The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-05-06
MINER COUNTY
NJ j RIDE R IA RIM
Officials Intimate That Tonopab
Printer and "Sister" Killed at
Hawthorne Farm in Wholesale
Manner to Get Property

ploy of the Tonopah Times for the
greater part of the time for the last
three years until two months ago,
Is held in the county Jail at Haw-
thorne, following the circumstances
that have developed in an investi-
cation that has proceeded quietly in
Reno and Hawthorne, charging him
with being an accessory to an at
tempted murder. Mrs. Mary f.
Phillips, who owns a ranch on the
shores of Walker Lake, better
known as Spencer, and whom Dick
always claimed is his sister, is the
principal in the case, with Oliver
Parsons, the second accomplice.
Held in Jail with Dick are Mrs.
Phillips and Parsons, ranch hand,
says the Tonopah Bonanza.
The complaint was sworn to by
NJ. E. Phillips, husband of the wo-
man, septuagenarian who charges
that the trio made an attempt upon
his life by putting ground glass in
pudding.
The story of the alleged crime
reads like fiction and recalls the
famous Guinness case with its In
diana murder farm" Like the vic
tim in the Guinness case, according
to the Mineral county authorities,
Phillips was lured to the little Ne
vada ranch through a matrimonial
advertisement. He was married
to the woman known as Mrs. Mary
Spencer few months ago 1t is
understood that when Phillips ar
rived at Hawthorne from his home
in Texas he brought with him $1,000
in cash. With the marriage they
joined financial interests.
The old man owes his life, he
believes, to a sense that betrayed
the presence of glass in some pud-
ding served to him in his home
several weeks ago, and eventually a
plot, so the authorities allege to
get rid of him. Phillips has told
completely the story of his novel
romance and the near tragedy to
District Attorney White and Sher-
if f. B. Balzar, who effected the
arrests.
Mrs. Phillips was in the county
Jail at Hawthorne when the war
rant was served upon her. A few
weeks ago she was arrested for as
serted grand larceny in the alleged
robbery of a trunk belonging to
guest in her home. Immediately
after she was taken into custody on
the first charge, the investigation of
the alleged attempt on the life of
her aged husband began, when Phil
lips brought sample of the deadly
pudding to District Attorney White,
at the same time giving expression
of his suspicion.
Net until after the sample of the
pudding had been put to a thor
ough test in the state laboratory in
Reno was it determined that the
food offered to Phillips contained
any exotic substance and it was
with considerable difficulty that
Prof. S. c. Dinsmore, who analysed
the stuff isolated any substance and
defined it. 1t was then disclosed in
abundance, according to Prof. Dins-
more's report. Ground glass to the
extent of LIS per cent was found
in the sample in the analysis.
When the pudding was submitted
to the state chemist, it was with the
view of developing the presence of
some corrosive poison. The initial
test for organic poisons was without
result. Then Prof. Dnsmore put
the material to the test for metallic
poisons and it was while he was sub
jecting it to filtering treatment
that the presence of glass was
discovered The glass will be pre-
served ana used by the state In the
trial of the accused.
Mrs. Phillips is said to be about
55 years old. Since coming to Ne
vada from the south 10 or IL years
ago, she is reported to have been
involved in numerous domestic diff
ficulties. When she first settled on
a parcel of desert land in Mineral
county, she was known as Mrs.
Spencer. Later she married a man
named Dowd, who at present is OPP
Grating a ranch near Yerington.
She was divorced by Dowd some
time ago and Dowd since has re-
married. Following the divorce
Mrs. Phillips resumed the name of
Spencer and was known by that
name until she married Phillips.
The Spencer ranch, as it is
known, was the scene several years
ago of a tragedy which always has