The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-31
May EXHUME BODIES
OF MRS. SKEELS' KIN
Arsenic Said to Have Been
Found in Stomach Of
School Teacher.
POISON THEORY SECUTED
Doctors Say Four Relatives of
Woman Died From Nat
ural Causes.

The New Jersey phase of the investi-
CATION into the chain OF deaths running
through the nursing career OF Mrs.
Bessie Mae Skeels will reach its climax
next Tuesday. when DR.. Arthur p. Hask-
ing, county physician Of Hudson county.
will take definite steps looking TO the
eShumation Of 1T least two of the bodies
OF Mrs. Skeels's four relatives, who died
in Bayonne.
Mrs. SKeels now ia under arrest in An
dover. Mass. on a charge OF stealing
jewelry belonging to the estate OF the
late Miss Florence Gay, a school teacher
Of Lawrence. Mass. whom Mrs. Skeels
nursed. Traces of arsenic are saio to
have been found In Miss Gays stomach,
and District Attorney Herbert G.. Wells
Of Andover has intimated that Mrs.
Skeels soon Is to be rearraiened on
charge other than that OF larceny.
In the meantime capt. John J. Rigney
Of the Bayonne detective bureau and
Prosecutor Pierre p. Garvin of Hudson
county have been digging into that end
Of the case. and their investigation has
disclosed all the medical facts available
as TO the death of Mrs. Skeel's relatives
and the names OF the physicians who at
tended them in their fatal illnesses. The
ing in Bayonne. and they will be con-
suited before the necessary action is
taken in New Jersey Supreme Court
looking to the elimination OF the bodies.
Poison Theory Secuted.
The physicians who had gone out of
town for over Labor Day were reached
late last night. They all secuted the
theory Of poisoning In any Of the cases
Or. Archibald c. Forman. who attended
Mrs. Skeels's father. Amos wilkins. and
the latters wife. Mrs. Elizabeth Wilkins,
declared that the couple virtually had
died OF old age. although the immediate
cause of death was ascribed to arterio-
sclerosis. both the father and mother,
he declared, we're more than so years
old.
DR.. Forman also attended Mrs. Nellie
Wilkins, wife OF Mrs. Skeels's brother,
Arthur. Death in her case. he insisted.
was due to chronic kidney disease.
DR.. George Sexsmith. who had the
case of Mrs. Skeels's brother. Albert
Wilkins. said that the latter died of
gastro-enterits.
The fact that Mrs. Nellie wilkins and
Albert Wilkins died within two days of
each other last July. however. will cause
County Physician Hasking to ask for
the exhumation OF their bodies first. I
Then II the facts warrant 1t he probably
will ask that the bodies Of the parents
be dug up.
The fact that all four relatives died
after lingering illnesses does not, in the
opinion OF DR.. Hasking. preclude the
possibility that they may have died Of
other causes than those stated without
the knowledge Of the physicians vino
attended them.
DR.. HnskinE's View
THE fact that these people died ap- !
parently OF chronic diseases said the
county physician. is not OF necessity
proof that they may not have come to
their death in some other way. Medical
history shows many CAGES of that nature. |
Take, for instance, deaths due to poison |
ing. There are many cases on record
where the victims suffered with some
chronic disease. and the reputable doc
tors who attended them were msed
by the circumstances surrounding the |
cases into diagnosing the causes of
death as diseases rather than poison. /
On the other hand. We have Investigated |
cases Of ALLEGED poisoning which have |
turned out TO be natural deaths due to |
disease"
DR.. Hasking admitted that the opin- |
..
Skeelss relatives would have consider I,
able weight with him in his investigation
OF the circumstances surrounding the
four deaths.
Arthur Wilkins. who lives at 80 West !
Fifty-second street. Bayonne, called up
the Bayonne police yesterday to inform |
them that Mrs. Skeels had not nursed |
his wife in her final illness. His story |
was confirmed by his housekeeper. who
told a reporter for THE SUN that she had !
done the nursing, but that Mrs. Skeels !
had visited the patient on several occa-
sions. The Bayonne police insist that
Mrs. Skeels did the nursing in The case |
of her mother and father and her
brother Albert.
Arsenous Medicine in Home.
When the police visited Mrs Skeelss
home IN Ba,onne several weeks ago,
following the receipt OF a Tip" from the
Andoyer authorities. they are said to
have found a bottle OF Fowler's solution.
an arsenic preparation which is some
times prescribed by physicians as a
tonic In nervous disorders and skin dis
eases. Mrs Skeels declared that she
was using the medicine in the treat
ment OF A skin disease.
Mrs. sKeels is 50 years old, according
to the New Jersey authorities, but when
she spplied for a marriage license re-
GENTLY 20 we'd Alfred Lundgren Of
Andoyer she gave her age as 81, Lund-
preu gave his age as as The couple
MANNED originally to get married to-
night. but some time before Mrs .Skeels
was arrested. the Rev. Edwin II. Pres
colt Of Audover who was to have Of
fclated AZ the wedding. advised them to
postpone the ceremony until Mrs. Skeels
had clenrrd her name of some OF the
ugly rur,ors which were then afioat con-
corning her.
The clergyman asked Mrs. Skeels
particula-lv about rumor that he had
heard on me street to the effect that
she had asked Lundgren to take out n
$50 600 life insurance policy In addi-
ton to Government policy of $4,000,
which he ,ontemplated seeking when he
TONED the army. Mrs. skeels denied
this rumor emphatically. declaring that
she and her fiance had taken out small
policies IN each others favor.
Kin Protest Her Innocence.
The remaining members of Mrs.
Skeels' family are convinced of her inno-
cence ard apparently are ready to stand
nv her 10 the last. One OF her brothers,
Marx wilkins. left yesterday for Law
renee. Mass. where his sister occupies
a prisor cot in hospital recovering
from, her alleged attempt to take gas