The Washington times., 1915-09-20
GOVERNESS DYING
FROM POISON DOSE
Chevy Chase Woman Selects
Philadelphia Railroad Sta.
tion to Take Drug.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. M-Mrs. Nina
Jackson. twenty-eight years old. OF
washington. q governess in a wealthy
family at Chevy Chase, 10 a patient in
the Medico-Chirurgical Hospital. a VIC
tim OF bichloride Of mercury poison
Ing. She accuses well-dressed woman.
unknown to her. Of having given her
tine poison In the womens waiting room
IN Broad Street Station. last Friday
night.
The police believe Mrs jackson Is a
vlct'm OF her own desire to die. She Is
IN serious condition. and the doctors
say. because Of the peculiarities Of mer-
curry poisoning. II IL difficult to forecast
whether she will recover or not.
Inc woman. who Is Of q refined type,
mad refused to speak Of herself or rela-
tives from the time when bhe was ad-
mitted to the hospital until yesterday
afternoon. when she was questioned by
detectives. Then she said her husband.
10 whom she was married last January.
has deserted her. Her parents, she said.
were dead, but a sister lives in Ash
land, Pa.
Mrs. jackson was observed in the wo-
mems waiting room In the Broad Street
station Ct $50 o'clock on Friday even
Ing by Mrs Lizzie NJ Margerum, the
matron in charge. Mrs. Margerum be-
i:eved her to be Ill. and inquired II she
she felt nauseated by the ride from
Washington. Then she was asked II
she would 80 into the sick room and
lie down. She semed grateful for the
opportunity.
Another Woman Blamed.
After being there for forty-ive min
utes Mrs. jackson said she would 60
out into the station to look for some
friends she expected" She remained
away for fifteen minutes. and when
she returned her condition seemed much
worse. She lay on the cot and told
the matron that she believed she was
dying. At intervals. between acute in
ternal attacks. she told Mrs. Mar
serum Of having met a woman who
gave her the pill. Mrs Margerum yes
terday remembered that her patient al
so spoke Of having been deserted by
her husband and that. except for a sis
ter. she was alone in the world.
street stsan .ts attached to .sa the Brood
quietly told the matron he suspected
the woman had been poisoned. He or
dered that she be given some milk and
smsa ssSs The bts eGGt Of ths CON
ambulance. The police. however. were
not notified OF the case until Sunday.
Mrs Jackson told the detectives she
had been employed as a governess in
a family at Chevy Chase. but
was in this city to take up similar
duties in the home of a woman whose
name she refused to give. Her own
home. she told the hospital authorities
was on Massachusetts avenue. WASH
ington. Her sister. she said, was
Mrs Elsie Cooch. OF Ashland. Pa The
police have notified the latter to come
to PHILADELPHIA.
Mrs. Marserum said Mrs. jackson in
sisted on paying for the milk and eggs
ordered BY the doctor. and directed her
to get the money from her handbag.
Yesterday the matron said there was
less than . dollar In the purse and no
checks for baggage. The woman car
ried nothing except the handbag To
the police Mrs. Jackson said her bag
gage would be in Wilmington. Del, to
which she had sent 1t by mistake.
To those who interviewed her, Mrs
Jackson gave every indication Of being
refined and intelligent She described
the woman whom she insisted poisoned
her as 'of medium height and physique
with chestnut hair and exceedingly we'll
dressed" She doubted. however,
whether she could identify her again.