The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-24
Confessed the Nurse Arrested
For Murder of 5 Babies
is THOUGHT TO BE INSANE
Winifred Ankers Declares She Put 0xaliC
Acid in Babies Food Simply to Make
Them Sick and Thus Work Out
Spite on Other Nurses.

New York, Feb 24.-Winifred Ankers
an attendant at the Brooklyn Nursery
and Infants hospital, was arraigned to-
day in Brooklyn, charged with homicide
in connection with the death OF eight
infants at the hospital since Sunday.
Miss Ankers is held without bail.
The woman confessed she put oxalic acid
in the babies milk, not for the purpose
of killing them, but to make them i'll,
so it would appear that the nurses,
against whom she had grudge, were
not taking proper care of the infants.
Measures will be taken to-day to appoint
commission to determine the sanity of
the attendant.
"On Saturday night after the bottles
had been prepared for the babies" the
police version of the confession runs, Il
put two or three drops of oxalic acid into
the bottles. / did not do ii with intent
to kill the babies, but | wanted to get
square with the nurses who were my
enemies"
The police believe that the Ankels
woman is demented Her story they re-
gard as true. however
came to the hospital last July with het
infant, and after placing the baby in
the care of the hospital she found work
in the kitchen She had been regarded
as a phlegmatic sort of character, but
occasionally aroused herself with temper,
complaining of the small pay and poor
food she safd she received. Owing to the
fact that she was nursing her own baby,
H. att4h baY ha am 4 lot
as was provided for the other nurses
but she still complained of discrimina-
ton.
Suspicion was not directed toward the
Ankers woman until four of the babies
had died on Sunday and Monday, With
the death of fifth baby, an autopsy
was performed, and microscopic exam.
nation indicated the presence of oXalic
acid or some similar irritant. II was
recalled that recently the Ankers woman
had persisted in wanting some oNalic
acid for cleaning copper vessels, and thai
she had finally been given permission to
buy an ounce of it. The authorities were
guarded, however, in taking definite ac
tion against the woman until thorough |
chemical analysis could be made.
After the death of three more infants, |
but she denied having placed any acid in
the babies milk. When visited by Police |
lieutenant Thompson and Detective Me- |
Ardy last night, the young woman was
told that unless she related the whole |
truth it would be necessary to remove
her baby to some other hospital and she |
thereupon made the alleged confession.
The Ankers woman was formally ar
4zI ln4n I'D a@, al 90 tLa hnu Al
under police guard. The examination |
which developed her confession was tax
en- down by Assistant District Attorney |
Warbasse, and was heard by several |
nurses. When the threat was made that |
her child would be sent to another hos
pital unless she told the truth, the wom-
an, who had been denying all evening any
blame in connection with the babies
deaths. suddenly became frantic, and she
Jumped from her chair, shaking her fists
ht Detective NEARBY.
'If you take my baby from me- I'll
kill you" she shouted. She sank back
into chair, crying Historically. When
The officers calmed her, she said: "Well,
I'LL tell you all about it," and went on
to relate how she turned the oxalic acid
Into the milk bottles in the ice box.
81 did not want to kill the babies"
she said, call ! wanted to do was to
make them sick / knew if they were
sick, they would be cross and cry and
cause lot of trouble for the nurses. The
nurses have snubbed me, and they were
my enemies. l am very sorry for the
poor babies"
The police in looking up the woman's
record found that she was an orphan,
born Gerber, and was adopted by fam
tly named Ankers. She was left legacy
OF 500, and when she became of age she
left her foster parents and lived a life
of irregular habits. A baby was born
to her at Brooklyn hospital recently.