Smyrna times., 1911-03-08
KILLS MOTHER,
BOY AND SELF
Woman Driven Insane by Death
Of Her Sister.
GAVE POISON IN WATER
Driven Insane by Grief Over Death of
Sister, Miss Jeanette Lewis Gave
Parent and Nephew Cyanide-Police
Suspect Suicide Pact.

Parent and Nephew Cyande-Police
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 drink from it.
Both died instantly. Then Miss Lewis
drained 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 sister, the mother of Edward Mid
len, Jr., who died in the German hos
pital, following an operation for gall
stones.
1t is said the police have informa-
tion that Mrs. Lewis entered into a
suicide pact with her daughter. Ac-
cording to the report, when the boy
rushed into the bathroom Sarah Pol
hamus, the maid, went to his assist
ance, 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: mo, let
him drink it! Let him drink it,
Miss Lewis was devoted to her mar
ried sister, and during the latter's ill
ness in the Germantown hospital she
was daily at Mrs. Midlens 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 brother-in-law,
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 deadi"
The first intimation of the grim ira
l. -.
She was cleaning in the bathroom on
the second floor when the little boy,
gasping and apparently in agony, stag
gered into the room.
" Peach! Peacht What is the mat
ter?" she cried. The boy was unable
| to make reply. AS Sarah Polhamus ad-
vanced to help the child, his grand
mother, suffering intensely and exhib.
iting the same symptoms as Peach, .
followed him into the room. The do
mestic reached for a glass of water,
but before she could place it to the
child's lips he fell to the floor uncon-
scious. The girl turned to Mrs Lewis
but she, too, lay limp on the floor.
The domestic ran into the hall and
shouted: Miss Lewis, where are you?
Your mother has tainted" There was
no response, and the girl rushed into
Miss Lewis room, where she was
found unconscious upon the bed and
apparently dead.
Mr.. Midlen was in the parlor on the
first floor and Miss Snyder, the nurse
was on the third floor. Both hurried
to the second floor in response to the
cries of the terrified domestic.
Mr.. Midlen, not realizing that the
three were dead, rushed to the drue
store and cried out to DR.. Lowe thai
three members of his family had faint
ed. He asked the druggist to return
to the house with him. The two hur
ried back to the house, and DR.. Lowe
upon seeing the bodies, realized tha'
they had been poisoned.