The daily Gate City. [volume], November 05, 1911, Image 1

About The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
THE PAPER THAT
BOOSTS KEOKUK
ALL THE TIME
VOL. 113. NO. 108.
Mrs. Vermilya Accused of Taking Nine Lives by
Using Insect Powder in Her Deadly
Pepper Shaker.
SHE LOVED TP FONDLE COLO CORPSES
Tried to End Her Own Life by Means of the
Hidden Arsenic But Was Saved by
a Physician.
[Gate City Leased Wire Service.]
CHICAGO, Nov. 4.—What the police
say was attempted suicide—and by the
same poison with which the police
suspect she has made away with half
a score of relatives and friends—near
ly closed the case of the state of Illi
nois versus Mrs. Louis Vermilya to
night The woman, watched day and
night by two detectives and a police
nurse, very nearly succeeded despite
their surveillance, in closing what the
authorities now believe is the most
remarkable series of poisoning since
the days of Johan Hoch, by a cul
minative dose of arsenic.
Nearly a week ago, when Policeman
Arthur Bissonette died at the local
hospital after being removed to his
room in the Vermilyas home, the
woman was taken ill when the person
In attendance at Bisconette's death
bared his suspicion that arsenic was
he cause. When a chemist certified
»at, an examination of Bisonette's
»cera had disclosed a large quantity
the drug the womanwas said to be
mlngly ill.
Closely Guarded^i»w
Hep, jphyficlan" advised against any
dden 'shock to tilfe^patlent so-the
dlice omitted service on her of a
"arrant sworn out by Bisonette's
rother, charging her with the police
man's murder. But a strong guard
was placed at her home.
Today Mrs. Vermilya grew steadily
worse. For dinner this evening she
ha two soft boiled eggs. Immediate
ly after this meal she suffered a re
lapse. A physician hurriedly summon
ed thought the symptoms of her
Ill­
ness very peculiar and promptly ad
ministered an antidote.
She grew better at once,
In Pepper Shaker. I
Then the police began a hunt to chenncal ana.ysis
find out how a woman, sick in bed and
under surveillance, day and night,
could have taken just the dose that
they were half way anticipating. The
remnants of her meal were scrutiniz
ed without result. Then the nurse
remembered that the sick woman
used an enormous quantity of salt and
pepper at all her ,meals. The big salt
and pepper boxes that she used were
immediately sent to a corner drug
store for an opinion. The pharmicist
sect powder, the chief Ingredient in.|
which was arsenic.
The craft displayed by Mrs. Ver-1
milya in all but poiBoning herself be
fore the eyes of the police indicates to
them that there may be great difficult
in connecting the woman with several
deaths in her home. Evidently the
woman has been steadily taking
arsenic—or the insect powder—for a
number of days, until she had succeed
ed in making the physicians attend
ing her believe that a mysterious
malady had brought her vitality to a
very low ebb. Apparently tonight she
planned to take a final dose—of a
sufficient amount to cause death.
The Woman's Past.
While Mrs Vermilya has been lying
in bed gradually eatiig poison, Po
lice Captain Harding and his half doz
en detectives have been learning a
great deal about the woman's past
life, from the time she was the belle
of the "husking bees" at Barrington,
111.,
with several grown children. The
new wife quarreled with her stepchil
dren over the sale of some of Ver
milya's property. Shortly afterward,
the husband, and Mrs.
VermUya's
snpson and stepdaughter died in quick
succession.
Mrs. Vermilya once again a widow, jo{
came next to Chicago. Here she met
Richard T. Smith, an Illinois Central
railroad conductor. The police think
Smith left his wife because of his
a on or he a an
certain
it
is
that
he roomed with her!
for a number of months. Then Smithi
died. At his funeral, Mrs. Vermilya I
is alleged to have displayed a roll cf
bills, and the police are looking for
an automobile said to have been his
property, and which disappeared after
his death.
She Loved Corpses..
Next came Arthur Bisonette, I po
liceman. He roomed at Mrs. Vermilya's
flat. Some people thought the two
Body is Exhumed.
to the present time. Nine per- the dead man. While Murphy refused
sonB—husbands, sons, daughters, and
friends—have died in her home at
various times ln the last ten years,
while she was residing at various
Illinois towns.
