The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-18
GIRL OF POISON PEN
NOW CALLED INSANE.
Prosecutor Will Wait While
Alienists Study Miss Sam
ucls Of Goshen.
SHE TALKS OF LETTERS

Miss Theresa Samuels, accused OF be-
ting the writer of n score or more Of SLAM
derous and obscene letters to young mar
ried women and brides to be In New
York and nearby towns. VISA brought
here from her home In Goshen. y.
". yesterday M arraigned before
United States Commissioned Clarence $.
Uoughton. Although It Is asserted by
the post Office inspectors who made the
arrest on Thursday that she has made a
confession to them. she pleaded not
guilty to the charge and was released ON
bail pending her examination by an
alienist.
That insanity will be the defence was
admitted by her attorneys, Isaac n. Levy
OF the firm Of O'Gorman, Battle Il VAN
diver and his associate. Abraham Lam
dau.
Upon agreement with Assistant United
States Attorney Edward NJ. Mcdonald,
who IL to prosecute the case, 1t was put
over FOR a week. with the understanding
hat Miss amueis is to he examined by
Q mental expert during thai time.
Bail was fixed first ut 5000. II was
found impossible to raise that amount.
however. and In order to avoid sending
Miss Samuels to the Tombs to await in
dictment Commissions Houghton and
Afr. Mcdonald agreed to decrease the
amount to $1,000. This was furnished
by the National Surety Company OH col
lateral placed by her brother. Signund
Samuels, r. dry goods merchant of
Goshen, who accompanied her to New
York. As soon as this was arranged the
accused woman left for her home.
say Girl, WeepinG, Confessed.
According to the story told by the
post Office inspectors, T. T. Fitch and NJ.
c. Duryea, Miss Samucls confessed on
Thursday, when specimens of her writ
ing were compared in her presence with
some of the poisoned pen" mlssiyes.
They said she told them. weeping. that
the idea had been put into her head four
years ago by "A girl friend who suggested
that 1T would be such a good joke" A
year ago. according to the inspectors.
che had IA love affair that turned out
badly. and this. with the death of her
parents. preyed on her mind and drove
her to her subsequent actions. The first
sSs'Naf .'iI' '''e - E1se ~ INV WIZ
them, was written In July. 1914. and the
most recent was mailed last Saturday.
The warrant on which she was arrested
charges her with having sent "A Islander
Gus letter on September TO Miss Nellie
c. Hoffman of Towanda, Pa, who has
since married Assistant United States
District Attorney Claude 4. Thompson
Of the antitrust bureau.
In AN interview given after the ar
ralgnment Miss Samuels discussed her
manner Of life and her diversions. She
said that her chief pleasure was read
ing books and newspapers Asked to
tell her favorite author and the type Of
books she liked hest, she replied that
cine was extremely fond of Elinor Glyn's
Three Weeks"
Miss Samuels said that she was edu-
Gated in a convent At MiddletOwn and
at the Middletown High School. Her
occupation, she said. was keeping house
Tor her brothers and sisters.
knew Only One She Wrote Ia.
Did you know any OF the persons 10
whom YOU sent the letters complained OF
nv the postal authorities" she was
asked.
No" she replied meditatively. and
then added as an afterthought that she
did know In. Goshen woman to whom
she had sent three letters. Asked why
she had sent more to her than to others
she retorted with a smile
"oh. I just didn't like her looks"
The distress caused by some Of the
poisoned pen" letters Is best illustrated
in the case Of Mrs. Joseph l.. Egan.
daughter of Frederick Gerken. banker
and fnancier. Mrs. Egan was married
only a month ago. Her husband is a
young attorney connected with the legal
department of the Western. Union Tele-
graph Company. About "A week before
the marriage Egan was summoned In
haste to the home of his bride-to-be. He
was confronted by Mr.. Gerken, who
showed him a letter his daughter had
Just received and asked him to explain.
Egan was quickly able to prove that the
charges We're false. His ftancee and her
mother had been Frustrated by the shock
of reading the letter and a doctor was
attending them.
As Miss Samucls was being arraigned
before the United states COMMISSIONS
an excited young man pushed his way
through the crowd at the court room
door He said that his name was T. u.
Nolan of New Orleans and that his life
had been almost wrecked through a
poisoned pen" letter.
He explained that he was married on
October 10 to the daughter Of a man
living In Brooklyn whose name was A.
Piggot. He refused TO give his brides
Full maiden name. The wedding, he said,
took place In st, Joseph's Catholic
Church on october 10 last.
81 had come up from New orleans
with my father and mother" he said.
"and was. boarding across the way from
my fancee's home, On the morning of
the wedding my father-in-law came
dashing into my room. He was so angry
thought he was going to beat me. He
showed me n letter saying that | was