Shirley, Carl and Stanley Williams
Kentucky Post, Thursday, 16 September 1920, page 1
An analysis of the stomach of Shirley Williams, 4, of 547 E Second st. to be reported on sometime Thursday by William Simonson, chemist, 126 W Ninth st. Cincinnati, may clear up the mystery surrounding the death of the child and her brother, Carl Williams Jr. who died at 3:20 Wednesday morning. Dr. Walter R Hughes, coroner of Campbell co. said Thursday.
The two children died an hour after their brother, Stanley, aged 2 years. Coroner Hughes announced this child died of natural ailments. Pending the report of the analysis Joseph Van Leuven and William Lickert, detectives and Edward Hamilton, Campbell co. detective, continued their investigations. It is the theory the two older children may have died of poisoning.
The triple funeral Friday afternoon at 2 pm from the home will mark the end of the tragedy. The two older children will be buried in one casket and the younger in another. Reverend A E Love of the Newport Baptist Church will officiate. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Friday, 17 September 1920, page 4
Coroner Walter Hughes, of Campbell County, Kentucky and Newport police awaited a report from W Simonson, chemist, yesterday in the hope that the mystery surrounding the deaths of Shirley and Carl Williams Jr. children of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Williams, 347 East Second street, Newport, Wednesday, would be solved. Coroner Hughes received a preliminary report from Simonson to the effect that neither the contents of the stomach of Shirley Williams nor the milk samples submitted to him showed any evidence of arsenic poisoning. He said he would continue tests. Dr. George Sauter said Wednesday that the two children showed symptoms of strychnine poisoning.
In the meantime Coroner Hughes is running down other clues. He disposed of a theory that the two older children might have taken an overdose of medicine intended for the younger, Stanley Williams, whose death was due to a natural cause. He learned that the medicine was mild in character and was prescribed to allay the symptoms noticeable in the cases of the two older children from the time they were stricken until they died. The two children died about an hour after the death of Stanley.
There will be a triple funeral for the three children this afternoon. Services will be conducted at the home on East Second street. Rev A R Love, pastor of Newport Baptist Church, will conduct the services. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery.
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Kentucky Post, Thursday, 23 September 1920, page 1
Dr. Walter B Hughes, Campbell co. coroner, Thursday was awaiting a report of William Simonson, Cincinnati chemist, regarding the stomach of Stanley Williams, 4 months of 347 E Second st. Newport who died Sept 15. The stomach of the child is being analyzed to see if the child died of poisoning. At the time of his death Dr. Hughes stated the child died of natural causes.
The child's brother and sister died about an hour after him. Again poisoning is believed caused the death. The chemist is to make his report some time Thursday.
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Kentucky Post, Friday, 24 September 1920, page 1
With the finding of arsenic poison in the stomach of Stanley Williams, 4 month old son of Carl Williams and wife, who died Sep 15, preparations were being made Friday for the impaneling of a coroner's jury for Monday. William Simonson, Cincinnati chemist in his report of an analsyis of the stomach of the child stated the child died of arsenic poisoning.
The other two children, Shirley, 4 years and Carl Jr. 2 years, also died of arsenic poisoning. Williams, his wife, Dr. Sauter, his two sons, Dr. M J Sauter and Dr. L H Sauter, who attended the children, Mrs. Ida Warner, sister of Mrs. Williams, other relatives of the Williams and neighbors will be summoned to appear before the jury which will be impaneled Monday.