As a buxom country girl, she was a
great favorite with the men. She
was married rather early in life, to
Frank Brinkamp, and, after organiz
ing a lodge in a fraternal association,
Insured her husband for $1,000. Short
ly afterward Brinkamp died. His
widow collected the insurance. Then
she sought a livelihood by organizing
insurance clubs at Barrington and
Crystal Lake. Then she married
Charles Veri^iljra, an aged widower
died at the home of Mrs. Louise Ver- mother,
milya, in Chicago, was exhumed at fhrop, a
"wWtTptp^e? *wa8'" i''real'ity' an Vernon cemetery, near here, married Frank Strassburg, formerly
of Chicago.
Jaeger, as a book agent, insisted his
firm send him to Boston. He wan tea
to talk of any evidence he obtained ^ure
and swore his Informants to secrecy, I
it is stated that he got valuable infor-:day.
mation which, may involve others in jure
the case.
It became known today that Smith's Nov.
brothers and friends had not been sat- 7
isfled at the time of his death and
that two friends or relatives went to
Chicago and called upon the author
ities there. Nothing definite was ob
tained, however, and to spare Smith's
parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Smith,
the pain of a public investigation, they
decided not to press further the in
vestigation. Smith's mother has been
an Invalid to bed for ten years.
IIP IH THE 1
OVER HIS MOTOR
When Rodgers' Engine Acted up
engaged—at least they were veryj machine can be put in condition and
friendly. Then Bisonette's engage-iit
ment to Lydia Rivard was made
known land shortly afterward he", filed!
In their hunt for light on the worn'
aii's life the police have discovered a
strong characteristic. Undertakers in
thte little towns where she lived say
that death apparently had a'strange
fascination for this woman. She hov-
Coroner Hoffman and an expert on
postmortems today left for North
Handerson, 111., there to exhume the
body of Richard T. Smith. The body
bc
brought back to this city for
He
Vents His Spite on It by
Giving it a
Kick.
FLIGHT AGAIN DELAYED
Almost Within Sight of End of
Long Journey When Com
pelled to
Kit
Stop.
[Gate City Leased Wire Service.]
BANNING, Calif., Nov. 4.—Aviator
Rodgers did not end his coast-to
coast flight today as he planned, on
account of the broken engine, which
retarded his start from Imperial
Junction this morning for more than
two hours and finally compelled him
to descend here for the night after
he had tried to resume his flight to
marking his Journeys end
Rodgers arrived here at 12:35 from
Imperial Junction. He ate luncheon
and worked over the defective parts
Wg machlne until 3 13 when
he
re.a8Cended and 8tarted for PaBadena
Beventy.five mlles away.
He ha(, flown only a short distance
when tlle maCbine
went wrong again in
a a
to it a os
wlthin hlg grasp wag £orced to de.
sccnd. He was much disappointed, as
he had 8trongiy hoped t0
He expects to resume his journey!
eariy
tomorrow morning provided the
wll, be only a matter
Rodgers flew approximately seventy)^
lies"
today
ered about the beds the dying as if I
drawn to them, and when allowed by TPT* TTTT
undertakers to prepare the bodies lor MIJLIJIIIJ IJI J. 1 IJ-EI
burial fondled them and appeared to m
have infinite pleasure in looking at
the cold remains.
GIRLS AND SELF
Heidelberg Graduate Follows Children
•to Boston and Silayss
Them.
[Gate City Leased Wire Service.]
I BOSTON, Mass., Nov. 4.—Ludwig
I F. Jaeger and his two little daughters,
Professor Haines, the city's poison! five and four years old, are dead to-
expert, after examining the contents night because the father could not
of the salt shaker, used by Mrs. Cer-! bear to be separated from the chil-'
milya this evening, asserted that it! dren he loved so well.
was arsenic.
recently in Chicago. He was a gradu
Nov. I many, and was formerly employed in
NORTH HENDERSON, 111.,
4.—The body of Richard T.
whose death the police of Chicago are uin.«6U.
