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defendants in murder cases also came into question. By 12 October 1912, Vermilya was still in custody awaiting trial along with fellow murderer Louisa
Lindloff. On 28 June 1913, Vermilya was released on $ 5,000 bail due to concerns for her continued failing health and exposure to the summer heat in a non-airconditioned jail, pending her trial for the poisoning of Richard Smith.
278:, a militia-like entity for those men who were unable to qualify for the military. In return, Bissonette was to make a will naming Vermilya as the sole beneficiary of the insurance policy he would carry as a result of this employment. Vermilya was to name him as her beneficiary for the life insurance that she carried after their nuptials.
262:
desert her, or he was murdered for his money, or C. C. Boysen, the undertaker, thought to be in love with Mrs. Vermilya, was jealous". While her motive in the earlier deaths of her family members was pursuit of financial gain, they became unclear after the deaths of her boarders, for whom she gained no monetary rewards.
340:
that another trial would entail a heavy cost without any assurance of being able to show any strong evidence." Per the request of
Vermilya's attorney, all charges were dropped. Vermilya led a quiet life following the dismissal of her charges as no further documentation exists of her in local papers past this point.
241:
The following year, in 1910, Vermilya inherited $ 1,200 after the death of her 23-year-old son from her first marriage, Frank
Brinkamp. Frank had been married to a widow and divorced her, receiving $ 1,200 from the divorce proceedings. On his death bed, he voiced suspicion involving his stepmother to
217:
in
Barrington, recalled that Louise enjoyed working around bodies. Despite not being a salaried employee, Vermilya seemed too eager to work in the mortuary with Blocks "while I never employed her for a couple of years I couldn't keep her out of the office". Blocks also stated that "at every death she
270:
It wasn't until Arthur
Bissonette came to dine with Vermilya did she experience her undoing. While dining with his father at the Vermilya home in October 1911, both of the Bissonettes started experiencing abdominal pain. Homicide detectives became suspicious after questioning Bissonette's father who
314:
The prosecutor was reticent as to the strongest points and the motive in Smith's death stating "There are several cases as to which Mrs. Vermilya may be tried and I don't want to try her more than once...For that reason, I want to pick out the strongest one and I have concluded the Smith one is the
261:
Smith was still married at the time of his supposed nuptials to
Vermilya. His estranged wife believed that the circumstances surrounding her husband's death were suspicious. She believed that Smith was murdered for one of three reasons, "either Mrs. Vermilya loved Smith and was afraid that he would
339:
On 18 April 1915, a conference was held between the
Assistant State's Attorney, Michael Sullivan, and the State Attorney Hoyne regarding continuation of the trial. It was decided that it would be impossible to obtain a conviction on the Smith indictment, with Sullivan remarking "We could only see
326:
There were subsequent difficulties that further complicated the progression of the trial. Juror selection had become an arduous process as men were unsure of if they could inflict the death penalty on a woman as freely as they would on a man. Nearly every man called forward had established a bias
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expert chemist. His findings showed "arsenic in sufficient quantities in the viscera of the two men to cause death." Vermilya was taken into custody and detained in the county jail where she attempted suicide again. The trial began on 21 March 1912 and lasted 16 days. The case was resubmitted for
245:
Uncharacteristically, Vermilya began poisoning acquaintances. Jason Rupert, a railroad fireman, fell ill after dining with
Vermilya on January 15, 1910. He died two days later, but was only the first in a series of deaths of boarders in Vermilya's home. In February 1910, Vermilya married Richard
330:
About 50% of those who passed this barrier had a prejudice against circumstantial evidence which necessitated their being excused. Up to this point, the jury had been composed of an all-male panel, who were unable to not only impose a death sentence on a woman, but whose attitudes toward female
150:
whose activities spanned the turn of the 20th century. Light was shed on her murders only after she resorted to murdering outside of her immediate family, beginning with the death of policeman Arthur
Bissonette. Authorities were alerted and suspicion arose over the peculiar and similar fates
175:, to parents Wilhemina (née Munaroe) and John Woolf, Prussian immigrants. She was the oldest daughter of five girls and third oldest child out of 11 siblings. She married 24-year-old Fred Brinkamp on April 2, 1885, at the age of 16 and moved to the village of Barrington within the
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was filed after it had been found that
Bissonette had been taking medication containing arsenic. In an effort to expedite court proceedings, a conference was held between the presiding judge, Judge Kersten, attorney Joseph R. Barres, and the prosecutor on the case.
