Evening star., 1953-01-11
Mrs. Puyne
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at the hospital recalled that
Wallace told her "mommy gave
me some pills for my stomach
ache" and he was supposed to
keep it secret"
Given Night Before Death.
DR.. Sims said the lethal dose,
however, was given sometime
during the night preceding the
boys death. An examination
by the State Medical Examiner
at Richmond showed $50 grains
of barbiturate in the boys liver.
$50 grains in his stomach and
one tablet undigested. DR.. Sims
said the amount found was a
sufficient quantity to cause
death and was far more than
normally would be given to ease
restlessness.
Police said Mr.. Payne herself
used barbiturates under a, doc
tors prescription. Barbiturates
are commonly used for sleeping
pills.
When Mrs. Payne talked to
reporters last November about
her boys death, she said he had
been restless and running a
fever all night. She said she sat
up and read to him. When he
didn't show any improvement
by morning. she called a doctor.
Suspicious About Fires.
Police said Mrs. Payne had
trained to be a nurse at one
time, but never graduated. She
served as a nurses aide at Alex
andria Hospital during World
War II. The hospital said she
had not worked there as a prac-
tical nurse, as previously was
reported.
Alexandria police already were
investigating the chain of trag-
edies in Mrs. Payne's life when
Wallace died. They had received
a report from John Posey, chief
of the fire prevention bureau.
that ne was suspicious about a
fire at the Payne apartment last
September 10. The Paynes at
that time lived at 308 East
Duncan avenue.
Mr.. Posey said his suspicious
were aroused because there had
been another fire in the same
building September 4. The ear
lier fire started in the apartment
beneath the Payne residence. but
there was smoke and water dam
age at the Paynes'. About four
years ago while the Paynes lived
at 16 East Del Ray avenue there
also had been a fire, Mr.. Posey
said.
Collected $4,000 Insurance.
A total of $4,000 in insurance
was collected by Mrs. Payne as
a result of the three fires, police
said
Police said they did not know
yet whether Mrs. Payne had col
lected any insurance in the
deaths of her husband and
youngest son.
Capt. Thomas Woods. chief Of
detectives, said the murder
charge climaxed more than three
months of investigation by De-
tective Sergt. Francis H. john
son and Detective Charles L.
Baber.
They started working on the
case because the Fire Prevention
Bureau became suspicious of a
fire at the Payne residence. The
investigation went deeper when
DR.. Sims advised police that he
was suspicious Of Wallace's
death.
Son Swallowed Marble.
Mrs. Payne's husband, Pope r.
Payne. died in January. 1850.
His death was attributed to q
cerebral hemorrhage. There was
no autopsy.
The infant son. 11-month-old
Marshall. died In January, 1851.
after swallowing marble. Death
was attributed to strangulation.
Mrs. Payne criticized the po-
lice and fire departments be-
cause she said they were slow
responding to her call. She went
to city council with her COM
plant.
An investigation showed that
police had been sent to the
wrong address at first, but it
never was established who was
responsible for the mistake.
Mrs. Payne said the fire depart.