investigating, with eight others who tie daughters was awarded to the: oiJDOSition should nriso within I
Smith,! the office of the German consul in
ago are Chicago. The custody of the two lit-!
this afternoon, and the viscera re
moved and taken to Chicago. There
it will be subjected to a chemical
analysis for the purpose of determin- to see his daughters. He met them on
ing whether poison
caused
bis death, the street this afternoon. The father
The body was exhumed under the drew a revolver and shot them dead,
direction of Coroner Peter Hoffman "Now they can never separate me
of Cook county, who arrived shortly again from my children," he cried,
after 3 o'clock with Dr. Leconte. A and fired a bullet through his own
curious crowd gathered but all were
barred with the exception of those
who disinterred and examined the
body, including Dr. E. E. Morgan.
Oscar Smith, a brother, and Joseph
Deets, a brother-in-law of the dead
man, all of North Henderson. The
brain.
Welch Feels Fine.
[Gate City Leased Wire Service.]
LOS ANGELES, Calif. Nov. 4.
Freddie Welch who is to fight Cham-
pion Wolgast at Vernon Thanksgiv-
party was sworn to secrecy. The ing for the lightweight championship {And
body was in a good state of preser.: ]s here chock full of confidence.1
vation, having been embalmed with I Welch says he don't intend to try to
formaldehyde. knock Wolgast out but he is planning
The viscera was sealed in jars a--(to go the limit and win on points.
the Chicago authorities motorec to
Galesburg, where they took a train.
Detective Murphy also returned to
Chicago after a day passed here in
terrogating friends and re'atives of
THE WEATHER.
1 V,
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4.—Missouri
and Iowa: Cloudy Sunday and Mon
day. Not much change In tempera-
IIllnoi8.
KEOKUK, IOWA, SUNDAY, NOV. 5, 1011
Make Keokuk Grow
In the various ramifications!
of
an enterprise so stupendous'
as the building of a dam across
the Mississippi river it was ex
pected that some opposition
would develop. It is none tb 2j
less regrettable and unfor-1
without
wlwloul
cloudy Sunday and Mon-
not mucj,
Local Observations.
Bar. Ther. Wind W'th
a. 30.28 38 8 Cl'dy!
Pi
Mean temperature, 30.
view nf tV,Q
View
OI
tunate. That honest differ- SCHOOL FOR THE
ences
of
opinion should result
between a seller and a buyer
is a common expectation but
the liberal, fair-minded atti
tude of the Water Power Com­
pany toward all with whom it
has had dealings has eliminat­
ed almost all of the differences
and there has been a friendly
feeling between all parties
with whom transactions have
been concluded. The Water
Power Company has been emi­
nently fair in its attitude and
that
its purchases. PropertyiIt
IS
iand
his
machine at Tournament Park at Pas
adena by 5 o'clock this evening.
When he had alighted Rodgers
gave vent to his feelings by aiming
a vicious kick at his motor, then
procured a kit of tools and with his
assistant, began the task of repair
ing the engine. I
required in Order to
build the dam has been bought
and paid for. Transactions
have been readily negotiated
and friendly relations main
tained between the buyer and
the seller. The water power
comtyanv
of minutes
lioo
Tmro11prf
comPany nas
soon be
v.
a nnlipv
pursued a policy
Md the
coramrai-
bUt feW
exceptions,
The Gate City
ill ope that the few exceptions
may
adjusted.
Least of all can Keokuk af­
ford to appear in the role of
antagonist.
Keokuk destiny:landing
wafpr
Jaeger and his wife were divorced temnlatinn tn tliinlr wVia I-
centlv in Chicago. He was a gradu-
ate of Heidelberg University, Ger-
nnwpr tip art tin
Ui tUe waler
POWer negOtia-
tioiis. It is too painful a con-
lo even
t.llis
city would have been
this nrniert TliPt nnvi celebratu
™ls project, itiat any
rfioj ot n,« she brought them to Win-j •Pr"011'1"11 aiiuuiu dribe wninn, which Is already looked upon teous opponents and used to bring
Boston suburb. Here
she
fhp lnool
tne local citizenship is lament-!
