St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-11-05
TOOK BICHLORIDE
Cora TOwne Probably Cannot Re-
cOver-Fred Film Charged With
Furnishing the Poison.

For the purpose of relieving a
terrible pain in her stomach, as she
says, Cora Towne. "a years old,
took two bichloride tablets at her
home last Wednesday afternoon and
now lies in the st. Johnsbury Hos
pital with little prospect of recovery.
She claims the tablets were given to
her by Fred Finn with instructions
to take them freely to relieve her
pain. Finn was arrested last Sat
urday afternoon and is in Jail await
ing 4 hearing. He declares he did
not give her the tablets and some
times says he does not know where
she got them and at other times has
said she got them of a girl employed
in one of the local hotels.
The facts in the case are hard to
determine owing to the conflicting
accounts. The girls statement was
taken as a death bed statement and
she declares and reiterates even in
the presence of Finn that he gave
them to her and instructed her to
take them for pain. The bottle
however was plainly marked poison
and, according to her own account,
she did not take any of the tablets
until several days after he furnish
ed them to her.
1t was not known yesterday when
Finn will be given a hearing before
Assistant Judge Fred Hoffman of
| Wheelock at the Court House this
morning and if the evidence war
rants a special grand jury called to
hear the case. The formal charge
against Finn will not be made until
the inquest is closed.
The Mothers Story
The poison was taken about 4.2O
last Wednesday afternoon at the
Towne home in the Estabrooks tene-
ment house on Pearl street. Cora
Towne had been sick for some time,
having given premature birth to a
pair of twin babies about two weeks
ago. She was in great pain Wednes-
day and said she believed she would
take some of the tablets to relieve
her pain. She took out two tablets
and set the bottle on the table. Her
mother noticed tbt skull and cross
bones and cried to her daughter she
had taken poison. Cora replied sit
is too late now mother" and threw
herself on a bed.
Mrs. Towne ran out and got some
milk and eggs and gave the woman
some of both. They tried to call sew
eral doctors but they refused to visit
the family and a. eight O'Clock the
town doctor, DR.. McSweeney, came.
He treated the woman there at he1
home until Sunday afternoon when
she was taken to the St. Johnsbury
hospital.
An UnsaVAIy Record
Cora Towne has long had an un-
saVory record and last March with
her sister, Mrs. Blodgett, was sent
to the House of Correction at Rut-
land to serve a two years sentence
for prostitution. She was released
on probation early in August and
Fred Finn met her at Bellows Fails
on her way home from that institu-
ton. He had been a frequent caller
at the Towne home until Cora began
about two weeks ago to receive the
attention of George Coiette, an
alleged wrestler from Berlin, ". H.
After a few days courtship they
We're engaged to be married and
planned to marry at her home last
Sunday morning.
One day last week Finn called at
the house and wanted to see Cora,
but she refused to see him. He then
put his head in a bed room window
and called for her when a younger
sister. Mary Whalen, ordered him
away, and threw two dippers of
water on him according to the story
of Mrs. Towne.
The home is dirty and most IN
inviting four room tenement in the
basement of the Estabrooks Block
on Pearl street. 1T does not oren
on the street but into a back yard
without a sign of grass or any other
evidence of cleanliness. Besides
Mr.. and Mrs. Towne, there are five
daughters in the family, Mary Wha-
len, 5 years old, married and about
to give birth to a baby, Maude
Burnell who lives III Waterford, Mrs
Sadie Martelle VINO lives in town,
Martha Bodgett supposed to be in
East Concord and Cora who married
George Belville OF Lyndonville who
go. a divorce from her and the Gus
tody of two sons that were born TO
them. The stories about The morals
of the family are too disgusting for
publication.