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Rutherford County Hosted "Three Wicked Witches" As published by the Daily News Journal, Sunday, October 25, 2009 By Greg Tucker, President of the Rutherford County Historical Society
Two sisters, Virginia Wardlaw and Mary Wardlaw Snead, raised in
a prominent and wealthy southern family, earned wide respect and
distinction in the 1890s as instructors and "brilliant ... women
of fine character and gentle demeanor" at the Soule Female
College on Maples Street in Murfreesboro.
They purchased the college in 1903 and by 1905, with the
participation of their sister Caroline, the destroyed both the
reputation and finances of the venerable, 54-year-old
institution. In 1907 they left Rutherford County in
disgrace and in debt, amid rumors of occult and sinister
activity.
In 1910 the 'big city media' flooded Rutherford County with
reporters and cameramen in search of 'facts, rumors and palpable
fiction' about the sisters and their kin. This media
interest was occasioned by the death of Caroline's daughter Ocey
and the New Jersey murder indictments against Virginia, Mary and
Caroline.
A torrent of stories of strange behavior by the always heavily
veiled, aging sisters in black mourning dress and living in near
poverty after
The sensational case and media coverage lasted two years, which
finally concluded after the starvation suicide of Virginia, the
dismissal of charges against Mary and the manslaughter guilty
plea by Caroline, who died of natural causes soon after
beginning her prison sentence.
Was the death of the daughter simply an "overdose suicide" as
interpreted by C.C. Henderson, local historian and journalist,
in his 1929 book "History of Murfreesboro", or was it merely a
'tragic accident' as alleged by sister Mary when she emerged
from seclusion in 1930, vainly attempting to recover a valuable
cache of family jewelry?
The New Jersey coroner determined that Ocey died from drowning.
She was found nude in a four-foot bathtub in a kneeling position
with only her face submerged in two-to-three inches of water.
Preliminary testimony explained that it would be extremely
difficult to drown in this manner without being sedated and held
in position with restraints. It was also determined that
death had occurred at least 24 hours before the death was report
to authorities by Virginia, who alleged that she called police
immediately upon finding her niece's body. Finally, the
autopsy determined that Ocey had morphine in her system at the
time of her death, but not a level sufficient to cause death.
It was indisputable that Virginia lied to authorities when she
claimed that she and Ocey were alone in the residence on the day
of the death and the following day when it was reported.
Testimony from neighbors and hack drivers established that at
least two older women were present at the time of death, and at
least one woman had traveled to and from the residence from New
York during the pertinent time period.
When warrants were issued, Mary surrendered without comment when
found in a shabby New York apartment shared with Caroline.
Sister Caroline, however, had gone into hiding, moving from
hotel to hotel under fictitious names, evading capture for
several weeks.
Virginia's initial defense relied on a neat, suicide note pinned
to Ocey's clothing folded beside the tub. When Caroline
was finally apprehended , several reports on the scene opened a
box that she had with her and found three handwritten 'practical
copies' of the suicide note. Handwriting experts did not
believe that any of the copies, including the one found by the
bathtub, were written by the victim.
At a pretrial hearing, the New Jersey prosecutor anticipated
that the evidence would establish either Caroline or Virginia
had forcibly submerge the face of the victim, and that
premeditation was evidenced by the multiple suicide notes
in Caroline's possession. The motive was financial gain
and the emaciated condition of the victim further evidenced a
long period of abuse.
Failing with an insanity plea, counsel for Caroline negotiated a
manslaughter plea that probably appealed to the court in part
due to the 'media circus' that would have covered a sensational
jury trial. Virginia's suicide while in custody pending
trial encouraged the sensational reporting, but avoided her
being tried for murder or at least as an accessory.
It was established that Mary was in New York when the crime was
committed but evidence strongly suggested that she had prior
knowledge of her sisters' intent. The plea and conviction
of Caroline for manslaughter however, barred 'on a technicality'
any accessory charges. (Mary moved to Colorado and lived
in seclusion and lived with her son until her attempt to claim
the jewelry found in Murfreesboro in 1930.)
The investigative record included some lurid and sensational
details that were not addressed in the judicial proceedings.
Statements from neighbors and medical personnel familiar with
the death of Caroline's husband, a wealthy businessman and war
veteran many years her elder, also suggested a pattern of
physical abuse and possible death by poisoning. The death
of her own son and a nephew were also found to be suspicious,
and all three deaths involved substantial insurance payments.
Even more titillating were the stories of Caroline's futile
attempts to get custody of a foster child in Virginia, and the
discovery of human infant bones when her New York apartment was
searched. The circumstances surrounding the death of
Ocey's first child and the institutionalization and eventual
death of her second child, also raised suspicions.
Perhaps Caroline Wardlaw Martin, who died in an insane asylum
shortly after being sentenced for manslaughter, was (as some in
the media speculated) a 'serial killer' with at least the
acquiescence and concealment of her two sisters, if not their
complicity. Perhaps, some 100 years ago, Rutherford County
hosted the real world equivalent of "three wicked witches".
"Last year my little daughter
died. Other near and dear kindred too have gone to Heaven. I
long to go there too. I have been ill and weak a very long time
now. Death will be a blessed relief to me in my sufferings. When
you read this I will have committed suicide. My sorrow and pain
in this word are greater than I can endure. Ocey W.M. Snead”
Greg Tucker can be reached at
gregorytucker@bellsouth.net. |
years of affluence and distinction and their lovely 23-year-old
victim were breathlessly reported by newspapers across the
country. The stories came from Tennessee, Georgia,
Virginia, New York New Jersey and Canada.
As
for motive, the investigation established that the sisters had
life insurance on Ocey in the amount of $32,000, and that they
had often gone without food and other necessities in order to
pay the insurance premiums. Moreover, it was found that
Ocey owned several parcels of valuable property in her name
alone through her father's will. Testimony showed that on
several occasions the sisters had tried unsuccessfully to get
Ocey to make a will leaving them or their elderly mother the
property.