It is at least pleasurable to
comtemplate that so few cases
have arisen whereby legal pro-
SO much for all the immediate
communities, Will be promptly1!
withdrawn.
change in tempera-
30.22 41 S. Cl'dy ously injuring three persons. Fred E port was being'circulated that
River above low water of 1864, 9 Davis, 57, and F. H. Keay, 41,
v,
Hamllt
on' w- Va-
ri
Highest temperature, 43.'w
Lowest temperature, 35.
FRED Z. GOSEWISCH,
orlent»
tne record the power
company has established for
fair and honorable dealing.
resorted
Cedure has been
ARE IH PERIL
T/^5 Number of People In Foreign
5 .Missions at Hankow May Have
Been Victims of .v
Slaughter.
here.
Thousands of
to.
it is entirely proper to
hope that any opposition to
I
this enterprise which means
BLIND
American Marines In Shanghai Are
on Guard and Will be Ready
to Fight If Neces
sary.
[Gate City Leased Wire Service.]
SHANGHAI, Nov. 4.—Every effort is
being made tonight to learn the
whereabouts of the 300 persons at
last accounts in the.Wesleyan mission
at Hankow, which the latest messages
received here says was destroyed by [Gate City "teased Wire Service.]
fire due to the murderous shelling or, NEW YORK, Nov. 5.—In a copy
the city by the Chinese imperial! right article, the New York World to
troops. jday published from Francis McCul-
Forelgners here are furious at the la8h. its war correspondent, the most
conduct of the imperial commander in blood-curdling story of the horrible
disregarding the recommendation to Italian massacres in Tripoli that has
cease the shelling until the wounded yet been published.
rebels in the mission and the inmates 1° part, the signed statement from
of the adjoining David Hill memorial, McCullagh reads:
school for the blii)d could be removed. [Copyright 1911 by Press Publishing
is considered most unlikely that! Co. The New York World.J
the staff have transferred their help-1 MALTA, Nov. 4.—As a protest
less charges to places of safety with-' against the murders of innocent Arab
out fatalities. women, men and children last week.
So far as known here the Europeans I have sent papers as a correspond
at the mission were Dr. Booth and
wife the Rev. C. S. Minty, and Miss
I. Wilkinson. All are English.
Considerable apprehension is also
fel for Yuan Shi Kal, who was last
reported In Hankow for a conference
with Gen. LI the rebel leader. With
so desperate a struggle raging be
tween rebels and imperialists it is
felt that the position of the would be
mediator between them „can not be
altogether a e&fe one.
ZZ*
iby the revolutionists of all the river
forts between here and Hankow and
the loss of their ammunition supply
through the transfer of the Shanghai
Murdoclt
.v from the cruiser Albanv to protect the
Was the successful conclusion I
cable station at WU Sung
over the lmpeHaH8tB
4*
Celebrating the Victories.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4.—Reports
of victories by the. Chinese rebels Worse Than Russia.
hav°
fiet
Ule'
tnillK Wliat Chinese population of San Francisco Russian or Armenian masscre.
fiaSs
ihere
ern
plc
a ge entj-four hours, fall ualty hospital in a serious cov"\n. of the blacksmith's union tonight is-
ana
Mrs' c- c-
into
Observer.
A
Sightseers Injured. I
[Gate City Leased Wirt Service.
1 1
WASHINGTON,Nov. 4.—Carrying a
dozen passengers, a sightseeing auto
smashed into a steel bodied capital despatches
traction street car late today
meB8aSe fr°"J
I wild' with joy. Fifteen thousand ce-• pro-Italian Jews were massacred by
lestials tonight began upon the great- mistake among the Arabs. The Arabs
Nov. 4.—As a
ent
wife Miss N. Booth, the Rev. G. A. MAINTAIN longer with an army which
Clayton and wife the Rev. J. S.
Helps
and wife the Rev. W. A. Tatchell and marauders and a gang of assassins.
est celebration ever held in "little did mutilate corpses, but not until
after the Italians began the massa-
of
as a
whose BtreetB are allve with Bhouting
oMo 1- A 1-1 celestials. The Italians frankly admit they
a JliXtremely lamentable in,
a d07en
jnight
They will la8t untfl
morning.