271:
states he saw Vermilya sprinkling "white pepper" over their meals prior to serving them. This led the Chicago Police Department to do an autopsy on Bissonette's body revealing arsenic poisoning. Vermilya was taken into custody soon after its discovery.
238:, forty-five miles northwest of Chicago. Her stepson, Harry Vermilya, followed his father in death shortly after quarreling with Louise over the sale of the Crystal Lake estate. No suspicions arose after the deaths, and coincidence was blamed.
226:
Vermilya moved to Chicago in 1906 with her minor charges in tow. It was while living in Chicago that Vermilya claimed the life of her stepdaughter, 26-year-old Lillian Brinkamp. The coroner, however, ruled her cause of death as "acute
305:
Nevertheless, Vermilya was required to attend all her court proceedings, and usually did so in a wheelchair. Vermilya was arraigned before Municipal Judge Walker on 6 November 1911 for the death of Arthur Bissonette. On 7 March 1912,
419:"Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1920." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2010. Illinois Department of Public Health records. "Marriage Records, 1871–present." Division of Vital Records, Springfield, Illinois.
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such as valvular heart problems adding to her demise. Vermilya was discharged from the county hospital on November 24, 1911. By December 9, she was stricken with paralysis, which physicians stated was a permanent condition.
206:
Brinkamp left behind six children, two of whom met similar fates to their father shortly after his death. Cora Brinkamp was the first to die at age eight, with her sister Florence following at four and a half years old.
234:
Around this time, Vermilya remarried to a man named Charles Vermilya, aged 59. Three years later, he died, apparently victim to sudden illness. He left his widow with $ 1,000 in cash and a home in
327:
based on current newspaper accounts of the crime. A good percentage of these were sure that because of the impression made by the newspaper stories, they could not give a fair verdict.
410:
Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
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at her home. On March 11, 1910, two days after eating a meal prepared by Vermilya, he met a similar fate to Vermilya's prior boarder. His death was determined to be caused by
297:. Authorities reported Vermilya had been ingesting the "white pepper" since her house arrest on October 28. By November 9, she was reported as being near her death with
274:
There is some speculation as to whether Bissonette's death was precipitated by financial motives. With Vermilya's assistance, Bissonette was accepted into the
285:, Lydia Rivard, as the beneficiary of his estate. Though Vermilya was listed as the witness, she claimed to have no knowledge of ever signing the document.
820:
815:
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policy Brinkamp had which named her as the beneficiary. Due to Brinkamp's age at death, no suspicions arose as it was thought to be due to natural causes.
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The string of homicides began in 1893, when Vermilya claimed the life of her first husband, Fred Brinkamp, while living on their farm near
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Evidence of arsenic poisoning was found in Smith's liver via autopsy conducted by Prof. Walter S. Haines, the
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663:
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231:". Due to the unusually high number of deaths within the Brinkamp family, they were thought to be cursed.
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50:
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trial ten days later, ending in another hung jury as evidence against her was deemed circumstantial.
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192:
540:"The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, December 31, 1913, LAST EDITION, Image 6"
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would seem to hear of it just as soon as I and she would reach the house only a little behind me."
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experienced by her two husbands, several immediate family members and two associates known to her.
870:
458:
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378:. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls. Year:
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Bissonette authored a will shortly before his death, but named his fiancé who lived in nearby
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515:"The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, November 25, 1912, Image 8"
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strongest one." Vermilya was rearrested and charged for the murder of Richard Smith.
