The Washington times., 1917-11-20
MOTHER KILLS z
SONS WITH POISON;
ATTEMPTS SUICIDE
Continued from First Psss.)

| lContlnueo from ftrHt HaSe.1 70 ,
and wouldn't let me see my babies"
Thus, even In the face OF the
circumstances surrounding the death
of the children This great mother
love asserted Itself
at is better that they die, than
be deprived OF their mother" said
the woman today, as one OF the doc
tors entered the room, where she Is
confined. 'sPlease let me see my
babies, won't youP
Mrs. Skinner was suffering from
overwrought nerves and was mem
tally unbalanced only at intervals.
At the hospital, to which she was
taken with her poisoned sons after
the three had been found wrtthing In
agony In the public square, she ap-
peared to be q perfectly sane woman
! and not highly excited-5nst grief
stricken. II was only after half an
hours questioning that she admitted
frst she said she had only given
! them water.
Father Was at wsrk.
The father Of the children was &C his
work when the tragedy occurred On
Sunday, however. he had come 10 his
home here and visited sheppard-Pratt
Hospital, where his wife had been con-
I fined since October 20. He brougbt her
. 10 Baltimore to see her children Sunday
afternoon. It may have been this sight
1 of her children. and consequent brood
, ing on her own III health. II was sug-
gested last night, that led TO the kill
ing Of her sons.
| Mr.. skinner took his wife back to the
hospital Sunday evening. and officials
thsre say she did not appear to be de-
pressed then. Yesterday morning. as
usual, she was given the freedom Of the
grounds. A short time later abe was
missed, and hospital authorities dis
patched attaches to her home to ind her.
These attaches arrived about half an
hour too late to prevent the poisoning
4 Of the children So
The children ha1 been attending a
Kindergarten In the neighborhood,
and were dIsmisscd for the day 81
noon. The mother knew Of this and
she was waiting for them, armed
with the bottle Of poisonous tablets.
This bottle was founo in her pocket
, at the Franklin Square Hospital
Boy Tells of Poisoning.
WAB luGu Lu4~ 1Ag W. Nlg NNAAA-
dren to the square. Exactly what
passed between the mother, bent on
killing her children, and the unsus-
pecting and happy lads, is not known.
Of course; but little Edwin before his
death lisped q dIsconneoted story TO
the hospital surgeons He told them
that he and his brother expected to
play with their mother In The square.
1--WE told her we had been awful
good, sald the little, lad. sand she
seie Sheyouial E.se ne somg Dandy
sshs told me to drink some water
when I took the candy, and we went
+ to the fountain and she handed me
/ the wafer. Then got awful sick.
I Then mamma took some of the candy
and got sick, too. and 30 did Craig"
The lad Was sinking then and could
not tell any more. - fsl
Craig was too III and too weak 20
! tell any. OF the story. He lay on his
bed In the hospital, moaning and
gradually losing consciousness, until
death came to him at IL o'clock last
night
The story, Therefore, had 20 be taken
up By q stroller In the square, whose
name II not known. and who nrst
noticed the strange action Of the
woman and the two little boys. He
summoned q police patrol. In which
the three were taken to the Franklin
Square Hospital
The mother was later moved to the
Sheppard-Pratt Hospital. after the
authorities had questioned her At
Franklin Square. At Sheppard-Pratt
her condition was such that the ply
sicians made every effort to prevent
her from talking.