Evening star., 1925-04-12
Last Son, Poisoned, Provides
Basis for Suspicion in
Other Cases.
WOMAN ADMITS SHE GOT
INSURANCE PAYMENTS
Bodies to Be Exhumed to Find
Cause of Passing of Cunning
ham Children.
Ry the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
CHICAGO. April 11.-Mrs Anna
Cunningham. 40. OF Gary. Ind. was
held for questioning tonight. while
Illinois and Indiana authorities in
vestigated five deaths in her family
during the last six years, and the
arsenic poisoning of her son David
who is in a critical condition in a
Chicago hospital.
Those whose deaths are being in
vestigated include Mrs. Cunning
hams husband, one daughter and
three sons. Besides the second son
who is i'll here, the family also in
cludes one other daughter
Arsenic was found in her home at
Gary, and Mrs. Cunningham late to-
day admitted she had bought a quart
OF arsenic about six months ago,
which, she said, she used to spray
house plants. AS a result of finding
the poison and the curious circum-
stances surrounding the deaths of
other members of the family. Indiana
authorities, cooperating with Cook
County, ILL.,. officials, said tonight ii
was probable that at least one OF the
five bodies would be exhumed and ex-
amined, and that possibly all the
bodies would be disinterred.
Collected Insurance.
Mrs. Cunningham admitted that all
the members of her family who have
died were insured in amounts rang
ing from a few hundred to more than
$1,000 and that she collected the in
surance after each death. She de-
MED vehemently, however, that she
had poisoned any members OF her
family and attributed their deaths to
varying causes, including stomach
trouble and tonsilitis
The son David. "a. who is i'll here.
told questioners that he first became
sick about six weeks ago after eat
ing a meal prepared by his mother.
He said that he was sick about two
weeks, but apparently recovered and
returned to work, only to become i'll
again a short time later. Miss MAY
Cunningham David's sister, who also
was questioned, said she was I'll a
few weeks 2So, but is fully recov-
cred now. She said that on one oc-
casion she had purchased poison for
her mother to spray plants.
Mother Called queer"
Relatives of Mrs. Cunningham and
neighbors also told the authorities
that Mrs. Cunningham had been act
ing queer" several months ago and
an effort was made to commit her to
an insane asylum, but she apparently
recovered. niece told of seeing
Mrs. Cunningham threaten members
OF her family with a butcher knife,
as she apparently suffered from
nervous disorders.
May Cunningham told the authori-
ties that her mother had been i'll
often. She said she believed all the
deaths in her family were from natu-
raj causes and that her mother SEEM
ed much affected by each death. She
said she knew of no one who would
try to poison the family or any mem
ber of 1t.
Ill luck first made Itself manifest
in the family in 1918, when a school
boy son shot and killed a neighbor
boy while playing. In 1919 the
two-week illness, and the next year
Isabelle, 1S, died after an illness of
similar duration. In the three sub
sequent years Harry, "a; Charles, 19,
and Walter, 13. died, each after an
illness of about 10 days.
Exhumatfon to Be Asked.
All are buried at Wheeler, Ind,
which Is in Porter County, while the
family resides at Gary, in Lake Coun-
ty. 1t is planned to ask Porter Coun-
ty officials for an order to exhume
one or more of the bodies.
The case was called to the attention
OF local authorities by George Arnold,
clerk in the oflce of Robert E.
Grove, States attorney and a relative
Of Mrs. Cunningham. He said his sus-
picions were aroused when he learned
that Mrs. Cunningham's son had been
poisoned after an examination made
upon the youths removal to a Chicago
hospital. Each time a. member of the
family has become i'll, Arnold report
ed, his mother had received a letter
from Mrs. Cunningham, stating that
a son, daughter or her husband was
i'll and would probably die. Arnold
yesterday gave a quart of blood in a
blood TRANSMISSION, which. doctors said,
will probably save young David Cum
ningham's life.
During questioning tonight, Mrs
Cunningham fell to the floor in a
faint, and doctors had to revive her
BODIES TO BE ExHUMED.