The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-12
Miss Virginia O. Ward
law Refuses Food,
and Dies.
HELD FOR M MUiRDER
OF OCEY w. M SNEAD.
Central Figure in Famous "Bath
Tub" Case Succeeds in Cheat
ing Justice-He er Sisters, Also
Prisoners, Little Concerned
Over Deaf h Severe
Blow to Prosecution.
Blow to Prosecution.
.---....----
10 The Ttmes-pispatch..

Especial to The eTlmes-Dispatch.1
New York, August 11.-Miss Virginia
O. wardlaw. one Of the three sisters
under indictment for. the murder OF
Mrs. OceyssW. NJ. snead, died this af-5
ternoon at AIS O'clock in cell in
the House OF Detention, Newark, n. j.,
whittier she was removed last Monday
by order OF Chief Justice Gummere
from cell In the Essex county jail,
Just across the street from the de-
tentlon prison.
The authorities believe that she had
been deliberately starving herself to |
death In order to escape trial They
became SO alarmed over her serious
condition that they notified her sister,
Mrs. Richard B. Spingie, and her
brother the Rev. "A. G. Wardlaw, who
live in Christiansburg. Va, both OF
whom arrived in Newark to-day. and |
went Immediately to the detention
prison to see their sister.
After the removal from the county
Jail, the jail officers found much stale
food in her cell They learned that
her sisters, Mrs. Caroline 3. Martin
and Mrs. Mary w. Snead, had never
eaten their food until rwenty-fonrs
after they received it, but this was
only an eccentricity on their part
Finally they ate their food, but Miss
NNardlaw. who like them. was more
,hans ms sixty as;, yearlopld' concealed hers
Grew Steadily Worse.
After her self-iniicted starvation,
Miss Wardlaw grew steadily worse in
the House OF Detention. She had sew
eral sinking spells and was unconscious
at times. Or. Walter S. Washing ton.
who, with DR.. J. H. Fry Clark. as
sisted DR.. Roth to attend her. made
her inhale oxygen to bring her UP from
/ collapse. But rhe sank into torpitude
! and feebly tried to reject the nourish-
rnent forced on her. Besides oxygen
DR.. Washington gave her heart stimu-
\ lants. " n
!s Wilbur a, Mott,Sss1he prosecuting
| assistants ADMIT that Miss gWarolaws
4 death will greatly weaken the states
/ case against the strange women.
II was Miss Wardlaw who took
Snead TO the House Of Mystery 1
lin North Fourteenth Street. East
i Orange. where the young woman was
4 found dead in q bath tub last Novem-5
| Der. Miss Wardlaw and ocey osten-l
1 sibly were the sole occupants of that
house for several days before the
I younger womsn's death. It was Miss
Wurdlaw who notified the East Orange
4 police that Ocey was dead. She had
/ tnever satisfactorily explained why she
4 did not discover her companions death
for twenty-four hours:
!! Ocey's mother, Mrs. Martin, and her
other aunt. Mrs. Snead. who was also
her mother-in-law, are In good condi-
ton apparently They did not show
\ themselves to be deeply concerned
over their sisters condition.
A NIy.terious Case.
II was on November 20. 1909. that
4 MISS Virginia Wardlaw reported to
4 the police OF East orange. N. j., that
4 her niece had committed suicide by.
/ drowning herself in the bath4tub OF
4 their humble home. On investigating,
4 the authorities found the body OF the
u beautiful young woman lying in
\ about one foot Of water In the tub.
! with her nostrils submerged. Pinned
{, to her clothing, which lay at the side
/ OF the tub, was note. signed with
81 the Victim s name. and indicating that
b she had taken her-slite on account OF
n Ill health. "A search Of the premises
q revealed a number OF insurance poll
! Ikci les, which II named Miss virginia
s as one of the benehciartes..
II This coupled with the statement made
), by Miss sWardlaw to the effect that
G she had been the only one In the house
i with her niece during the last 1orty-3l
& eight hours, and that she had helped
prepare her bath. led to her arrest An
l examination OF the corpse showed that
8 the young woman had met her death
:, by drowning, and no marks OF Vlolence
were ydiscernible% on her BODY altnough
: her face and form were erlal, erlaclateo, and I1
: her stomach showed that she had
! been in a half-starved condition. and
}roc a.
4 house itself was scantily furnished,
Wit !, no. carpets on the floor and no
3 food IN the Gu upboar as. 4 E, ,
: Through the untiring efforts OF the
Il Nav, york and New Jersey sleuths
! each day brought, a string Of new
g but to each evelopment
: was added another mystery. First, t
q was learned that mysterious look
i Ing woman, dressed IN bla,ck, ha q 5v1s-
9 fted the Snead home the DAY betore
I thaS crime was discovered. The police
Y snvs,tfat this was Mrs. Caroline B.
!, !. Martin. mother OF the dead girl and
4 gthey Immediately set a dragnet In
q New york and New. ersey. On De-
#6 Gambler i & Mrs, Martin was found liv-
T inr'Ein a cheap hotel in New York
Y civ, and was placed under arrest. and
: the next day Mrs. Mary Sn ead. the
r third sister and the mother of -ocey's
q husband, was Nappr ehended.
!. Web Of Evidence. Fs
y y BIT BY bit the authorities be gan ID
!. antangle their prisoners with q web o1
S Icircunlstantlal8 evtd dence. 8 by pieciag TO.
Y |irather the story as Isit Sag me
y from several sections OF the country
3 with Mrs. Mary ESnead at the time 81
4 her arrest was the mot her Of the
# three prl lsoners. Mrs, MarthaS SWardlaw
a a woman eig hty-t three years old. She
e was the widow OF "a Met thp LIST olergy.
= man, and the family was original,
!. from Christiansburg. Va. 4 swas Ia {,
: ter the wa ! that Mrs, CarollnesB. Mar.
n tin came North With her fus hand Nv hc
,.| held IA responsible p osition with aSbit
g tobacco Arm. On his death he left I
= fortune of $4,000 to y their daughter
Continued on Second EPaEe.y