The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-12-24
Coroner Holds that Snyder
Tried to Kill the Dayton
Family by Putting Arsenic
in Their Food.
NEWCASTLE STIRRED
BY THE MURDER
Mrs. Dayton Admits She Lied
When She First Told Po-
lice that There Was No
Cellar Under the House.

Another chapter in the murder of
Henry Dayton was written today when
Coroner Pierce declared that testi-
mony of witnesses and symptoms of
illness described by Mrs. Dayton indi-
cate that Joseph Snyder. whom the
police charge with the murder OF Day
ton, fed arsenic to members of the
household.
The police believe that Snyder will
fully attempted to poison members of
the household after he had murdered
Dayton. His motive is believed TO
have been desire to put out of the
way all persons who might suspect
him of the crime.
Snyder's knowledge of drugs, OBJ
tanned while he was working in hos
pital. and the study which he gave to
medicine, convince the police that he
studiously set about to kill by poison
/. ing all members of the household.
Mrs. Dayton. in her statement to the
coroner told of feeling ill after she had
partaken of food which Snyder has
! prepared for her. The symptoms she
described were those that follow after
arsenic has entered the human system.
Snyder did most of the cooking for
the household. witnesses told the coro-
ner. The police say it would have
been an easy thing for him to add
arsenic to the food in such small
quantities that it's dreadful effect
would not be noticed at once. The
coroner is convinced that Snyder ac-
tually added the poison to the food.
Mrs. Dayton's Story.
DIR. Pierce obtained a statement
from Mrs. Dayton yesterday. Mrs.
Dayton said Snyder did nearly all the
cooking. I'VE would become nauseated
and constipated and yomit continually
after eating food which Snyder pre-
pared for u.s. said Mrs. Dayton. On
December IL, after Snyder failed to
get possession of the letter said to be
/ his confession. he prepared some soup
| for me. None of the other members
| of the family partook of it. After
had consumed approximately half a
cupful, l became dizzy and could not
eat. l went to bed and was confined
there. The next day Snyder cooked
some steak and onions which made
me feel worse. The next day he told
me some milk would do me good. and
he handed me a glass of milk. After
had tasted it, | became so ill that
sent for the family physician. He came,
and during his visit Snyder was visibly
excited. He appeared to be worried, a
fact which did not strike me then, but
| 0d hn
myself have all suffered from internal
pains. l never opened the letter con-
tanning his confession until Thursday,
December IL. / never knew of the
death of my husband until that date. "
Effect Of Drug.
| Coroner Pierce said the symptoms
described by Mrs. Dayton indicate that
arsenic was fed the family by Snyder.
This poison when given in small
doses affects the digestive organs,
causing nausea and vomiting" he ex-
planned. 'If Snyder had a knowledge
of drugs, he would have probably chos-
en- this poison. After the arsenic was
given members of the family, they
would have been weakened and confin-
ed to their bed. And unless an exami.
nation was made after their death, il
probably would have been supposed
that they died natural death.
Young Son III.
Mrs. Dayton told the coroner that
.her son, Archie Bowles, was very i'll
after Snyder had prepared the dinner
on Friday, December 13. After din,
ner young Bowles was confined to his
bed and the members of the family
feared he would die.
Il do not know what Snyder's object
could have been for killing my hus
band" continued Mrs Dayton in her
statement TO the coroner, 'as he was
not jealous of me. / never noticed
any odor nor lime about the house.
''On the morning my husband left
home never to return again he passed
from the front room where he had
been sleeping into a room north of the
room where Snyder was sleeping.
heard him close the door leading to
the kitchen from Snyder's room
He left me on previous occasions
and when he did not return | supposed
he had again left me. A week previ
Gus he had planned to go to the coun
try on that date On one occasion he
left me and stayed away from De
cember until March. He had mistreat
ed me and abused my family.
"0n the morning he disappeared
did not get up until nearly O'Clock
as l was sick Snyder prepared
breakfast i helped with the dishes
and mother swept the floor. We did
not see anything that would indicate
that a struggle had taken place and as
went to the pantry l did not see
that the cellar trap door had been
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