The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-12
VIRGINIA WARDLAW
sTARvEs To DEATH
Aunt of Mrs Ocey Snead Refuses
E'ood-Was Indicted for
Murder.
-
MEMBER OF OLD FAMILY
Trial for Mysterious Death May
Be Delayed and Prosecution
Very Seriously Hampercd.
MEMBER OF OLD FAMILY

NEWARK, n. j., Aug. i2.--saiss
Virginia wardlow. one of the mys-
terious sisters under indictment 10. !
the murder OF Mrs. ocey W. NJ. Saoac.
the East Orange bathtun victim, died
In the house of detention mere yes
terday afternoon, Death was Que, in
the opinion of physicians. to ssarya-
ton. The fate of the aged woman In
this respect paralIeled that OF n.r AL
legged victim. for doctors who examined
Ocey Snead before her death, said her
ailments were all due to lack Of nour-
ishing food.
In the opinion or jail attendants,
Miss WardIow deliberately starved
herself t. death. This has revived ru-
mors, circulated at the tire Vt Ocey
! Sneads death, when the hisfor- Of
the mysterious Household was under
investigation, that sui side pact ex-
listed between Miss Wardlo~ and her
niece.
| For several weeks the 1'omau's con-
dttion had been growing worse and
last Monday she was removed from
the jail to the house of dctontion. II
the cell she had occupied was found a
/ quantity Of stale food when The pris-
oner had concealed.
| At the aged woman's sdside when
she died were her sister. Mrs, Richard
Pringle. and her brother. the Hey.
Albert Wardlaw, both Of Christians
burg. Va, who had been called here
when her condition becams alarming
But her other sisters, MrS. Caroline
Martin and Mrs. Mary ". Snead, Joint
iy indicted with her. were In their jail
cells as she expired. =
They were sent for. bat tho tailor
refused to allow them to visit the
house OF detention without the word
4 of physician that their sister was
at the point Of death.
I What effect Virginia Wardlaw's
death will have on the fate Of her
sisters is still TO be determined. She
was the dominating influence of the
strange household. and predictions
were made last night that Mrs. Mar
tin and Mrs Snead may never be
brought to trial
Mrs. Snead's death was one of the
most mysterious with which the Jersey
authorities have had to deal for some
time. She was found dead In a house
In Orange. and shortly afterward the
sisters of the victim of what ~ue be-
lieved to have been a tragedy were
arrested and held for trial on charges
OF having caused her death
or OLD Southern Family.
November 20, 1909; Snead. Ocey
Wardiaw Martin, age "a. No. SO West
Fourteenth street. Dead in bathtub
Said ODE suicide"
This brief entry on the "blotter" OF
the East Orange. N. J.. police station
began one OF the strangest cases off,
. Gals OF any community have been
called TO solve In years
The "Snead case" takes it's place
among the great criminal cases of his
tory, lii the list OF those where skeins
OF mystery are still untangled, II
ranks even with the famous MolIineux
case, the Nan Patterson case and the
Bilnk poisoning case in Chicago. OF
those OF more recent date 1t holds
comparison with the death of Presi
dent Faure, of France. concerning
which Mime. Steinheil was suspected
OF completely.
The dramatis personae in the Snead
case are all members of proud old
family of the South--the "house OF
Wardiaw 1t 10 called-who are more
. than likely TO remain true to traditions
by the sealing of their lips rather than
to cast any further stain upon their
, esentcheon. no matter what evidence
. Ia produced.
Aunt Charged With Murder,
The aunt OF the dead girl. Miss Vir-
, GINA Wardlaw, was locked up In the
: Newark Jail. charged with murder, but
was known to have been only the sec
ond in command OF the family affairs.
Before coming to New York she was a
well-known educator In the South hav-
ing been president OF Soule College,
Murfreesboro. Tenn. the oldest insti-
tuition for women In the State, and was
later member OF the faculty of Roa-
noke College, Salem, Roanoke county,
Va. She 1t was who notified the po-
lice OF the death of her niece twenty.
four hours after It's occurrence, and
this fact was deemed sufficient for her
arrest. She IL also one OF the chief
beneficiaries in the life insurance poll
cies Of the dead girl
These three are the "veiled old wo-
man In black" who 90 strangely came
and went from their various dwellings
in the night time. and, who conducted
themselves In 80 peculiar a manner
during their occupancy Of house at
East Forty eighth street and Mil lane
F1atlands. Brooklyn, that 1T became
known to neighbors AZ the house of
mystery
In the later acts in New York there
appear many attorneys who have
drawn wills for Ocey, bestowing her
! property first upon one and then an
other member of the family; also, no.
taries who describe uncanny scenes in
the house OF mystery when they
called TO witness documents transfer
ring property; and, lastly, a corps of
physicians who tell OF a strange iniu-
ence. suggestive OF hypnotism. exer-
cised upon the living Ocey by menu
bers OF the family.
In the distant background Of the
scene are other relatives about whom
fantastic tales are weaved concsrnins
mysterious deaths. suicides. poverty
and prfvattor. There are creditors who
tell OF the imprisonment" Of Ocoy
during her childhood days, accuaint-
! ances who cite Incidents that seem
j queer" IN the light Of recent develop
ments. and. above all, the predomina-
ting feature 10 the fortune of $4,000
due the family OF Ocey' from inzurAnee
policies on her life.
! Upon this structure 10 built the the
DRY of the police, evolving after the