Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-09
Fred VermiIya Said to
Have Figured in Old
Romance
WITH CHICAGO WOMAN
Second Husband Said to Have
Died of Same Potion That
Carried of BiSSonette.

Chicago. Nov. 9-One more body
is to be taken from the grave in the
search for evidence against Mrs.
Louise Vermilya, charged with the
murder of Arthur Bissonette.
With the exhumation OF the body
of Fred Vermtlya today the coroner
will dig into a romance of 90 years
ago, in which Mrs. Vermilys is said
TO have played a leading role.
The story of ardent lovemaking
that led to the marriage of Mrs. Ver-
milya and her second husband end
ed with the deadly potion that is
credited with causing the death OF
Bissonette, if the theory of Coroner
Hoffman is substantiated by the
chemical analysis of the vital organs
of the dead man.
These facts were brought to light
during the day during a search OF
Mrs. Nermilya's past at her former
home, Crystal Lake.
Detectives learned first. they said.
that Mrs. Vermilya. who then used
the name of her first husband, Fred
Brinkamp. visited the VermiIyas nj
Crystal Lake and made love to Fred
fact that he still was married
PROTEST Is USELESS.
Mrs. Harvey Cox. "A former neigh
Dor of the Vermilyas, gave this in
formation to the detectives She said
Mrs. Vermilya No. l protested. but
10 .na-v-sSaiI Visits were made by
Mrs. VermiIya twice a week and.
outwardly at least, she was a wei
come visitor at the VermiIya home.
Then came the strange illness OF
the first Mrs. Vermilya. She grew
i'll and died within a few days. say
the neighbors.
At the time It was believed she
died Of4a broken heart because OF
the loss Of her husbands love. Re
cent developments, however. have
caused former friends of the family
to revise their opinions. They now
believe that something more deadly
than sorrow caused her death. 3
The Vermilya household was brok-
en- up in 1903 by another death. At
that time it was believed the hus-
band died of pneumonia.
The coroner, however. is OF the
opinion that the death is worthy Of
further investigation and will place
the vital organs from the dead mans
body in the hands Of chemists as
early as possible in order to prove
or disprove his suspicious.
At the same time these facts were
being revealed at Crystal Lake. Cap
tain Patrick Harding OF the Chicago
police department learned OF another
incident in the death fiat" that did
not result fatally.
BECOMES ILL AFTER EATING.
Mrs. Elizabeth LaRocque. 3434
Vincennes avenue, related to Mrs.
Vermilya by marriage, was the vic
tim Of an experience that resulted
in several days illness, she said, fol
lowing a meal prepared by Mrs. Yer
milya.
Three hours after eating dinner in
the fiat, 415 East Twenty-ninth
street, she said she was taken vic
IentIy III. Pains in the stomach and
all Of the symptoms Of arsenicaI poi
soning we're present. The amount.
Of poison taken into her system
however, is believed TO have been
small, as she recovered TWO or three
days later.
BY a peculiar coincidence. Mrs.
Vermilya's condition grew suddenly
worse yesterday as the more serious
evidence was unearthed against her
Physicians who attended her
while she was iu her fiat IN Twenty
ninth street. remarked the fact that
as the Investigation progressed her
condition seemed 20 act az 4 BARON
.ter Of the police investigation I'M
Ill, last Saturday. she swallowed
poison short time after # had been
announced officially that poison had
been found in Biasonette's viscera
GROWS SUDDENLY WORSE.
At 2 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
he nurses who were attending Mrs.
Eermilya in her room at the county
ail hospital noted that she had
grown worse She showed a slight
'ever and shook with internal con
Although il was manifestly La-
possible that she could have s,saI-
owed more poison, she showed ai
he symDtoms she had exhibited sat
Irday, except for the feet that she
vas not quite 50 ILL.,
After several hours work the jail
physician announced that she Was
Improved, after what he character
zed z relapse from Saturdays III
less.