The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-03-23
WIFE SNEERINCLY
REPUDIATES PACT
TO END HER LIFE
Sordid Arkansas Tragedy Barred
by Woman's Confession
She Is Suspected of
Murder.

Chicago, Ill.--Special: Mrs. Stella
SCHNEIDER, of Little Rock, Ark, is
under arrest in Chicago on charge OF
numbering he, husband, Fred Schmie-
der. by poisoning his beer with strych-
nine.
The woman, who claims she is only
19 years old, was found by detectives
at 2640 Berlin st., where she has been
residing for a few days with William
e. Wadsworth, street paving worker
He was also held by the police in con-
nection with the crime and with the
woman will be returned to Little Rock
Laughing as IL she were telling OF
some prank which appealed to her sense
OF humor, Mrs. SCHNEIDER related de-
tails OF how her husband, who, she
said, was so years old and driver of a
brewery wagon, met his death Friday
night, March g. at his home in Little
Rock.
Tells of Pact; Fingers Novel.
II didn't kill the old man." she said
He knew there was poison in the beer "
She told of a suicide pact with her
husband. in the meanwhile lingering
the leaves Of a yellow backed novel en-
titled Jennie Downing's Terrible SIM
with the subtitle "Or Did She Dc
Wrong In Marrying Lord Chester
field?"
II was married to SCHNEIDER when ]
was only Is years Old" she said, turn
ing the pages of the novel. HE
dropped something into a cup OF coffee
which drank and that is the last
remember till next day, when the cere-
mony had been performed. We were
married in church in Texarkana
Tex
Didn't Want to Marry Hin =
II didn't want to marry him, but my
mother wanted me to. I left him after
a few days Then went to Little Rock
where 1 worked in a boarding house
He followed me there and was bother
ing me, and last Friday night we made
an agreement to commit suicide.
so he got bucket of beer. about 10
cents worth, and I got the strychnine
25 cents worth I put Il all into the
beer and stirred it up. / tasted it, and
didn't like 1t. 1t was fat But he
swallowed It,
Then he yelled out: My wife has
poisoned me- and he had fit in the
front yard"
At this point in her statement Mrs
SCHNEIDER laughed.
thought 1t was no use for me to drink
what was left"
And again Mrs. SCHNEIDER laughed.
Reeounts Shooting Trainnnan.
Detective W. A. Jones. of Little Rock
who traced Mrs. SCHNEIDER and Wads-
worth to Chicago. Intercepted the
woman and asked her whether she had
ever been in trouble before.
II don't like TO talk about that" she
said. II was only little girl. 1t used
to bother,my conscience a good deal"
What happened?"
20, shot a brakeman. He had
wronged me, so / went after him with
a revolver. 1t happened In Dallas, Tex,
when / was visiting relatives. When
he saw me with the revolver he shot
at me, and fred. He was shot in one
of the arms. He was standing on q
freight car which was moving and he
fell under the wheels.
"You see, 1t was really an accident.
1t didn't amount to much, but 1t both
cred me. Sometimes I wish hadn't
done It," ry.
Two Men Held in little Rock.
Detective Jones said that the woman
had associated with man named
Claude Johnson in Little Rock, and
that SCHNEIDER had threatened to have
them arrested. Johnson, he said, and
another man, Peterson, Johnson's
brotherinlaw, are now under arrest,
charged with conspiring with Mrs.
Shmieder to kill her husband
Wadsworth said he went to Little
Rock about four months ago, when he
met Mrs. SCHNEIDER. Wadsworth said
he was widower and had two chill
dren. At first he insisted that he was
married to the SCHNEIDER woman, but
later admitted that he was not