664:"The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, June 27, 1912, Image 32"
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On November 4, Vermilya was rushed to the hospital after playing victim to her own
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It is estimated that Vermilya amassed a total of $ 15,000 from the nine deaths.
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his fiancée, Elizabeth Nolan, stating he was "going the way his father did."
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195:. The coroner ruled Brinkamp's death to be attributed to a
755:"28 Jun 1912, Page 11 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
603:"18 Apr 1915, Page 12 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
724:"12 Oct 1912, Page 3 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
693:"22 Mar 1912, Page 6 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
633:"7 Apr 1912, Page 1 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
569:"7 Mar 1912, Page 3 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
485:"5 Nov 1911, Page 3 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com"
199:. Following his death, she inherited $ 5,000 from a
146:; July 1868 – December 1913) was an American
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374:United States of America, Bureau of the Census.
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353:List of serial killers in the United States
158:Sketch of the accused killer by journalist
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376:Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900
171:Louise Vermilya was born Louesa Woolf in
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451:"Woman Suspected of Poisoning Nine"
821:1900s murders in the United States
816:1890s murders in the United States
27:American serial killer (1868–1913)
25:
861:People from Cook County, Illinois
801:1906 murders in the United States
796:1893 murders in the United States
766:from the original on 2017-10-18
735:from the original on 2017-10-18
704:from the original on 2017-10-18
670:from the original on 2017-11-09
614:from the original on 2017-11-07
580:from the original on 2017-11-07
546:from the original on 2017-11-20
521:from the original on 2017-11-09
496:from the original on 2017-10-18
851:Filicides in the United States
841:American female serial killers
129:1911–1913 while awaiting trial
1:
876:Serial killers from Illinois
831:20th-century American people
846:Arsenic poisoning incidents
836:20th-century American women
826:19th-century American women
902:
289:Suicide attempts and trial
213:E.N. Blocks, who owned a
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70:
394:; Enumeration District:
236:Crystal Lake, Illinois
183:in northern Illinois.
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173:Cook County, Illinois
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51:Cook County, Illinois
886:Suicides in Illinois
866:People from Illinois
542:. 31 December 1913.
517:. 25 November 1912.
384:Cuba, Lake, Illinois
335:Dismissal of charges
320:Rush Medical College
193:Barrington, Illinois
97:Span of crimes
881:Suicides by poison
459:The New York Times
222:Subsequent murders
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126:Imprisoned at
398:; FHL microfilm:
160:Marguerite Martyn
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78:Charges dismissed
62:December 31, 1913
16:(Redirected from
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162:, November 1911
140:Louise Vermilya
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34:Louise Vermilya
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811:1913 suicides
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768:. Retrieved
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642:the original
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197:heart attack
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179:township of
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64:(1913-12-31)
44:Louesa Woolf
856:Mariticides
806:1913 deaths
791:1868 births
181:Lake County
785:Categories
770:2017-06-06
739:2017-06-06
708:2017-06-06
674:2017-06-06
649:2017-06-06
618:2017-06-05
584:2017-06-05
550:2017-06-06
525:2017-06-06
500:2017-06-05
466:2024-07-03
359:References
276:Home Guard
211:Undertaker
167:Early life
871:Poisoners
256:gastritis
246:Smith, a
229:nephritis
101:1893–1911
47:July 1868
764:Archived
733:Archived
702:Archived
668:Archived
612:Archived
578:Archived
544:Archived
519:Archived
494:Archived
390:; Page:
386:; Roll:
347:See also
283:Kankakee
215:mortuary
120:Illinois
115:State(s)
18:Vermilya
400:1240314
266:Undoing
252:boarder
106:Country
88:Victims
83:Details
53:, U.S.
454:(PDF)
144:Woolf
142:(née
396:0130
380:1900
250:and
177:Cuba
59:Died
40:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
