jewels We're valued at s2,0O0,OOO Sba
kept them in a black burglar proof steal
safe with time lock. She had i
diamond necklace valued at 5000 O0o
and she kept sixty or seventy diamond
rings strung on a piece Of black string
When Senator Stanford died he 81.
queathed S2,500,000 to the UNIVERSITY
At the same time he left debts u ILL.,
amount Of 81 100000, mostly for money
borrowed for the purpose Of construct.
ing the university buildings. Mrs. stan.
ford, however, Immediately undertool.
the payment Of the bequesf to the mi
versity. This proved to be di0lcult
task, as the government sued the Sfan.
ford estate for s15,000,000, and d,ring
the litigation the property was fie9
up 50 that Mrs. Stamford was ALA n
draw but $4,000 a month. All az fh;s
except enough for her living expenses
Mrs. Stanford turned over to tbe NM
yersitg, but the sum was not sufficient
for its maintenance, and it more than
once was in danger Of closing its door