FULL
TEXT (Article 1 of 2): Rutland, Vt., May – During the examination yesterday of
Mrs. Harriet E. Nason, charged with poisoning her son-in-law, Dan C. Parker, in
order to obtain his life insurance, it was developed that the district attorney
had caused the body of a young son of Mrs. Nason's sister to be also exhumed.
Mrs. Nason is also suspected of having poisoned him. Young Nason died at
Gorham, N. H., about six months ago. Mrs. Nason was visiting her sister at the
time. The terrible suffering of the child and his peculiar symptoms caused the
physicians to think he had been poisoned, but there was no reason for attaching
suspicion to any one. It is now believed that Mrs. Nason also poisoned her late
husband, and that she did some of her crimes simply from love of poisoning. The
remains of Mrs. C. S. Debritton, who died very suddenly some months ago in
Rutland, were exhumed to-day, and will be submitted to a careful expert
analysis. The circumstances of her death were very peculiar. Mrs. Nason was her
most intimate friend, and frequently dined and supped with her. Many times
after eating with Mrs. Nason she was taken very ill, and unaccountably sick
headache and pains in the back and legs. Mrs. Nason is suspected of other
poisoning cases.
[“A
Wholesale Poisoner. - Mrs. Nason Suspected of Killing Several Persons.” St.
Paul Daily Globe (Mn.), May 7, 1886, p. 1]
***
FULL TEXT (Article 2 of 2): Rutland, Vt, May 15. – Strong
circumstantial evidence, slowly accumulating during several weeks, has at
length laid at the door of a woman of this city a series of horrible and
revolting crimes. Mrs. Harriet E. Nason, the suspected poisoner, is now accused
of the murder of her husband, her son-in-law, her young nephew and her most
intimate female friend. There are ugly rumors, too, that the list of her
victims may be still further increased on investigation, but if half what is
already told be true, the woman has few equals even among the famous practicers
of the poisoner’s art. There is about her nothing to suggest crime, or superior
cunning or eccentricity. She is thirty-nine years old, of rather nervous
temperament, but resolute and energetic, and not particularly attractive in
personal appearance. She was born in Wiseasset, Maine, and about twenty years
ago she married Henry G. Nason, of Gorham, N. H. Of five children born to them,
three boys died in infancy, and a daughter of seventeen and a son of nine are
still living. Mr. Nason died quite suddenly after a very brief but violent
illness in September, 1881. There was as insurance of several thousand dollars
upon his life and upon this Mrs. Nason and her children lived until about a
year ago, when it was exhausted.
Mrs. Nason’s daughter Maud, now seventeen years old, is a
young woman of quite noticeable personal charms. About a year ago Donald C.
Parker, a bright, popular young man, well known in society here, began paying
attentions to Miss Maud. Although both young, Parker being but twenty-two, the
courtship was a brief one and in the fall they were married. The young people
began keeping house with Mrs. Nason. Everybody agrees that it was a happy
household. Mr. Parker manifested genuine affection tor Mrs. Nason as well as
for his wife and everything went smoothly until February last. Early in that
month young Parker, who was an expert stenographer, obtained an excellent
situation at a good salary in Philadelphia. He was about to start with his wife
for that city, when he was taken suddenly ill. He grew rapidly worse and within
three days he died in great agony.
URGING AN INVESTIGATION.
Startling reports about the cause of the young man’s death
obtained circulation nt once. Even the unprofessional friends of Parker, who
had assisted at his bedside, were made suspicious by his symptoms an by other
circumstances. E. L. Hatch, who was with the patient during the greater part of
his sickness, says that the young man complained continually of an intense
burning sensation all through his body. His thirst was insatiable and finally
he suffered from severe contractions of the limbs that amounted almost to
convulsions. Hatch says that Mrs. Nason asked him to tell Dr. Mead, the
attending physician, that Don had suffered such spells when he was boarding
with him several months ago. Hatch refused, because it was not true. Mrs. Nason
prepared all the food taken by the sick man. He could retain none of it on his
stomach.
Mr. Hatch and another friend, named Nicholson, who was with
Parker during a portion of his illness, were the first ones to urge the
necessity for an investigation. They communicated their suspicions to the
parents of Parker and the latter at once demanded an autopsy. Mr. Hatch says
that Dr. Mead opposed the request for an autopsy. He says:
“Dr. Mead took me into a room, locked the door, and put the
key in his pocket. Then he called me to account for what ho had heard I had
said about him. He wanted me to understand that he held a prominent position in
the community. He added: “You had better not carry this thing too far. I know
Governor Ripley very well, and you will lose your job at the Rutland Opera
House if you do not stop this talk. Everybody knows that Parker’s death was
from enlargement of the heart.”
A REMARKABLE LETTER.
The reports in circulation about her soon reached the ears
of Mrs. Nason herself, and she at once wrote to Mrs. Parker, the mother of the
young man, the following remarkable note:
AT Home, Tuesday Afternoon.
Dear Mrs. Parker : My heart is so sad to-night I can
scarcely write, but I feel that I must see Mr. Parker and have a talk with him.
I hear that he has said that my poor boy, Don, was poisoned and that I know
about it. A great many other terrible things have been said connected with it.
Now, I don’t believe Mr. Parker said one half what I hear he did, but if any
evil-minded person has told him anything of that kind, and he believed it, why
didn’t become to me? It seems to me perfectly ridiculous for him to believe any
such thing, much more to report it. You both know very well how I loved Don and
he loved me, as he often told me. It
seemed that ho thought as much of me as he did of his own mother. I feel just
as bad to lose him as I would my boy, and God in heaven knows I did all I could
to have him got well, and he said so the night he died. Now, supposing that his
medicine should have poisoned him, which I don’t think for a moment it did, why
should I be blamed? Supposing what he took that night when he was taken sick
should be poison, why should I be to blame? Supposing that any of the
physicians should give him anything through a mistake, am I to blame for it?
