Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-18
POISON FOR CHILDREN
Widow Then Tries to Kill Her.
self With Pistol.
YOUNGEST SON Is DEAD
Woman and Two Sons Expected to
Recover.
DAUGHTER Baked AT DOSE
Her Two Dead Husbands Appear to
Her and Tell Her They Want
Her in Heaven.



Her in Heaven.
POUGHKEEPSIE, n. Y. August IS
Mrs. Ida Spooner, a poor woman living or
the ground floor of two-family house
at 154 North Hamilton street gave poison
to three of her children Sunday night.
Yesterday morning she gave what is
thought to have been a dose of aconite
to her daughter Matte, ten years old
who had refused to take the pills pressed
upon her by her mother the night before
The little girls stomach, however, could
not retain the mixture.
Then Mrs. Spooner tried to kill herself
by shooting a bullet into her head. She
is still alive in the Vassar Brothers Hos
pital, with a chance Of recovery.
One Child Is Dead.
Gardiner. her six-year-old son. wat
found dead this morning, lying in bed
with his brother Eastman. nine years old.
Who was violently Ill. Eastman and his
half brother. Norris Bowman. sixteen
years old who also got a dose of the
poison, supposed to be morphine. are In
the Vassar Brothers Hospital. They will
recover.
and Chief of Police McCabe, Mrs. Spooner
in her conscious moments at the nos
pital replies:
my two husbands-my first Mr.. Bow
man. and my second, Mr.. Spooner-ap-
kitchen floor They told me that they
both were in heaven, and that they had
agreed that life was too hard for me.
You'll be better off in heaven with
u.s.. they said to me, come and bring the
Children
" How shall bring the children?
asked.
:. Gas is the. best way they told me.
but If you don't like gas, poison Is next
best -
$50 L poisoned them" Mrs. Spooner
told the coroner, that they might go TO
heaven with their two fathers"
The authorities believe her insane.
Mrs Sp0oner lived in FIVE rooms. She
in a bed with ten-year-old Matte. In
another bed In the same room Gardiner
six years old, and Eastman, nine years
slept. In another bedroom on the dln1ns
room Morris Bowman, sixteen years oid,
Mrs Spooner's son by her first husband
slept in one bed, while Frank Cakes, a
young boarder slept in another.
The best account of what happened was
given to Chief Of Police McCabe by little
Matte. who is the only ono OF the children
not affected by the poison.
Story of the Child.
my mamma was worried for long
time" she said. ''She worked hard and
my brother Morris worked hard. But
Morris only made s. week in the rake
factory and mamma advertised for work.
but she couldn't always get it.
Then the other day the man came for
the rent. My mamma said she had paid
the rent. She got out paper-a receipt
and showed him. she had. -
THE man called my mamma bad
woman, and said she had written out the
paper herself and he hadn't signed it, He
told her she would have to pay the rent.
Last night my brother Morris came
home. He had been to a clambake. He
got home Just as mamma was putting on
our nighties and putting us to bed.
my brother said that he felt sick. My
mamma smiled. Then she got out box
Of pills and gave him three. Take this
medicine my mamma said, and you'll
feel better in the morning. Morris took
the medicine.
"Then mamma and I went to our bed:
She gave Gardiner some OF the pills. ana
Eastman some. too. Take them like good
little boys. she said. There were only
few pills left. Mamma gave them to me.
never like medicines I said:
Mamma. l am not sick
Mamma said: Well take them any
way So 1 pretended to go out in the
kitchen and get a drink of water. l put
the pills in the kitchen stove.
Mamma said: Did you take your pills.?
Il said: Yes, mamma. 1 took my two
dollies. Gardiner had a little broken doll.
/ wouldn't give him one of my good ones.
This morning early my mamma got
out of bed. / listened and heard her go
to Morris's room and lock the door.
Then she went back into our room and
went to the he'd where my little brothers
were. Gardiner did not move.
Her Confession.
81 said: n told lie last night. Ny
mamma didn't scold me- Then she said:
Well, little girl, you'd better have some
now Then she went out in the kitchen
and put something from bottle into
glass and gave it to me and 1 drank it.
But it was very sour.
Then mamma came back with papa's
old pistol. She put the pistol up over her
ear and shot it. When the doctor came
he found that Gardiner was dead. He
had the little broken doll in his arms.
The authorities found in the kitchen of
the Spooner rooms letter written by Mrs
Spooner on two scraps of paper in red ink
morphine. Life holds nothing in the
future so far az eye can stretch. only wor-
ry and care and responsibility of bringing
up a family all alone. No. l am not
crazy, Dut L snail ne II l nave 10 i've tnlS
way much longer, and I'm resolved to
take the children with me, SO that they
shall not be bothered by or bother 9TH
ers."
Mrs Spooners letter concludes with
sort of willing away of her poor little
property. Its last few paragraphs are:
Il wish to have none OF embalmed
Mrs. s. was not. and bury us az cheaply
a. possible. i want Susie to have the ma
chine (she needs it,. Put the childrens
clothes in a trunk and ship them to Mrs.
William Hall. HoOsatonic. and let her
pay the freight. CHer p o. address is
Rockdale Mills) Give Sarah's and Spoon
ers, if children are gone. pictures, the
large oneS). to James Bowman. Give
cakes the postcard album he gave me. Give
one doll to Mile Wilbur and one to Ethel
Wyncase. Give Mrs. Wilson the tubs and
dashboard, and mop and two straight
handled fatirons, the set ] don't care
about
Put Mattie's dolls In the comm with
her: she sleeps with them and carries
them in pillow all the time. Let each
boy have his own ball (his inseparable
companion). Give Mrs. Downing my black
aprons. She admired them so much.
want all curiosity seekers kept out and
prayer and two hymns. We Shall Meet
Have Rolled Away
years ago from Great harrington. Mass
Mills, is said to be in good circumst ances
~ ..sl