The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-23
YOUNG GIRL CONFESSES
TO POISON ATTEMPT
Gladys 0. Newell of Lowell, Mass.
Charged With Trying to Kill Her
Uncle and Aunt with
Rough-on-Rats.

| Lowell, Mass, Sept. 23.-Gladys @
Newell, is years old, was arrested Sat.
urday charged with attempting to muir.
der her aunt and uncle. Mr. and Mrs
Fred NJ. Jordan of 725 School street
Under questioning, the police say. she
admitted that she had put trough on
rats" into the coffee she served her rel
atives at breakfast Thursday morning
About a year ago she put another poison
in the tea, she confessed Saturday, so
the police declare.
As reasons she told the officers that
her aunt had been too severe with her
and that a young man friend in New
York had written her that if she put
them out OF the way there would be
nothing to prevent her joining him and
being happy
Mr.. and Mrs Jordan were not certain
Of the nature of their recent illness or
even that of year ago, until the officers
went to the house The police would not
have been brought into the case had not
Charles Richardson. probation officer Of
the juvenile court, heard the sickness
discussed and asked the officers. to in
vestigate
Mr.. Jordan then recalled that on We'd
nesday the girl had told him of her fear
of rats and mice, asking him how he
kept them from the house He explain
ed the use of trough on rats" and show
ed where he kept the poison, but warned
her not to touch it. Later the same
day she pointed out wreath on the door
of house across the street and asked
Mr.. Jordan whether two wreaths would
be hung if there were two deaths in the
house at once.
Thursday morning the girl arose at
o'clock and prepared breakfast for her
uncle aunt and herself She took no
coffee, however. but Mr.. and Mrs. Jor-
dan drank two cups each Mr.. Jordan
went to his work in hosiery mill, and
about 20 minutes afterward his wife be-
gan to have pains in her stomach Soon
her illness was violent. DR.. George
Tabor had just reached the house to
treat her when Mr. Jordan stumbled
across the threshold and fell writing
on the floor. He had become i'll upon
reaching the shop. The physician inn
mediately diagnosed the illness as pois-
oning and used the stomach pump. Mr.
Jordan was the more seriously i'll, but
both recovered fully in day
After breakfast Gladys went to her
work in shoe shop and was not pres
ent when the uncle and aunt showed the
results of poisoning. No suspicion was
attached to her by Mr.. and Mrs. Jordan
when she returned home in the evening
They told her of their strange trouble,
but she seemed unconcerned.
She seemed to regard her arrest as
more interesting than otherwise. At
first she denied any knowledge of the
cause of the illness of her uncle and
aunt, but finally admitted she was re-
sponsible, but took it as a matter of
course. When she was put in the de-
tention room for the night she requested
that her new blue dress, purchased by
her aunt, be sent to the station so that |
she could wear it tomorrow
Asked whether it was trough on rats" |
which had poisoned the tea a year ago, |
she said that it was another poison |
which she called ''sepadela". What she
meant the officers could not determine. |
Mr.. and Mrs. Jordan recalled other in
stances of her eccentric nature, although |
hitherto they had regarded them as
childish pranks Once she sent to them
,y a neighbours boy note reading: "Un-
lie Fred and Aunt Bertha: Shortly after
you receive this note you will find my
'ody in the river" She was found at
work as usual.