Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-09-16
Remarkable Murder in Flori-
da Shaker Colony, as Told
by Participants, Is Tale of
Devotion to Love of Fellow
Beings.
BY H. C. RODGERS.
Copyright, 1911, by The Newspaper
Enterprise AssociatiOn.1

KISSIMMEE, Fla, Sept. 16.-ln the
Shaker colony, neal Ashton, ten miles
from Kissimmee. in the heart OF n
! seven thousand acre pine forest, skirt
ing the shores of Live Oak ~lake-right
in the heart of the Florida peninsula
Sister Sadie /. Marehant lay dying. in
the last stages of consumption. EX-
cruciating pain surged through and
through her frail, diseased body. Again
and again she begged her fellow Shak-
ers. who surrounded her bedside, to
kill her.
"oh! If you have any feeling for me,
put me out of the body!" she cried
again and again.
And this is the way they answered
her pleadings for a fastened death. 1t
was told to me on the big, wide porch
where Miss Marchant often lay breath
ing tiny gasps of air into her fragment
of a lung. told to me by Brother Egbert
Gillette and Sister Elizabeth Sears.
Jointly charged with the murder of
Sadie Marchant.
Was Crying with Pain.
"on Sunday, August 90" sobbed sis
ter Elizabeth, a little. old woman
of "A, SISTER Sadie suffered In
tense pain. She moaned and cried with
agony. She begged us to end her suf-
fering. She asked me for permission
to pass out of the body That permis-
sion I granted her just as we gave her
everything she asked for"
Then Brother Egbert, who has vainly
.l1 a. -l.F% NI,A .x.1A1o -, IN. - %hfG
crime to his own shoulders, inter
rupted, and this is his crime:"
Sister Sadie pleaded with us that
Sunday to put her out of the body
and towards morning of the next day,
her sufferings became so agonizing that
| could stand her pleas no longer. |
drove to the village of st. Cloud and
bought some opiates. They contained
morphine and opium, | think. When ]
returned | asked Sister Sadie:
"tDo you want to pass out of the
body?'
Yes she gasped eagerly.
"I gave her the drug, and she went to
sleep, but she awakened again.
1.-THE pain was still terrible. So I
again went to the drug store and
bought a larger dose, took 1t home. and
said:
Sister Sadie, do you want to pass
out7'
wanted to "pass OntS'
and for the second time she looked
at me appealingly and whispered Yes
This dose she could not keep down.
Her sufferings continued until Tuesday
noon. Then | went to st. Cloud and
bought \ two ounces of chloroforrh.
When ] returned she was still plead
ing to be passed out I stood by her
bedside, with a handkerchief and the
bottle of chloroform in my hands n
asked:
"'shall I put this ehloroform on your
face, Sister Sadie?'
Yes she said.
IT saturated the cloth with chloro-
form and placed it upon her face. She
went to sleep. But. by 3 O'clock she
woke up, In awful agony
1.-The fourth trip | made TO st. Cloud,
and this time | bought six Or eight
ounces of chloroform. Although | could
hardly talk, for we at the bedside were
suffering great mental agony at the
sight of our dear sisters pain, I for the
fourth time asked:
"'Sister Sadie. do youb want to pass
out of the body?
"'Yesr"
"Sister Elizabeth was in the room,
She heard the word yes
''Then I poured the entire contents
of the bottle on a cloth and laid 1t upon
the drawn face.
I'VE couldn't bear 1t any longer and
we all left the room and went out and
lid our chores.
"At ten minutes to 6 that evening
Sister Sadie passed out of the body
That is the murder which Sister Elk
abeth and Brother Egbert are charged,
and for which they were confined in
the county jail until Judge G. r.
Parker admitted them to bail, the man