The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-04-09
|0nAN. TONG IN
DEATH S SHADOW,
sTEPS To LIBERTY
nxeed With Numbering Six Mem
bsrs Of Her Family, Her limo
cence Is Established in
Remarkable Manner.
Rrssnio Found in Hair Mattress Be
heved To Be Responsible for
Deaths of Her Relatives.

BOSTON, April 9.-Wnen Mrs. Mary
3 xeIleher was acquitted by jury IN
- superior court at East Cambridge,
& the charge OF numbering her hus'
and, her three children, her sister
ind her sister-in-law, the district at
,orney and her own lawyer congratu'
ated her, and the case was written
Town as a remarkable instance OF
circumstances tending TO make an in
I. locent person appear guilty.
Six members of Mary Kelleher'
.anily died rather suddenly within
hree years, il is true. but there was
10 evidence against her except few
circumstances which are now satisrac-
orily explained. However, for a year
and half she lay IN Jail. destitute ana
riendless. For IS months the police.
1rosecuting officers and the court held
Mary Kelleher like a common muir
ieress, though they now have TO ad-
nit that there was not grain OF ac-
Iual proof against her. .------..---
N The circumstances leading TO the
unfortunate woman's legal persecution
are as follows: Mary Kelleher, poor
aud obscure, worked as a domestic in
the home OF Boston family. There
we're three or four little, mysterious
6res In the house, and detectives in
Festigating decided 10 lock her up.
She didn't know how the fires started
Ind the detectives failed to find any
reason why she should try TO burn
her employers house; besides, the
Manage was small.
A While the detectives were trying 10
lmpIlcate Mrs. Kelleher in an attempt
I'd arson case they discovered that six
of he- relatives had died within three
years, as follows: Bridget Knowles.
sister: Anne Kelleher. sister-in-law
Stephen Kelleher. husband; Mary,
daughter; William, son; katherine,
Physicians had given certificates of
natural death in each case
The body OF Katherine was first ex-
humed. and less than one-fifth Of n
grain OF arsenic was found. Then
The other bodies were dug up, and
Rrsehic was found in each, but in
small quantities.
Finally when II came into court
he prosecution pressed the charge re-
|ating to the death OF Katherine, this
being called the strongest" evidence
Rgafnst the woman. II was admitted
hat the arsenic found in. Katherine's
body was less than one-ffth of what
y required to kill II was also brought
out that the child's body containet
Dtomaine poison, due TO the ice cream
NE shad eaten at lawn party just
0efore she was taken III.
There was evidence that Mrs Kei-
|eker had called a physician, had
worked night and day 10 save her
child, and was grief-stricken when she
died,
4 After the presentation OF the states
case poison experts employed in be-
half OF Mrs. Kelleher testified that
hey had examined the contents Of
cheap hair mattress upon which all OF
the accused woman's relatives had
died. and had found in the hair guam
'tities of arsenic. --..-
The experts also testified that ar
'benic had been contained in the en-
|baiming fluid used In every case, and
Also that trees in the neighborhood
had been sprayed with a preparation
containing the poison Ii was finally
established that Mrs. Kelleher was In.
|uocent
The state had claimed that the only
motive Mrs kelleher could have had
Tor the crime would have been 10 get
her relatives insurance. Yet Bridget
1nsurance was not payable TO Mrs
Kelleher: Anne's amounted to but
&53; Mary's, $45; Williams. $lO7. The
woman used up all but $50 of Rather.
ines $500 in doctors and undertaken
bills. The only Insurance OF conse,
Quence was Stephens $4,000. But the
only reason for believing that the wife
had committed crime TO get thai
money was that she had committed
the crime In all cases. She was ar
rested simply because the deaths came
close together.
II Everybody testified to her good char
acter.
e Now broken in spirit by the rougn
arm of the law and clad in deep black
by the fingers of death. Mary Kelle.
her has gone forth from the court OF
justice to take up the burden Of life
|again.