Evening star., 1925-04-16
MOTHER CONFESSES
SHE POISONED THREE
TO JOIN DEAD MATE
CONTINUED from First PageJ

knife was spread on bread and COW
cred with butter and fed to the girl,
who died December 81. 1920. The
mother took a similar dose, without
fatal effects
The next to die was Harry, q, Oc-
tober 13. 1921. He had suffered from
an inherited disease, she said. She
denied poisoning him, and maintained
her denial when told that poison suf-
f1cient to have caused his death had
been found in his exhumed body.
Charles. 10. who died September 81.
1922, also suffered from the inherited
ailment, according to a physicians
examination during an illness before
she poisoned him, her confession said.
Another decision to join her husband
and dead children prompted admins
tration of the poison to him in bread
and butter. Again she took a dose,
but recovered.
The last child to die was Walter,
IS. September 26, 1928 His body was
exhumed with that of Harry last
Monday, and in the formal murder
charge filed against her yesterday
she was held responsible for his death.
He was in bed with a slight illness
when she said she gave him one Of
the poisoned bread and butter sand
wiches.
Haunted by Sons Death.
The death of Walter, youngest in
the family, had haunted her. she said.
before making her statement. At the
time she gave him the sandwich she
took the usual dose of arsenic and
added teaspoonful iodine, but only
made herself i'll.
Isabelle carried 81 900 in insurance,
the confession said. Harry had 81 500;
Charles, $500. and Walter, $3.50. All
the insurance money has been spent,
most of it in physicians and funeral
bills. DIR. A. A. Watts of Gary, Ind,
whose certificates of death for each of
the four attributed them to iliocolitis,
in the case of David. sr; meningitis,
in Isabelle's; peritonitis. in Charles,
and endocarditis, in Walters, was
paid about $1,000, she said.
A package of poison, bought for 25
cents before the death of Isabelle, suf
feed for most of the doses, Mrs. Cum
ningham said. Before the illness OF
David. jr., she said she sent Mae for
q 50-cent box of arsenic, which in
some manner was misplaced and
burned. She bought another box her
self
Mrs. Cunningham denied that she
had attempted suicide after being
brought to Chicago Sunday for Ques-
tioning. She collapsed after an in
ouiry by Chicago prosecutors, but re-.
covered sufficiently to permit being
taken to the Jail here, where she
lapSed again into an unconscious state
Tuesday.
Regarded as Sane.
DR.. w. F. Houl, deputy coroner of
Lake County. present when she told
h.at S,tf sol l1n Va No ind iFY
to him of insanity. She talked ration
ally in a clear voice. he said.
The family was known as peculiar
and fanatically inclined toward re-
ligion. said Bob Murray. a brother of
Tom Murray, who was accidentally
killed in 1918 by one of the Cunning
ham boys. Murray said the family
was involved in numerous neighbor-
hood quarrels and often spent long
periods of praying, Bible reading and
attendance in church.
Mrs. Cunningham was regarded as
more peculiar than the rest, Murray
said.
Mae. the surviving daughter, was
censured frequently in her mothers
confession. Mrs Cunningham said the
girl often left her alone to go to
dances and frequently spent much
time away from home. Once when
the mother fell into the bathtub in
faint the girl left her alone and
did not return for hours, according
to the confession.
David, the surviving son. near death
in a Chicago hospital, has not been
told by relatives of his mothers ar
rest and confession. He frequently
calls for her and cries when her
name is mentioned, Mrs. Clarence
Williams, a cousin, said.
When he was brought to the hos
pital a week ago and found to be suf-
fering from arsenical poisoning the in
vestigation of the deaths was started
by Chicago and Lake County, Indiana.
authorities. He was first taken i'll
about six weeks ago after eating his
lunch while at work. but recovered
and returned to work until he was
stricken again about two weeks ago.