Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-10-21
R IS
HELD, CHARGED
WITH MURDER

MS size, TO prevent MIN from Trying
to take his life.
The detectives who have been work
Ing on the poison mystery which has
had phases of unprecedented peculiar
ity, are still puzzled as to the motive
which prompted mcfarland to kill his
wife, if. indeed, he did do so.
That there is some mystery behind
MacFarland's story is suggested by the
fact hat his wife was living a life OF
comparative poverty, although he had
a salary of $4,000 a yea as advertising
manager OF the Crocker-Wheeler Com
pany.
Where Did Money Cor
Where did MacFarland's money go
tor" the detectives are asking them
selves. did he spend it on some
woman"
They are also trying to discover
whether Mcfarland was interested in
the $4,000 insurance said to be on his
wife's life in case he desired her death.
MacFarlapd was $40 in debt for rent
OF his Park avenue home, his wife had
only one blue dress and a few torn
shirtwaists, nc second pair of shoes or
stockings. and they had planned to
move into an apartment next door
after being practically forced out of
their $50 a month home. Mrs. MacFar-
land could not and did not go out.
mcfarland was known to be a hard
worker. He had a good salary. What
happened to his $50 a week?
After he discovered the body of his
wife Wednesday morning Mcfarland
went for, a doctor. He called on DIT.
William V. Gale, of 259 Roseville ave-
| ri Ea 6td MT coil 1Jnnp mr. -
r. O'Crowley, who lives next door. His
reason for not doing so is one of the un-
explained things about the mystery.
DR.. Gale told his story to an Eve
ming STAR reported today.
Said wife Had Tainted.
"Mr. mcfarland came to my Office"
the doctor said, and asked for me. I
came out to see him. He told me that
he had just returned from New York
and that his wife was in a faint at his
home. He said: Come right away: my
wife has tainted. She is cold and her
lips are blue
He did not appear very excited,
however. I ven with him. On my
porch he asked me If / had restora-
tiyes and I told him yes AS he left
my house he asked If 1 thought it pos
sible that his wife could have lied of
heart disease. l asked him what her
age was. ~'Thirty-hve' he said. and
then &C ERECTED himself. Thirty-eight.
| can.
1--WE walked to his home and when I
went into the bedroom / saw the body
of Mrs. mcfarland stretched across
the bed, one foot on the bed and one on
the floor. 1 saw hat rigor mortis had
- - -- 4~I1 NJ AnA-
Farland tha his wife was dead.
II looked for signs of poisoning but
saw no trace of acid or caustic marks.
Had Poison In House.
1T asked Mr.. mcfarland if he had
any poison in the house. Quick as a
fash he said, Yes, cyanide Of potas-
sum- Then a few seconds later he re-
marked hat he also a a weak solu-
ton of carbolic acid.
q saw that death had not been
caused by carbolic acid. Mr.. MacFar-
land Their went with me to the medi-
cine chest, which is in a little hall
way leading to the bedroom. He took
the medicine bottle with the cyanide
of potassium in it from the shelf.
1.-THE bottle was with many others on
the shelf, which had only those medi-
kcines to be used internally. On the up
per and lower shelves were bottles filled
with lotions and medicines not to be
used internally, among which was the
carbolic acid.
MacFarIand Moved Bottles.
TT struck me that the position of the
bottle there was peculiar. Mr.. MacFar-
land Immediately began to change the
bottles around on the shelf and l told
him to leave them alone. l told him
that it was a case for the coroner and
that | would be obliged to notify the
coroner of the woman's death immedi-
ately, so that a post-mortem examina-
ton could be made.
Mr.. MacFarland did not seem to
relish the idea. He told me that he
wished it could be avoided"
DIR. Gale said that the bottle which
contained the cyanide solution had n
hromidia label on it. Beneath this
label was a small piece of white paper
on which was written cyanide potas-
sum-
81 am almost positive the doctor
exclaimed emphatically, that the word
poison was not on the label when I
looked at it."
How did l1r. MacFarland impress
your the doctor was asked.
LAS a very shrewd, cool and calcu-
lating individual"
The doctor remarked that II MacFar-
land had actually believed his wife
was in a faint he had lone absolutely
nothing to revive her. {,
George A. Crockett, of R%ockland,
Me-, father of the dead woman, to
whom her body has already been
shipped, received a telegram at 4:3O
p. m. Wednesday from Mcfarland,
saying:
Evelyn seriously Ill. Heart fail
ure. Will wire at 8 a. m. tomorrow"
Mr.. Crockett wired the Evening
STAR today that he had received a
second telegram at S;37 Thursday
morning, which read:
Am bringing you the baby, which Is
a duplicate of Evelyn. Evelyn died
very suddenly. Mr.. Burpee will see
you and arrange. Love and sympa.
thy
Burpee is the Rockland undertaken.
The dispatch was SEN from Philadel-
phia.
The difficulty MacFarland apparently
| cxDerienced in making both ends meet