You only stop and think tor one moment what a terrible thing to say that I was
to blame for Don’s death. It just drives me wild and I think now, as God is my
judge, that it will drive me crazy. Ah! if poor Don was only here. If he could
only speak, how quick he would say: “Never mind, ma, you are good to me.” Among
other things I know that if what Don took that night was poison he never knew
it He never would take it on purpose. He was too happy with his darling wife
and it seems so hard to see my poor Maud now grieving her life away day after
day. She feels her loss more to-day than ever before. Her health is all broken
down.. God only knows how it will end with her; I don’t. Tell Mr. Parker I want
to see him this week. If he can come up he must. Please write. – Mrs. N.
KILLED WITH ARSENIC.
All efforts to hush the ugly stories or to smother
investigation wore unavailing, for State Attorney Kimball took hold of the case
and began a careful inquiry. Parker’s body was examined, but the post mortem
did not reveal the cause of death. It showed some general internal inflammation
and slight enlargement of the liver. the stomach and a portion of other organs
wore sent to Professor Witthaus, of Buffalo, for analysis. He reported the
presence of arsenic in large quantities. the various steps in the investigation
had consumed much time and a positive result was not reached until April 21. On
that day Mrs. Nason was arrested on the charge of murdering her son-in -law.
Her case has been before Justice Bailey for examination for
several days and another hearing was held to-day. There has been the most
intense interest in the matter in this community, and the court room has been
crowded, chiefly by ladies, at each sitting of the Court. Mrs. Nason has borne
the ordeal calmly, though her imprisonment is beginning to tell upon her, and
she continues to steadfastly assert her innocence.
SOME OF THE TESTIMONY.
Some interesting testimony has been put in. Mr. Nicholson,
who is a taxidermist, said that Mrs. Nason asked him during Parker’s sickness
what would be the effect of poison upon the human system. He was present when
Parker died and Mrs. Nason fainted. Several physicians who were called in
consultation or were present at the autopsy gave their views. Dr. Mead, who was
in charge of the case throughout, denied the statements of Mr. Hatch concerning
him. When first called to attend Parker he was suffering with pain in the
stomach and vomiting. He administered a counter-irritant of potash and soda. He
thought at first it was a case of indigestion. He afterward administered
aconite, oxide cereum and injections of hydrate chloral. Mrs. Nason had
informed him that Parker was in the habit of taking bismuth powder. She also
remarked that she wondered if a white powder Parker had taken just before he
had been sick had anything to do with
his death. Dr. Mend refused to say whether Parker’s symptoms indicated
poisoning. He admitted that if sufficient arsenic was found in the body no
other conclusion would be possible.
Albert Parker, the father of Don, testified that on the
evening of the autopsy he called on Mrs. Nason and she said to him that she
honed he did not blame her for his son’s death. He replied: Mrs. Nason, I hope
nothing is wrong, I hope nothing is wrong, and I only want to know that all was
right. I do not know whether anyone was guilty. the Lord knows, I hope not.”
Deputy Sheriff Steams said that when be arrested Mrs. Nason she exclaimed :
“Why am I accused and for what reason any more than any other person ? Why not
attribute it to the white powder Dr. Sanborn sent up in the night and why not
arrest him as well?’
THE INSURANCE THE MOTIVE.
To show motive, the State put in the fact that Mrs. Nason
exhausted the proceeds of the insurance on her husband’s life about a year ago,
and that there was $1,000 insurance on the life of Mr. Parker. Much more
evidence the State’s Attorney claims to possess, which he will not use until
the final trial.
Meantime, the other mysterious deaths referred to are being
investigated. The body of her husband, buried in Gorham in September, 1881, has
been disinterred. It was found in a remarkably good state of preservation, a
fact in itself indicating the presence of arsenic. Portions of the intestines
have been sent to a chemist for analysis. Mrs. Nason was present during the
sickness and death of the young son of her sister at Gorham about six months
ago.
He died under precisely similar circumstances to those in
the case of Parker. The remains of the child have also been disinterred. They
were well preserved and portions have been seat to a chemist. Another case is
that of Mrs. C. S. De Britten, Mrs. Nason’s most intimate friend, who died
about a year ago in Portland. The two women visited each other frequently and
there was not known to be any falling out between them. Mrs. De Britten’s
sickness was very peculiar and there
were suggestions of poisoning at the time, but there seemed to be no reason for
suspecting any one. Chemists are examining portions of her exhumed remains and
reports of all the analyses are expected within a few days. Neighbors of Mrs.
Nason ascribe to her remarkable powers in the way of prophesying fires. Her
house on Grove street, it is said, was burned in accordance with her prediction
about three years age. Subsequently she had another fiery vision. This alarmed
another family in the same block and a watchman was employed. But the second
fire occurred on scheduled time, though not until Mrs. Nason had been notified
by the owners of the property to vacate. The popular impression is that Mrs.
Nason is afflicted with a most dangerous and insidious form of insanity and
that all the results of her secret work are not yet known.
[“A Mania For Murder. - A Woman Wife Is Charged With
Poisoning - Four Relatives And Friends. - Arsenic In Large Quantities - Her
Husband and Her Son-in-Law Among Her Victims - The Investigation.” The Times
(Philadelphia, Pa.), May 16, 1886, p. 2]
***
Victims:
Dan C. Parker, 22, son-in-law, died Feb. 1885
Nephew (sister’s son), died Dec. 1885
Henry G. Nason, husband, died Sep. 1881
Mrs. C. S. DeBritton, intimate friend
***
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[1112-12/28/20]
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