Evening star., 1914-02-08
WHEN NEAR DEATH
ADMITS MURDER
Newark Girl Swallows Poison,
Then Says She Killed
Mrs. Manning.
HER STATEMENT CLEARS
YELLED WOMAN MYSTERY
Shoots the Wife of Man She Hoped
to Marry-Police Are
Investigating.


Herdman. an innkeeper's daughter con-
fessed, after taking a fatal dose of poison
late today. that it was she who last night
shot and killed Mrs. Harriet Manning. wife
of Charles l. Manning. a garage owner.
She said on her death bed at the Noun
tainside Hospital in Montclar that she
had killed Mrs. Manning in order that
Manning might marry her.
Manning. who brought the young wom-
an to the hospital after she had taken
the poison. is the father. the police say.
of her year-old baby. He was tonight
in the custody of the police. who are
investigating his connection with the case
He had been separated from his wife
for two years. His intimacy with Miss
Herdman caused the estrangemen'
Il killed her because 1 loved her hus-
hand. said the dying girl to the doctors
and nurses. who tried in vain to save
her Il asked her many times to get a
divorce from him SO | could marry him.
She refused to do 1t. She stood between
him and me. That's why shot her.
Writes Note to Manning.
Before she took the poison she wrote
note to Manning. which he turned
over to the police. 1t read:
This is my last letter. / am going
to commit suicide because of my love
for you. 1t was 1 who shot your wife.
Goodbye. Take care of baby"
The young woman took the poison in a
candy store in Bloomfield. n j.. where
she had gone with Manning after they
had been released early today from the
custody of the police. Although the
ont ha Hardrn
of the crime because of her intimacy
to the people of Verona, a small suburb,
where she lived. the witnesses to the
shooting. the murdered woman's mother.
sister and niece, were last night unable
to identify her as the yelled woman who
fired the fatal shot.
On reaching Bloomfield, Miss Herdman
went to the home of her aunt. Later
Manning called upon her there and asked
her to accompany him to the morgue to
see his wife's dead body. This the young
woman refused to do. asking Manning to
go with her and visit their baby. The
child was being supported by Manning.
the police say. in Montclair.
.-Im dying to see baby the girl said.
They Visit the Baby.
Manning agreed to do this after seeing
his wife's body. Returning from the
morgue later in the forenoon they visited
the baby and then Manning returned TO
his garage in Verona On his arrival he
was notified by telephone that Miss Herd
man had taken poison In the candy shop.
Manning returned and found her in the
apartment of the candymaker. suffering
intensely from the effects of the poison
and calling out for him. She had en-
tered the candy shop asked for a glass of
water and swallowed eight tablets of a
deadly drug. Manning rushed her TO the
hospital. She died three hours later.
The police then brought Manning to po-
lice headquarters and questioned him.
They learned from other sources that
Manning's wife recently received leg
acy of s., 400, to which he fails heir. The
revolver with which the girl did the muir
der belonged. they learned. to one of
Manning's chauffeurs. They said tonight
that he was not under arrest, but de
tained''
Manning they say. admitted his inti
macy with the girl. and that he was the
father of her child. He eloped with her
more than two years ago. and they were
absent a month. After their return her
father at first disowned her.
Girl Fires Three Shots.
night at the home of Mrs. Manning's
mother in this city. where she had lived
since her separation from her husband,
was cool and deliberate Admitted to
the house the girl fired three shots at
Mrs Manning as she was lighting the
gas to receive her
In her ante -mortem statement Miss
Herdman told Of visit she had made
to Mannings wife to plead with her to
get a divorce from her husband
Il wanted him to get a divorce. and
many times asked him to do So she
said But he said he could not. He
told me he had hired detectives to watch
his wife. but they could find nothing
a gainst her. Then / went to Mrs. Man
ming myself
Il asked her if she would not get a
divorce from her husband. hut she re-
fused to do so and turned me away.
Then | decided to kill her
Manning was questioned foi two hours
tonight at police headquarters. 1t was
given out that he denied any knowledge
that Miss Herdman intended to shoot MS
wife or that he was an accessory In any
Way. He also declared according 10 the
police, he had never seen the revolver
with which the murder was done before
he saw it in the possession of the police.
After the questioning he was locked IN
cell at headquarters although no charge
had been made against him. Chief of Po-
lice Long said he could not say when
Manning would be arraigned.