The Detroit times., 1910-04-11
W0 Man, L0NG IN
DEATHS SHADOW,
Steps TO LIBERTY
Charged With Numbering Six Mem.
bers of Her Family, Her limo
cence Is Established in
Remarkable Manner.
Arsenic Found in Hair Mattress Be
lieved To Be Responsible for
Deaths of Her Relatives.

2aSYOH, Ap1.s e.nr4nsc Mrs. Sa5y
Kelleher was acquitted by a jury in
the superior court at East Cambridge,
of -ths charge. ss~gSssFdeE!Dg hex -hiisa
bard, her three children, her sister
and her sister-in-law, the district at
torney and her own lawyer congratu-
lated her. and the case was written
down as g remarkable instance OF
circumstances tending 70 make an in
nocent person appear guilty
Six members OF Mary Keileher ;
family died rather suddenly within
three years. 1t is true, but there was
no evidence against her except few
circumstances which are now satisfac-
torily explained. However, for a year
and a half she lay IN jail, destitute and
friendless. For is months the police.
prosecuting officers and the court held
Mary Kelleher like q common muir
deress, though they now have 20 ad-
NIT that there was not grain OF ac-
tual proof against her.
The circumstances leading 10 the
unfortunate woman's legal persecution
are as follows: Mary Kelleher, poor
and obscure, worked as a domestic in
the home OF a Boston family. There
were three or four little, mysterious
fires In the house, and detectives in
vestigating decided 10 lock her up
She didn't know how the fires started
and the detectives failed TO find any
reason why she should try TO burn
Nay h.
damage was small.
While the detectives were trying 20
implicate Mrs. Kelleher in On attempt
ed 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,
daughter.
Physicians had given certificates Of
natural death In each case.
The body OF Katherine was first ex.
humed, and less than one-ffth OF a
grain OF arsenic was found. Then
the other bodies were dug up, and
arsenic was found In each, but in
small quantities.
Finally when II came into court
the prosecution pressed the charge re-
lating TO the death OF Katherine. this
being called the strongest" evidence
against the woman. II was admitted
that the arsenic found in Katherine's
body was less than one-fifth Of what
Is required To kill II was also brought
out that the child's body contained
ptomaine poison, due 10 the fee cream
she had eaten at a lawn party Just
before she was taken Ill.
There was evidence that Mrs. Kel-
leker had called physician, had
worked night and day 10 save her
child, and was grief-stricken when she
died.
After the presentation Of the states
case poison experts employed in be-
half of Mrs. Kelleher testified that
they had examined the contents Of a
cheap hair mattress upon which all OF
the accused woman's relatives had
died. and had found in the hair ouan-
titles OF arsenic.
The experts also testified that ar
senic had been contained in the en-.
balming 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.
nocent.
The state had claimed that the only
motive Mrs. Kelleher could have hal
Tor the crime would have been 70 get
her relatives insurance Yet Bridget.
insurance was not payable to Mrs
kelleher: Annes amounted 10 but
$5s; Mary's. S45; Williams. slO7. The
woman used up all but $50 OF Rather.
1ne's $500 in doctors and undertaken
bills. The only insurance OF conse.
quenee was Stephens $4,000 But the
only reason for believing that the wife
had committed crime 10 ger that
money was that she had committed