The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-10-30
MAN DIES FROM
POISON! IN CAKE
His wife is Also in a Serious
Condition From Same Dose.
RECEIVED THROUGH MAIL
Source of Dose is Unknown and Post.
mark is Only Ciew Authorities Haze
to Work On.

PhiiadeiDhia, Oct. :SD.-N. ". Ster-
rett. an expert accountant with offices
in the Commonwealth Building, at
Twelfth :,u.. Chestnut street. died in
the Bryn ,tawr Hospital. Il victim Of
poison.
In the same institution, i'll Il critical
condition, is his wife. They shared
IL piece of cake which was received
by parcel post addressed to Mrs. S!er-
rel1, at Devon, their home. Who
mailed the cake to them and when 1t
came, beyond the fact that il Was
started on its deadly mission from
Penn Square postal station, pre>u:n-
ably Il few hours before it reached the
Main Line suburb, * unknown.
Federal, state and Chester county
authorities are working on the case,
which is one of the most mysterious
crimes in This vicinity i'll many years.
Apart from the fact hat the wrapping
of the package WAS poStlnarked lii
broad Street station, there * no c!ew
10 the SeEt,"r Ii reached Devon rn
the FL train on Thursday, and was
received by Mrs. Sterrett about two
hours later III the poStofiice i'll that
suburb.
As she accepted il from Miss u. j..
ellis, the Devon roStmistress, Ms.
! Sterrett expressed surprise, stating
that she did not know from whom Il
came Inside the Wrapping Was ia
box about six inches square. T...s
= ol-L
parentiy cut from an iced wedding
cake On her return home, Mrs. Ster-
rert gave some of the cake TO her has
band and ATE the remainder herself.
Almost Immediately both became
| violently i'll! Dr. Della II. Williams,
! of Berwyn, who was summoned, real
| lied The seriousness of the condit or
of both Victims and directed their re
movul to the Bryn Mawr Hospital.
| District Attorney Windle, of West
! Chester. took charge, and called in
the postal inspectors and state police
| to aid County Detective Mullin and
| himself In the investigation. Ster-
retr'S brother. Joseph, who is asso-
ciated with him in business, was sum-
moned from New York.
County Detective Mullin and Postal
| Inspector Sim. son announced after
| they had been working on the case
! for several hours. that the package
| had heen mailed in the Penn Square
| postal station. which is in the Penn
Square building, about 11.3O \. NJ. on
| Thursday. 1t bore two three-cent
stamps and special delivery stamp
| No explanation was offered for the
| absence of Il sender's name and adj
dress, which is required on all parcel
post matter by the postoffice depart
ments regulations. The package was
| -vrapped in brown paper and tel witt
red string The address was type
written on a white label.
Mrs. Sterrett's condition was Sucl
that the Bryn Mawr Hospital authori
lies would not permit the official in
vestigators 10 question her.
ANALYSIS of Mr.. Sterrett's stomach
made in the Bryn Mawr Hospital dis
closed traces of arsenic and bichl0
ride of mercury poisoning. Whethe
this same poison was contained in thu
piece of cake which Mrs. Sterrett at
I il hot known, but il is thought tina
II was different poison because of diff
Trent symptoms.
The Sterretts have live In DevGi
about a year. They have no children
are about 35 years old, and have beer
married nine n ten years. AS far a
is known. they had no enemies.