The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-14
CONFESSES To AN
UNNATURAL CRIME
little One Asked for Water
and Was Given Car
bolic Acid
MRS. MELBER TELL HOW
SHE SLEW LITTLE SON
She Regarded Him as an In
cumbrance and Desired
to be Rid of the
Little Fellow

ALBANY, n. Y. Jan. l4.--Mrs.
Edith Melber. sclf-confessed murder
ess of her four year-old son, George.
will be brought here either late to-
day or tomorrow from Rochester by
Detective John Reed. Mrs. Melber is
In such a state of collapse that the
plan to bring her to ALBANY this
morning had to be abandoned.
An indictment on a charge of muir
der In the first degree will be re-
turned at the earliest possible moment
and speedy trial for her unnatural
crime is expected by District Attor-
ney Sanford,
Whatever may have been the sor-
did motive that prompted Mrs Mel
Der. who is only rs years old. to STAY
her only child. she surrendered to
her grief to-day. To Detective John
Reed. of this city. she had nothing to
add to the confession she made TO
Chief of Police Qpigley in Rochester
last night, the bufden OF which was
that she was unable TO find suitable
homo for the child, and In ut OF
dependency gave him draught OF
car bolic acid, when he asked for a
drink OF water.
Base Motive for Murder.
The police credit the woman with
the basest of ali motives In the killing
of her child. d desire TO get rid of him
Ina order that she might marry again.
This is the view shared. also. by Shar-
les r. Smith. the woman's brother.
.'She continually talked OF her little
boy as being In her way" Smith said
to-day land intimated that IL II were
not for the lad. she could get along
better In the world
Smith. whose home Ia III Science
tadv, where Mrs. Mel5er lived, is still
In the city, having come here yesterday
with the boys grand father to identify
the body.
on the theory that Mira Melber may
have had an accomplice. who prompted
her to the terrible ACT, the police are
looking for an intimate friend Of Mrs.
Melber. who Ia said 10 have left Sche-
necsady about the same time Airs Mel
Der did and 20 have started for san
Francisco. The authorities Al Kansas
City have been asked to intercept this
man. the police having learned that
he was to stop in that city en route
TO the coast
That Mrs. Meiber considered the
lad a handicap In shown by her rep
resentation 10 many OF her nen
friends that the boy was her nephew
the son Of an alleged dead brother.
She told IA Schenectady plumber. to
whom she Us said to have been en-
gagged. that she WAS an unmarried
woman and had adopted her brother $
child.
While Mrs. Melbers crime was AS
deliberate and fendish rs ever per-
petrated. I'm the opinion OF the All
bany police. her subsequent actions
show that she had determined 10
make bold EFFORT to escape. despite
the overwhelming chain of evidence
against her. -.sys, s.o... ;. ,sy- .sq.,..4, VA
Not until she had been "sweated"
for some time by the Rochester POI
ficc and had exclaimed dramatically:
Confessed Horrible Crime.
MY Godl haven't seen my dari-
Ing since ! left him with my cousin
did she finally break down and tell
the story OF the trip to the Albany
swamp. where she pressed the deadly
poison to the child's lips.
without intending To do so. Mrs.
Melber added a parenthetical remark
that showed the enormity of her
crime. She said that little George,
tired and hungry, asked her for a
drink Of water She told him that
the acid bottle contained water.
And he believed me-" she said.
''and drank 1t without question. He
always trusted me,
Mrs, Melber says that her inability
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