Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-15
Albany Police Take Mrs. Mel
Der to Jail in Automobile.
STOP TRAIN OUT OF CITY
Crowd Waiting at Station Fails to
Get Glimpse of Woman.
TELLS WHY SHE KILLED SON
Thought It Better He Should Die
Than Face Struggle, She
Declares.

| ALBANY y. Y, January 14.-Mrs
Edith Melber, the young widow who con-
| fessed to the Rochester police yesterday
that she had slain her f1ve-year-old son
George by giving him poison because she
could not support him. arrived here late
| this afternoon in charge of a detective.
| Mrs. Melber was hurried to the jail in
an automobile. She was weak and nerv-
Gus and constantly on the verge of hys-
terics.
| A ruse of the police disappointed sew
eral thousand persons who crowded the
Union station and the streets outside to
| catch a glimpse of the prisoner. Stories
| of the wOman's confession to the Roches-
| ter police and of how she killed the boy
/ by pouring carbolic acid down his throat
when he asked for a drink of water. and
| of how she hid his body in swamp land
near the Schenectady turnpike, collected
| q throng of such temper that the police
| feared to risk taking the woman through
| It.
| Therefore they had the express stopped
at West Albany. three miles from the
center of the city. and Mrs. Melber and
the detective who brought her from
Rochester got out there. Thus when Mrs.
| Melber reached police headquarters in an
| automobile The crowd there was COM
| paratively small There were few
shouts and boots as several policemen
| hurried ner INDOORS, DuI nOtulnS like dIl
organized movement.
| Though pale and trembling, tho woman
preserved her composure until she got
| inside, then she tainted.
Makes No Attempt at Denial.
| 1t was several minutes before she re-
covered sufficiently to be arraigned be-
fore the coroner who has charge Of the
case at present. District Attorney San,
ford was present, but asked the woman
no questions. Without being asked, Mrs
Melber identified the drug clerk who sold
her the carbolic acid at local pharmacy
| last Friday.
Aside from this Mrs Melber had moth.
ing to say, and made no attempt to deny
any of the admissions ascribed to her by
the police Of Rochester. Detective Reed
that on the train she told him that sht
was sorry she killed the boy and wa:
anxious to see him before he was buried
In speaking of the murder Of her Sol
to Police Matron Kerber before she lef
| Rochester she sobbed:
II thought 1t was better for him to dit
than to face the struggle 1 have had"
Once during the five hours trip from
Rochester she spoke to the detective
about the dead child. saying:
"I want to see George; ! want to &C
| to his funerals and don't want my folks
to be allowed to bury him. They would
not care for him in life. why should the!
be allowed to do SO now that he is gone
want my black clothes brought from
Schenectady to me. because | must go tc
my baby's funeral"
Kisses Child After Death.
She told the detective once OH the train
that she had not only knelt and kissed
the little cold face as it lay on the snow
| but had said a prayer before she left 1T
Other than the brief conversation abou,
who should care for the dead child, and
her wish to see it. she made no reference
to little George.
| with Mrs. Melber has been able to figure
| whether her act was inspired by spite
against her relatives, who she knew loved
| the child. or whether she had suddenly
| became insane.
She is far from being a prepossessins
| woman. Her clothing Is of cheap mate
rial and fits her poorly. Her eyes are
| dark and set close together, and one has
a pronounced cast. Her mouth is small
and her lips thin. Her nose is Chin AND
tends to turn up at end. and her neck i.
thick and short. She wears eyeglasses
Her hair is dark and straight.
Acts Strangely at Inquest.
Keen observers noted the woman's
strange actions during the coroners in
quest Without IA corroborating witness
her own confession would not send her
to the electric chair, hut this did not
| seem to trouble her. She Was unable IL
| say what she had done with the boy $
hat and coat which were missing. She
showed no emotion during the ordeal.
| The police, working on the theory that
! Mrs. Melber killed her son because he
was an obstable in the way of her mar
riage, today questioned Howard Kirk of
| Schenectady. a plumber. who was said to
| be engaged 10 her. Kirk denied this. and
said he never had any intention of mar
| rying Mrs. Melber
| Il saw her the night She returned to
/ Schenectady after she had killed the boy. :
| he said. Il saw her again Saturday and
Sunday and Monday. Tuesday 1 did not
see her. but | met her Wednesday night
| and she seemed worried. She told me
she had received news that her aunt was
very i'll and that she would have to go
| to her." He accompanied her to the
| train Thursday. and she told him She
might never return.
It is believed that Mrs Melber's de-
fense will be insanity. Her sister, Mrs.
William L. Simmons of Syracuse. has a
number of letters. which, she says. in
dicate that Mrs. Melber was not in her
It,