Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-18

Richmond. Cal. June Is. - To tn,
overwhelming curiosity of Mrs
Georgia Burke Simmons OF winslow
Ariz-, is due her arrest on a charg.
OF sending poisoned candy through the
mails She is accused of attempting to
murder the wife and daughters of
William II. Dagg, also or Winslow. She
Is said TO be infatuated with Dagg.
Pieced together. the story of the
poisoned candy and the Dagg family
and Mrs. Simmons recalls the grisly
/ Botkin case that shocked the country
! some years ago. In many features
it runs parallel TO that story of Illicit
love, jealousy and crime.
| For 20 years Mrs. Simmons lived
I in Winslow. She is supposed to have a
husband in Los Angeles. but he has
not been brought into the story Wins
low is little town and there William
II. Dagg and his wife and daughters
lived. Dagg had lived there almost
as long as Mrs. Simmons
II knew him." says Mrs. Simmons.
like / knew everyone else in the
town. Was ! infatuated with him
Why not ask him il he was infatuat-
ed with me? / may have been and
he may have been: and then again
We may not have been. Find out"
They all lived amlcably until a few
months ago. Then Mrs. Dagg began
TO have suspicious. There was town
gossip and the names of Dagg and
Mrs Simmons were linked. The up
shot of fl was a row in the Dagg
ia rnf1y- u-hfah andad IN
Mrs. Dagg and her two daughters |
removed to San Diego to live
A month ago there came to the
home of Mrs. Dagg in San Diego a |
package containing two half-pound |
addressed to Ada and Annie, the two
daughters of Mrs. Dagg. On one
corner of il was written the name of
Ariz. Mrs WoIcott had been a
trouble that caused her separation
from her husband.
The candy was not suspected until
each OF the daughters had tried
some. Then its bitter taste aroused
suspicion. Both the girls who par
took OF it became violently I'll. The
AAAbLAAtA Lll A-u the GduuN over 10 a |
chemist for analysis. He found IL
saturated with bichloride OF mercury.
One or two pieces. If eaten outright,
would have been sufficient to kill.
week after the candy had been
received. time enough for it TO have
performed its mission or failed. Mrs.
Simmons went TO Los Angeles ald
saw Private Detective Mex Harris.
Faw
Mrs. Simmons said at that interview:
Il represent people in Winslow, '
Arizona. who have played a practical I
oke upon the family OF Mrs. William !
4. Dagg IN San Diego. Some time !
igo some candy was sent to them [
md on the box was signed the name, !
; Wolcott. Winslow. Ariz This was /
lone so that Mrs. +. Wolcott would I
% jealous. There is a beautiful a
'oung daughter in the Dagg family /
nd the sender of the candy expected
hat Miss Dagg would thank Mr.. Z. s
Folcott for sending the candy. n
Il want you to go TO San Diego d
nd get back the wrapper 1t was
My joke: but we do not want TO r,
xcite the jealousy OF Mrs. f. VOL ii
oft. l am too busy to go there so D
want you TO get the wrapper on v
ne candy back. 10 me II was all a
BIKE. but / must get the wrapper
ack" /
Detective Blaylock was assigned to :
lake the investigation and he g
armed that the candy had been re- n
sived. but that the name OF Mrs.
yerett Wolcott was on the candy
II did not take long to find out n
at Mrs. Wolcott had not sent the n
INDY. and that the handwriting on
e package was not hers. but bore
strong resemblance 10 the hand II
riting OF Mrs. Simmons. n
And when the Investigation had e
ached that stage Mrs. Simmons
from Winslow. leaving
trace behind her. She sold her e
tel quietly and left the town.
For three weeks the police OF Los z
igeIes and San Diego looked for ~
chmond and Immediately telet n
oned Detective Harris. asking him
AT success he had had in his
est for the wrapper. He told her
call an hour later. Then he tele-
oned the chief OF police here sug
sting that he arrest Mrs. Sim
ms when she called up Los An
es the second time. This was
le
FRS. Simmons says she Is innocent
8 a lie," she cried, when told
{ Detective Harris was working
inst her instead of in her behalf.