Unknown Gender History: Agripina Gomez, 15-Year-Old Would-Be Murderess

FULL TEXT: BECAUSE of doubt as to whether or not Agripina Gomez, 15 years old, who yesterday put carbolic acid in the coffee of her employer, is subnormal, Police Sergeant Leo Marden of the juvenile bureau will call Dr. Grace Fernald, psychologist of the Los Angeles State Normal School, Monday, to pass upon the girl’s mentality.

Miss Gomez told Sergt. Marden, Policewoman Brigham and Officer Wehrley that she had been given a day of liberty by her employer, Mrs. Harry True of No. 460 West Thirtieth street, on Thursday, with instructions to be home by 5 o’clock. Instead of returning at that hour, Miss Gomez, in company with two or three other Mexican girls, visited three other Mexican girls, visited three moving-picture theaters, arriving home at midnight.

Yesterday morning, the girl said, Mrs. True scolded her and threatened to call the county probation officers and give her into their custody, she being out on probation. This threat angered her, and as a matter of revenge, she says, she emptied the contents of a two-ounce bottle of carbolic acid into her employer’s breakfast coffee.

Mrs. True detected the order of the deadly acid and asked the girl what had happened to the coffee. Miss Gomez replied that gas was leaking in the house. Mrs. True tasted the coffee and was immediately burned by the acid. She called the police and gave the girl into the custody of Officer Wehrley.

At the juvenile bureau yesterday afternoon Miss Gomez said she obtained the idea of poisoning her benefactress by acid from watching a Mexican woman, 21 years old, poison her seven-months-old baby in the same way. The girl added that she testified she saw the mother pour poison into the baby’s bottle.

[“Mentally Wrong? – Girl Pours Poison Into Benefactress’ Coffee.” Los Angeles Times (Ca.), Aug. 18, 1917, part 2, p. 3]

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