The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-10
Mrs. vermilya, Charged With Being
Poisoner Says Death is Prefer
able to jail suf-
ferIns.
ONE CASE DISMISSED
She Was Free for One Moment But
Arrested Again on An
other Similar
Charge.

Limited Press Leased WIRE SerVlCe-I
CHICAGO, March 9.-Wheeled into
court in an invalids chair, Mrs.
! Louise Vermilya, charged with the
murder of Arthur Bissonnette, a POI
liceman, by poisoning him and alleg-
ed by the police to be the slayer OF
eight other persons, was freed for a
moment when Assistant States At
torney Frederick Burnham nolled
the charge. A moment later as the
woman was being wheeled out OF the
court room, she was rearrested on a
warrant charging her with the MUIR
der of Richard T. Smith, railroad
conductor and like Bissonette, a
boarder in her house.
Both men died under suspicious cir
cumstances and autopsies performed
on both resulted in the finding of ar
senic in the viscera.
The proceedings were no surprise
to Mrs. yermilya and the woman
wept softly in her chair as she watch
ed the travesty of restoring her TO
freedom, performed by the officers of
the court.
Mrs. Vermilya is emaciated and
worn with the months of sickness in
/ the jail hospital, resulting, the au-
thorities declare, from an effort to
take her own life when arrested. She
has been in Jail since November 20
last The woman is but shadow OF
her former self and today declared
| that death itself would be welcome
rather than continuation of suffer.
! ing in Jail Attorney Joseph Burres
| for the woman objected to the dis
missal of the Bissonnette charge, de
claring that both court and counsel
had been imposed upon by the state
.as it had been agreed that the trial
was to go forward.
/ When Mrs. Vermilya was rearrest
ed Attorney Burres secured an i'm
mediate hearing of the charge before
Judge Lockwood Honore.
"I demand an Immediately hearing
said the lawyer to Judge Honore, at
! ter his client had been wheeled to the
courtroom. This woman has beer
suffering the tortures of death in the
Jail for Ave months. The state has
misled us and delayed the admins
tration at every turn. demand al
immediate hearing of the charge tina
Mrs. vermilya murdered Richard I
Smith
Judge Honore ordered the hearin,
to proceed.
1t is said the state abandoned TIL
Bissonnette case against Mrs. Yer
! milya because it was recently learne'
that the policeman rs taking med
: cine shortly before his death wllic'
contained arsenic. She is charge
with poisoning Smith with rough o
, rats" Both men, the state charges
) We're engaged to marry Mrs vermily
) while they were boarding at her home
The other persons whom the polio
. suspect were victims of the woma
were her two husbands, three childre
and two stepchildren. In Jail toda
, Mrs Vermilya declared that the han
of death had been laid upon all whoI
she loved: that death had Away
been near her since She was cnll'
: She said that death had always bee
= her constant companion in her hom
2 Attorneys for the prosecution declar
the woman was prompted to comm
: crime because Of her mysterious ia
:. cination for death scenes and her d
: sire to attend funerals.
When Judge Honore ordered Il
= hearing to proceed, Assistant Prosec
4 tor Burnham declared it was impo
!, sible for the state to produce its e,
i dence and the court adjourned ii
hearing until Monday when, he sal
"a the entire matter would be dispose
a of. The grand jury also meets Mo
= day and, 1t was said, the state plal
d to take the case before the grand jul