The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-29

neighhoring counties fought for po-
Sitions in circuit court room.
She refused to accuse any certain
person with tampering with the
food and denied she glared at men,
bers of the picnic group. when they
sought her sandwich container, a
marshmallow tin, for carrying
water.
She said she was not excited over
the discovery of a poison capsule by
her son, George.
II wasn't excited, 1 was humiha-
ted" she declared.
She. repeated the story of her
efforts to rinse the white powder"
from the mouths of Virginia and
Jean, and of wiping the girls faces
afterward,
Did it ever occur to you that
something ought to be done to find
out what was wrong with Jean
after she became ill?" she was
asked.
Not exactly, no"
Didn't Feel Alarmed
Didn't it ever occur to you that
II a. little of the poison which YOU
took by touching your tongue to it
made you i'll, it might kill Jean?"
L didn't feel that 1 was danger
ously sick"
Did you feel that Jean was seri-
ously sick?"
mo"
She described Horace Jackson.
unofficial defendant" as suffering
on the ground, but said she did not
look at him closely.
Mrs. Simmons explained she did
not become excited at first because
she heard reports at the picnic
ground that the white powder" was
Just quinine."
She admitted never tasting ulli-
nine except in cold tablets. but had
heard the expression glitter as
quinine."
Denies Girl Had Commissions
She denied Jean had commissions
on the way to the hospital as the
girl sat between Mrs. Simmons and
her father in the rear seat of the
car. She said she looked at the
girl several times" on the trim.
She raised her voice in denial
that she had left the hospital and
was seated in an automobile when
the girls died.
Il was in the hospital" she said.
I was o nny way to them"
Jean never got worse until we
reached the hospital. She never
complained. There were tears in
her eyes at the picnic ground and
knew she wasn't feeling very WELL
The state again went from the
deaths of the girls to kitchen in the
Simmons home, and Mrs. Simmons
retold her tale of making the sand
wiches.
Tells of Packing Sandwiches
She told of packing six to a layer
around the bottom of the can and
said she might have put zone in
the center" which, state attorneys
contend, would have raised the layer
total to seven.
After describing how she placed
the meat and lettuce and one
toothpick in each bun, states at.
torneys asked:
THAT is all you put in the sand
wiches?"
AS Mrs. Simmons answered, aHITlat
is all" forbidden newspaper flash
light doomed and she, jurors,
spectators, and Judge John w.
Hornaday jumped in their chairs.
Late Wednesday, under state
qu.zZing, Mrs. Simmons admitted
she slept only about two hours each
night in the last ten years and said
she had slept this much since the
death Of the children.
She denied knowing the girls ever
had taken bichloride of mercury.
In the early stages of the trial
states attorneys failed in an at
tempt to get testimony before the
jury that the children had been i'll
two weeks before their deaths from
doses of bichloride of mercury.
Had Heard of Mercury
Mrs. Simmons declared she had
heard" Of bichloride of mercury.
She said there were no capsules
in the Simmons home in June, but
there may have been capsules in the
residence in the past.
Did you ever give your girls any
poison?" she was asked.
81 did not"
Denying any of their chickens
were diseased, Mrs. Simmons ac
mited "a few baby chicks weI
killed" by verrnin last spring.