Amador ledger., 1906-03-30
The MCViCar Murder.
Mrs LeDoux. an AmadoP Woman,
Charged with a Phenomenal Crime.

SGocKton last Saturday. Inc prlnc1-
pal actor in that trunk mystery is a
woman, native of Amador county,
and resident of near jackson. The
daily papers have teemed with the
sensational elements of this tragedy,
and the history of the female per-
petrator, Mrs Emma Ledoux. In It's
grewsome horrors, 1t oveltops any
murder case committed by a member
of the gentler sex that has disfgured
the annals of California. The Botkin
poisoning case was planned and
carried out with a heartlessness and
deliberation born of jealousy, but in
hendishness and actual contact of the
murderess with her victim it does not
compare with this latest horror. Mrs
Ledoux has gained place in Grimm
ology as the champion murderess of
California. This now noted criminal
had checkered history, prior to this
latest exploit, on the borde1land of
crime. She has figured in Amador
county and elsewhere in various
shady ways for number of years.
AS all the parties to this tragedy
are more or less known in Amador
county, we give a brief epitome of
this crowning crime.
Mrs Emma Ledoux was in jackson
the last time on Saturday, March Sd.
She left the following morning, and
went to Stockton, there she was met
on the 10th instant by A. N. McVIoar,
former husband of the woman, from
whom she had been divorced about
two years. They took a room at the
California lodging house, room 81,
McVicar signing the register as A. N.
McVicar and wife. On the 18th the
pair we're at Breuner's furniture store
in Stockton together, and purchased
bill of goods, amounting to s127. so.
McVicar paying 800 down and order
ing the furniture to be sent to James
town, on the understanding evidently
that the two had made up their
domestic troubles, and intended to
start housekeeping together. Nc
Vicar had been an employe at the Raw
hide mine, as a timber man. On the
14th the woman was in San francisco,
probably accompanied by McV1car.
Here the plans for living at James
town were changed, no doubt at the
instance of this designing woman. A
telephone message was sent from
San francisco to Breuner's to ship
the furniture to Martell's terminus of
the railroad, only mile or so distant
from the Head ranch, where Mrs
Ledoux and her husband lived. On
Friday night, March %, the pair
again registered at the California
House in Stockton. Presumably the
woman had persuaded her companion
to leave the mine, and go to live at
the Head ranch. AS far as she is
concerned. it is evident that she had
no idea of carrying out such a pro-
gram, as she had a husband living
there; whether McVicar was aware OF
this or not is uncertain. Friday
night the pair started out ION a
time," as the woman expresses it.
While comparatively young woman,
she was no novice in the business of
'going on time.'' They both drank
freely, and McVicar was probably
made helpless and stupid as the
upshot Of the spree-in a condition
that this female monstrosity could
handle him with ease. They retired
to their room some time after mid
night; to McVicar it proved the
entrance to his death chamber. What
happened in that room of horror can
only be conJectured.
The man seems to have drawn all
the money coming to him at the
mine. He is supposed to have had
several hundred dollars, but outside
of what was paid for the furniture
and the travelling expenses, the money
cannot be traced. Saturday morning
Mrs Ledoux called at the furniture
store and paid the balance of the pur-
chase money, 27.50, and gave final
directions that it be sent to j.
Ledoux her brother as she claimed.
The probability is that McVicar had
been deceived, that the change in
the shipping directions was the sole
work of this notorious woman. She
next went to the store of Rosenbaum
d Co., and purchased trunk. She
wanted one of extraordinary size, six
or seven feet long. They had no
trunk of such dimensions, so she
bought one of the largest they had,
and had it sent over to the rooming
house just across the street. She
repaired then to the hardware store
OF Fl. G. Shaw & Co., and bought
about two pounds of three eighth inch
manila rope, carrying the parcel
herself TO the room of death. In all
these transactions the woman was as
calm and self-possessed as though on
business of an every day character,
although it is evident that at that
very time McVicar was either dead or
dying. 1t was between IL and u
o'clock that she purchased the rope.
The trunk was carried to the room by
Charles Barry, an expressman. The
woman was there to receive it, and
told him to leave it in the hallway.