Tomorrow afternoon
will have a great pageant through
'Chinatown with probably ten thous
and marchers in line.
Empress Has Fled.
w'fl1 a"
TIEN TSIN, China, Nov.
"M v-iiiim .MJV. 5. Ru-1""i"
authority, are rife here tonight that
^er eunichs, fled from Pekln
two days
ag0-
f?onr lnt0
Pekln
CHICAGO, Nov. 4 Warned by
both of strike of machinists on the Harriman
Colo, were thrown from the machine to be deceived into going back to The
to General Caneva. I cannot
is no army, but an armed band of
About 400 women and children and
4,000 men have been shot. Cripples
and blind beggars have been deliber
ately Bhot. Sick people, whose hous
es were burned, were left on the
ground and refused even a drop of
water. I personally witnessed these
scenes of horror and photographed
them'for the World.
^f Soldiers Went Crazy
There i« not the faintest pretense of
News that two of tne imperial tor
pedo boats in the Yang Tse river have justice. The Arab quarter was over'
^rendered to the rebels is conTd-! r"un'^h c^y sJdie^wTth revolvers.
shooting every Arab man, woman or
child they met. Officers were worse
than men. The army is demoralized.
fused to consider any communication
arsenal having rendered further re-' except through the consul. I am now
sistance
by Admiral Saih hopeless, leaving voluntarily. Gumbert, well
The American marinea lknded here known German military critic and
by Admiral
remain on guard correspondent of the Berlin Jokalan-
in the foreign quarter, and another zieger, took the same step. Every iBh, if necessary, all houses in
is known to have been made British correspondent except one oasis on the outskirts of the city,
leaves today. afterward paying an indemnity. This
The facts of the massacre are be- order may necessitate the demolition
yond dispute and the consuls have
already informed their governments.
The scenes are worfte than
new re- cres.. Arabs at first were most cour-
certainty, adorn Chinatown ln wounded Italians under a flag of
tn.ee,
"Revolution" banquets started in are conducting this war as a war of
iarger restaurants to- extermination. No quarter is ever
Monday given to the Arabs, whom Caneva
surrounded
the Chinese dowager empress, grand-! fought, twelve hours. Their ammuni-
mother of the boy emperor, togethei
'8 believed she is
Mancburia.It
is reported that
the prince regent with the baby em-
peror'
iB preIarlnB t0 flee from Pekin
Manchuria, among his own peo-igone forth into the desert to fight be-jand
Bido
the
ton'ght
were taken to Cas-: lines has been settled. President Kline Italians, *de"spite" t"he ridiculous state-
the street Mrs. Calkins sustained work. Mass meetings will be held „n here as they have at
persists in regarding as non-combat-! among the troops and the people.
the Chinese
ants. He says he is fighting Turk
ey. The Arabs, therefore, are not
regular soldiers in uniform and must
be shot when caught with arms in
their hand whether under the white
flag or not. On October 26, a small
but brave band of Arabs broke the
urnt]vana and
mors, apparently based on excellent, Italian line near Bumilyana ana were rnnta,
in a house, were they
tlon was then exhausted and all were
butchered, despite the white flag.
Country Aroused
These atrocities have aroused the
... whole country to a pitch of incredible
an a re in he N or at on W an ha
nwn'
terinined to make official inquiry into: tllated and mortally wounded men
ss#,
the massacres in Hankow by the roy-1 in the battle front, with one leg or
alist troops under Yuan Shi Kai. |gi|arnl
aB have lilH,wi8e a 1
de-!the relatives of the Innocent town
clares the new Chinese senate has de-' Arabs massacred by the Italians. Mu-|
8hot
I 1 7, ... Sftlli 'an i'nes tor the satisfaction of kill-. panjc
1 St"**® Not Settled. ing at leastt one more Italian before
away, creep up to the Ita-|
A holy war ]ias been
from different cities in proclaimed by Bedouins from Egypt, the
seri- the west and south that a false re- Arabs from the Soudan are Joining the
0f
ments
Calkins of Lamont, sued a statement urging strikers not enemies losses run into thousands.. I attacks begin
Italians
a fracture of the hip and it is Baid, is tomorrow. A strike of craftsmen on there is absolutely 710 chance of their orate way, while close bv his steam
injured Internally. Calkins, however, the Rock Island is held in abeyance advancing into the deserts against
only sustained minor injuries.: (until after the meeting here Monday.| the main Turko-Arabic force under (Continued on page 3.)
