Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-21
DID SHE KILL HERSELF
Mrs. Binge May Have Put
Poison in Wine.
WANTED TO END MISERY
Muse Testifies That the Woman Was
Great Sufferer.
LATER SHE WAS DISCHARGED
Yet She Says That She Never Saw
Such Devotion Between Mother
and Daughter.

NEW YORK. February 2I-That Mrs Ida
Binge may have committed suicide to get
relief from her suGerings is apparently the
line of defense which Mrs. Lottie Wallau
her daughter. will make to the charge that
she poisoned her mother. II the repre-
sentatives OF the district attorneys office
know of any motive which might have
prompted Mrs. Wallau TO poison her mother
they did not bring 1t out in yesterdays pro-
ceedings.
The chief witness before Coroner Acritelli
and the jury was Miss Elizabeth Devne,
one of the nurses who attended Mrs. Bnge
She testified that she had no suspicion that
her patient was suffering from the effects
OF a poison until February g. the day on
which Miss Cleveland, another nurse, was
called into the case. Miss Cleveland went
on duty late on the night of February g.
and early the next morning she came I'D to
Miss DevineS room and told her she had
tasted some of the champagne and been
made i'll. Miss Cleveland. according to the
nurse, said then that she suspected there
was poison in the wine.
Then Miss pevine tasted the wine She
testified it was bitter. The next morning
when Mrs. Wallau started downstairs to get
fresh bottle of wine Miss Devine followed
her to the buffers pantry. Mrs. Wallau
turned and, according to the nurse said:
w nat are you DONG down herev'
= I'll help you draw the cork" Miss Devin0
replied.
Examined the Bottle.
''Tll take the champagne up; you go up
stairs Mrs Wallau is said to have an
swered
Miss Devine testified that she did as
ordered and a little later Mrs. Wallau APP
peared in the sick room with bottle. Tho
nurse said further that Mrs. Wallau re-
marked as she handed over the bottle that
1t had never been opened.
Miss Devine testified that she examined
the bottle as soon Mrs. Wallau had left
the room. She said she saw some white
particles in it which appeared to be dis
solving. She was sure they weren't bubbles
She poured some of the wine out into a
pitcher, about an ounce OF IL, and then.
hearing Mrs Wallau coming she put the
: half pint back on the window sill. Later
she poured two ounces into a small bottle
and gave 1t to Miss Cleveland, who said
she would take it out and have it examined.
She herself put away about five or six
ounces in bottle and filled the champagne
bottle up with water. Some of the wine
which she had put away she took to DR..
Gluck and some to DIR. Haas, dentist
who was treating Mrs Binge. All that
she had left. about ounce, she turned
over eventually to the district attorney.
Miss Devine said that finally she decided
10 have talk with Mrs: Wallau.
II said to Mrs Wallau." testified the
witness. that had reason to suspect that
Mrs. Binge was being poisoned. and Mrs.
Wallau said tn me: She must have eaten
something and then DO you think pois-
Il said to her. oh. no. Do you trust the
servants?'"
To End Misery.
Mrs. Wallau replied that she did Miss
Devine said she quarreled with Mrs. Wal
lau and left the January 3. She
was not able to tell Mrs. Binge why she
was leaving, because Mrs. Wallau had
said to her: go now
On cross-examination Mr.. Stanchfield
brought out the fact that MrA Binge had
said to Miss Devine on one occasion: II
wish you would give me something to end
my misery" Mr.. Stanchfield then brought
out the fact that Mrs. Binge was able TO
move about and could have got at the BIZ
chloride tablets If she wanted to. The wit
ness told of Mrs. Binge's fortitude in suf-
fering pain.
Then" said Mr. Stanchfield. Mrs.
Binge was a woman who. when she set out
Ia do thing. had the courage to carry 1t
through"
Yes" said the witness.
Miss Devine testified that she had never
seen such devotion i'm her life as that which
had existed between the mother and her
daughter.
he had discovered traces of the poison in
the stomach of Mrs. Binge and that 1t was
his opinion that mercury had caused her
death, although he admitted under cross
examination that she had several fatal dis
eases.
DIR. r. A. Witthaus, the chemist. testified
that he had found in a portion of one KID
ney a quantity of mercury. There was a
smaller quantity in the liver
DR. Witthaus admitted that mercury is
thrown off very slowly by the human sys-
tenn; that calomel which had been taken
would leave traces Of the poison in the
vital organs and that the poison also may
be taken into the system by absorption
from salves.
Found More Tablets.
Assistant District Attorney Corrigan tes-
titled that Mrs. Wallau on the night before
her mother died had told him and Assistant
District Attorney Smyth that she did not
have any bichloride tablets In the house
other than those which the nurses used
County Detective Reardon testified that
after this statement was made he d:scov-
cred another bottle containing fifteen of the
tablets In a closet In bath room adjoin-
ing Mrs Wallau's bed room: that Mrs. Wal
laus' son. Alex, was with him when he
found the tablets and that he "trembled
and shook and asked If that was what /
was looking for Ten tablets had peeh
taken from the bottle.
Mr.. Stanchfield showed that there was
nothing on the first bottle which the dis
trict. attorneys representatives got or, ior
that matter on the second to indicate that
the contents were "bichloride tablets. The
label SAYS Compressed antiseptic tablets.
Mr. StanchfieId made Reardon admit that
Mrs Wallau, knowing that he was coming
to search the house, would have been apie
to have put that bottle out OF the way II
she had wanted to. Mr.. Stanchfeld declared
that the bottle was kept in the lower closet
because it was poison. All the medicines
in the closet above the wash basin were
non-noisons The case will be continued
today.