Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-03-04

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--PoIice
Suspect Suicide Pact.

parent ana NepheW Cyanioe-Poitce
Suspect Suicide Pact.
jeanette Lewis, twenty-five years of
age, Of Philadelphia, placed some eva
hide OF potassium into 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 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.
II is said the police have informa.
tion that Mrs. Lewis entered into 4
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 1t. Let him drink IT,"
1t was also said that Mrs Lewis
tried TO find the eight.months.old baby
of Mrs. Midlen, with the intention OF
poisoning 1t, 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.
ried sister, and during the latter's ILL.,
ness in the Germantown hospital she
was daily at Mrs. Midlen's bedside
An operation was performed. and il
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.
zled 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 dead"
The first intimation OF the grim ira
gedy was given to Sarah Polhamus.
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. Peach, What is the mat
teri" 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.
nestle reached for glass of water
but before she could place II 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
20 the second floor in response to the
cries of the terrified domestic.
Mr.. Midlen, not realizing that the
store and cried out to DR.. Lowe that
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 DIR. Lowe.
upon seeing the bodies, realized that
they had been poisoned.
Woman Robbed OF $4,000 In Gems.
Mrs. Maldwin Drummond. who was
formerly Mrs Marshall Field, Jr., OF
Chicago. was much perturbed after
she awoke in her suite on board the
Hamburg-American liner Amerika,
coming to New York from Hamburg.
when she discovered that her precious
white. black and pink pearl jewelry,
valued at $4,000. had vanished over
night from the drawer OF writing
desk In the bedroom of her suite.
The police have little hope of get
ting the thief. and the officials OF the
Hamburg-Amerlcan line say that un.
less the police solve the mystery 1t is
likely to be forever unsolved.
The Hamburg-American line dis
claims all responsibility on the ground
that passengers leave jewels In their
staterooms at the owners risk To
the police Mrs Drummond described
the missing jewelry as follows:
Two strings OF 273 pearls each.
One string of 2S3 pearls.
One large black pearl ring set with
diamonds.
One large white pearl ring set with
diamonds.
One pair large pearl earrings set