THE WEATHER
The Sun is Going to Take a
Day Off.
SIXTEEN PAGES
Truth is Out at Last When American Corres
pondent Manages to Get His Blood Curd
ling Message Through.
ITALIAN SOLDIERS WENT CRAZY
Massacre of Innocent Arabs, Cripples, Wounded,
Women, Children, All Because of Frenzy
of Invaders.
any
The
Fethi Bri, the new and energetic
Vali, whose appearance on the scene
has changed the whole face of the
war. This little Arab vanguard is
armed with antiquated rifles but
fights so desperately that, despite
battle ships and aeroplanes, despite
seven field batteries, nine mountain
batterieB, sixteen machine gups and
an inexhaustible supply of the best
rifles and ammunition, despite splen
did sea and land searchlights sweep
ing the shore and desert, deep trench
ed wherein are hidden •wire entagle
ments, loop-holed walls behind which
crouch over 20,000 men, where 12,000
are perpetualy in the trenches—de
spite all these advantages, the Italians
are in the last stage of exhaustion
and fright.
City i« Besieged.
They have retreated on the east so
that the Arab sharp shooters in tUe
date fields now reach the town with
their bullets. The citadel, wherein
General Caneva lives,
WBB
hit by a
bullet today. The German and
American consulates have repeated
ly been hit and the Gemot) and Amer
leans have abandoned tba cottwJ?&i
ahd taken rerfnge In the town. Every
body In the outskirts has done the
same.
On October 31 the TurkB actually
shelled the town. Large crowds in
the cafes and on the sea front street
watched the Turkish shells bursting
On returning my papers, I wae I inside the Italian lines on the shore
summoned to headquarters but re-1 two miles off. Shells repeatedly
burst in the English cemetery. Four
shells burst in the city, two of them
near the American consulate.
The Italians have Informed the
consuls of their Intentions to dernoi
the
of the German and American consu
lates. The Italians contemplate a
last stand Inside the city. The in
vaders are thua worse off than a
month ago, having been gradually
shoved into the sea.
The territory they hold is shrink
daily. One coituld go around it all
in a little ride before breakfast, strict
ly speaking. They are in a be
Belged city. The Italians are cutting
all of the trees in the oasis so as
not to afford shelter to the enemy.
Cholera Stalking About.
Loud explosions every day indicate
the blowing up of houses outside the
walls, wherein the enemy might take
cover. Meanwhile cholera 1B raging
The disease has attacked the Arabs
for the first time. Twenty-seven sol
diers died of the cholera yesterday.
Hundreds are sick. Thirty-three civ
ilians are dead. The soldiers refuse to
bury the murdered Arabs, who litter
the oasis. Owing to the stench the
were Arabs also refuse, save at the bay
onet's point,., consequently the conta
gion is spreading fast..
The Italian battle losses of 1,500 In
clude 300 dead. Five hundred left
on a hospital ship a few days ago.
Attempts have been made to conceal
these figures and to lie generally
about the position at Tripoli. Caneva
offlcially
they die. fortified and surrounded with sand
successfully
1,500 Arabs is so far attacking the
announced forty Arabs exe-
bag8 and
may be able to hold
W
phndren executed
alone, and executions
in one batcb
011
a far large
wer(j oQ a„ around.
Caneva, the Vulture.
The principal culprit is Caneva,
whose bad military disposition cause
and
easily leads to massacres.
Caneva llve8 in
,,
citaaei.where
he la
bomb proofs, with soldiers on
roof,
and soldiers in the cellar. The
genera] 0f
the Tripolitans. Only an advance guard under such nbsentee leadership, any
army
division does the same.
would degenerate. Caneva is
never seen at the front or outside
llt,ver Blrcll nL wlc,
in the Italian papers that the!the bombproofs. Whenever the Arab
Caneva
hlde
Mellita,
appears to
somewhere ln the citadel cellars,
but safeguarding his person in an elab-