The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-07-13
County Physician Declares the
Death OF Mrs. Annie
Tapack Suspicious.
TRIED TO STOP BURIAL;
HEAVY INSURANCE ON HER
Physicians Puzzled by Her Ill
ness-Son, an Ex-Convict,
Had Charge of House.
Especial to the Evening Star. ]


PATERSON, July $50 certain are
the authorities that Mrs. Annie
Tapack, of Is Hudson avenue, was
poisoned to death, that they today ex-
humed her body in the little ceme-
terry near Passaic, and County. Ply
sician R. r. Armstrong started to
perform an autopsy.
In the meantime the police have
under surveillance persons who are
suspected.
Mrs. Tapack's life was insured for
$4,000 only last November. Her son
Louis, who is 80 years old. married
and lives at IS Paterson avenue, took
out two policies on her life amounting
to $1,000, and in his own favor. Her
son George. % years old, took out a
policy for $1,000 in his favor. Louis
was arrested a short time ago and
convicted Of stealing silk from the
Neuvillier silk mills. He was SEN
fenced to three years in prison, but
on appealing the case he has been out
on bail pending a new trial.
When the policies were taken out
on her life she was examined and ap-
proved by DR.. Charles B. Russell, of
Insurance company. He said that
then she seemed to be in perfect, ro-
bust health.
Shs became Ill In the middle of last
May, and Louis Tapack called in DR..
3ussell She was then anaemic, thin
end at times in a state Of coma. DIR.
uxgeIi was unable to determine what
| 4r1e tfle matter with her, and he
&at1ed in Or. Victor E. Bullen, of 14S
Hamilton avenue.
Louis in Charge of Home.
eThe old woman talked some, but
w9 could not understand her." said
bn Bullen. 'It was all in Hebrew.
Louis seemed to be in charge of the
household, although his brother lived
there. The son seemed to fear that
she might end her own life." says
the physician.
After three or four days DR.. Arm
strong, the county physician. was
called into the case.
'It seemed to me-" said DIR. Arm
strong today, that she had either
been poisoned; that she had a tumor
on the brain, or that something was
the matter with her kidneys Investi-
cation showed that her kidneys were
dll rlRHI, ana IlOLIlHS was lOuIlO u
indicate further that she had a tumor.
II learned that this son Louis had
asked after I left, how 1 came into
the case; what l would do If his
mother committed suicide; and if she
did commit suicide, or died suddenly, |
whether or not he would have any
trouble getting the insurance money. |
81 thought the case so suspicious
Alya n f6a
cutor's office at the time.
"a day or two after 1 made my |
visit to the house I found out that
the old woman had suddenly turned
for the better and was getting we'll
fast. DIR. Bullen stopped going to see
her so we'll was she getting along
Found Her Again Ill.
On July someone left word by
telephone for DIR. Bullen to visit a
sick person at the Tapack house. He
found Mrs. Tapack Ill in the same
way she was in May. He saw Louis
but rarely on his visits this time but
he was told by the other son that
Louis came In every day. DIR. Bullen
continued his visits. He could make
no more out Of the case than at first.
When the old woman died DIR. Bull
len issued a certificate assigning
CASTRO -enteritis as the cause That
was true as far as it went. The ply
sicians agree now that there were
symptoms of poisoning in the case.
DR.. Armstrong who was told of the
death on Friday, tried to stop the
interment. His men met the funeral
coming back from the cemetery in
Bergen County.
Louis telephoned to the insurance
on the day his mother died
to ask about how he should go about
getting the money, but was told by
DR.. Russell that it would be better to
let the companies know of his
mothers death before he buried her.
The body was not embalmed before
burial