Milford chronicle., 1911-03-03


Sister, Miss jeanette Lewis Gave
Parent and Nephew cyanide-Poliee
Suspect Suicide Pact.
Jeanette Lewis. twenty-five years Of
age, Of Philadelphia. placed some cya-
nide Of potassium into a glass Of wa
ter and then induced her mother
and her nephew, Edward Midlen, Jr,
nine years old, to take a drink from it.
Both died instantly Then Miss Lewis
drained a glass of the poisoned water.
The murders and the suicide oc-
CURED at the Lewis home, 81 West
Phillena street, Germantown, in the
heart Of the fashionable suburban dis
trict.
The motive for the crime, the police
say, was melancholia over the death
OF a sister, the mother of Edward Mid
len, Jr, who died in the German hos
pital, following an operation for gall
stones.
It is said the police have informa-
tion that Mrs. Lewis entered into
suicide pact with her daughter. Ac-
cOrding to the report, when the boy
rushed into the bathroom Sarah Pol
hamus, the maid, went 10 his assist
snce, the child still held the glass con-
tanning the poison in his hand. Miss
Polhamus tried to take the glass from
the boy, but his grandmother, who
staggered after him, cried NO, let
him drink it, Let him drink it,
lt was also said that Mrs Lewis
tried to find the eight-months-old baby
Of Mrs. Midlen, with the intention of
poisoning it, but she was unable to
accomplish her purpose, because the
infant was on the third floor in Gus
tOdy of its nurse.
Miss Lewis was devoted to her mar
Fied sister. and during the latters ill
ness in the Germantown hospital she
was daily at Mrs. Midlen's bedside
An operation was performed, and it
was thought at first that Mrs. Midlen
would survive Monday she suffered
a relapse and died.
When word was sent to the Midlen
home Miss Lewis became almost fren-
zied in her grief Her brotherin-Iaw.
himself struggling under the burden
OF his sorrow. sought in vain to soothe .
her Miss Lewis refused to go TO her
room. and through the hours of the
night until daylight she walked about
the house wailing My sister is dead;
she is dead
Telephones For Poison.
After the sorrow stricken family had
partaken OF breakfast Miss Lewis
went to the telephone and called the
drug store OF Or. G. d. Lowe
According to Dr. Lowe the young
woman represented herself as Flor
ence Snyder. the trained nurse in
charge Of the infant. She said that she
wanted an ounce of cyanide of pOtas-
sium and would send for it. When
asked the reason she replied that she
wanted the poison for medicinal pur-
poses
To dissolve the drug it would have
been necessary to soak il in water for
a long time or else pulverize it, 1t is
believed that when Miss Lewis receiv-
ed the drug she must have gone into
some room unobserved and there
crushed the crystals into a powder.
4
Verized poison into a glass of water {
BY some artifice she induced the {
boy. who was nick I
named Peach" to take a sip OF the T
drugged water Then on another pre- {
text she handed the glass to her
mother and watched her take drink q
Of the lethal potion. When she saw a
that the powerful drug was having its z
effect upon her nephew and mother
She went to her own room She lay
down upon the bed and drained the
glass of all but a few drops
The first intimation of the grim ira :
eedy was given to Sarah Polhamus.
She was cleaning in the bathroom on
he second floor when the little boy, q
gasping and apparently in agony stag Z
sered into the room. j
Grandmother and Boy Fall Dead. -
Peach! Peach, What is the mat
err" she cried The boy was unable ?,
O make reply. As Sarah Polhamus adj
-anced to help the child. his grand
mother, suffering intensely and eXhib-
ting the same symptoms as Peach" q
OllOwed him into the room The do =
nestle reached for a glass Of water. =
nut before she could place it to the =
hild's lips he fell to the floor uncon- =,
cious. The girl turned to Mrs. Lewis,
nut she, too, lay limp on the floor. ~
The domestic ran into the hall and -
houted: Miss Lewis. where are you? We
our mother has tainted" There was q
o response, and the girl rushed into
iiss Lewis room. where she was
1und unconscious upon the bed and
dead az
Mr. Midlen was in the parlor on the az
rst floor and Miss SNYDER. the nurse. an
as on the third floor Both hurried hu
the second floor in response to the Ia
les of the terrified domestic. no
Mr.. MidleH. not realizing that the
rec were dead rushed to the drug
ore and cried out TO DR. Lowe that
rec members Of his family had faint Ae
He asked the druggist TO return Sta