Murder or Suicide? Pemberton, 1893
New Jersey Mirror 18 Apr 1893:
The sudden death of the supposed wife of William Bloom, at Pemberton on Thursday, gave rise to the suspicion that the woman had committed suicide by taking poison, or that it had been administered to her by some other person.
Dr. Hollingshead was in attendance upon the woman, but could not ascertain the cause of her illness, but thought there were symptoms of poisoning. Coroner Hibberd was notified and after hearing of some suspicious circumstances concerning the family determined to make a thorough examination. He interviewed William Bloom with whom she lived. He said he had been married to the deceased, but when a demand was made on him to produce the certificate he admitted he had told an untruth, and that he was not married to her. He said her name was Mary E. Norwood, and that he had known her about four months.
When he first met her she was living on St. John street, Philadelphia, and he induced her to come to Pemberton and live with him. All he knew of her was that she came from Baltimore, and that her parents were dead. When she was taken ill he had sent for her only living sister, who was with her when she died. He strenuously denied that he had given her poison, or having done anything else to cause her death. Dr. Hollingshead made a partial autopsy of the body and found symptoms of peritonitis.
The Coroner sent the contents of the woman's stomach to State Chemist Shippen Wallace for analysis, and it is expected that he will give the result of his analysis to the Coroner to-day or to-morrow, when an inquest will be held before the following gentlemen composing the Jury: Anthony J. Morris, John H. Antrim, Isaac Budd, William W. Lippincott, William H. Bishop, Alfred I. Davis and Ivins Davis. Coroner Hibberd went to Philadelphia on Saturday, and made a careful search for the history of the woman.
In a letter to this office he says: I found her husband, also saw her marriage certificate. She was married to Wm. Kreitzer, of Frankford, Phila., by Rev. S. W. Kurtz, on Dec. 12th, under the name of Effie Hines. Wm. Kreitzer became acquainted with her at a house in Philadelphia, where he was boarding, she as a domestic in the family. They lived together happily for about two years. On his return on the evening of Christmas, three years ago, she was gone. Kreitzer's mother had heard nothing of her since, but I learned he had been with her on several occasions at 326 and 440 St. John street, where he had been living since she left home. She had many names -- Mary Adams, Mamie Adams, Effie Hines, Emma Curtin, Mary Kreitzer and Mary E. Norwood. Her life was insured in the Metropolitan Ins. Co. for $243, in the name of Mary Kreitzer. Old Mrs. Kreitzer kept the premiums paid until she left home. Just before she left with Bloom for Pemberton she took out a policy in the John Hancock for $200. I also found she had been in the house of correction, Philadelphia, for three weeks, also had been in a reformatory for women at Germantown, also twice in the Penna. Hospital, where she was treated for malaria fever. I am now in communication with her sister in Baltimore, expect her to-morrow. I wired the undertaker to withhold burial (after I got in communication with her sister) that if insurance was in force proper identification could be had. She was buried, however, before it reached him.
The sudden death of the supposed wife of William Bloom, at Pemberton on Thursday, gave rise to the suspicion that the woman had committed suicide by taking poison, or that it had been administered to her by some other person.
Dr. Hollingshead was in attendance upon the woman, but could not ascertain the cause of her illness, but thought there were symptoms of poisoning. Coroner Hibberd was notified and after hearing of some suspicious circumstances concerning the family determined to make a thorough examination. He interviewed William Bloom with whom she lived. He said he had been married to the deceased, but when a demand was made on him to produce the certificate he admitted he had told an untruth, and that he was not married to her. He said her name was Mary E. Norwood, and that he had known her about four months.
When he first met her she was living on St. John street, Philadelphia, and he induced her to come to Pemberton and live with him. All he knew of her was that she came from Baltimore, and that her parents were dead. When she was taken ill he had sent for her only living sister, who was with her when she died. He strenuously denied that he had given her poison, or having done anything else to cause her death. Dr. Hollingshead made a partial autopsy of the body and found symptoms of peritonitis.
The Coroner sent the contents of the woman's stomach to State Chemist Shippen Wallace for analysis, and it is expected that he will give the result of his analysis to the Coroner to-day or to-morrow, when an inquest will be held before the following gentlemen composing the Jury: Anthony J. Morris, John H. Antrim, Isaac Budd, William W. Lippincott, William H. Bishop, Alfred I. Davis and Ivins Davis. Coroner Hibberd went to Philadelphia on Saturday, and made a careful search for the history of the woman.
In a letter to this office he says: I found her husband, also saw her marriage certificate. She was married to Wm. Kreitzer, of Frankford, Phila., by Rev. S. W. Kurtz, on Dec. 12th, under the name of Effie Hines. Wm. Kreitzer became acquainted with her at a house in Philadelphia, where he was boarding, she as a domestic in the family. They lived together happily for about two years. On his return on the evening of Christmas, three years ago, she was gone. Kreitzer's mother had heard nothing of her since, but I learned he had been with her on several occasions at 326 and 440 St. John street, where he had been living since she left home. She had many names -- Mary Adams, Mamie Adams, Effie Hines, Emma Curtin, Mary Kreitzer and Mary E. Norwood. Her life was insured in the Metropolitan Ins. Co. for $243, in the name of Mary Kreitzer. Old Mrs. Kreitzer kept the premiums paid until she left home. Just before she left with Bloom for Pemberton she took out a policy in the John Hancock for $200. I also found she had been in the house of correction, Philadelphia, for three weeks, also had been in a reformatory for women at Germantown, also twice in the Penna. Hospital, where she was treated for malaria fever. I am now in communication with her sister in Baltimore, expect her to-morrow. I wired the undertaker to withhold burial (after I got in communication with her sister) that if insurance was in force proper identification could be had. She was buried, however, before it reached him.
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