CUNNINGHAM , Sarah - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Lafayette, Ind Oct 19 – Three weeks ago Mrs. Sarah Cunningham, a well-known Lafayette woman died under circumstances leading to the suspicion that she was a victim of foul play.  Mrs. Cunningham was possessed of a large sum of money and was soon to have been married to a man in this city. Before her death she sold, it is said, 3 promissory notes with forged signatures and gossips put a lot of ideas and notions together and conclude that Mrs. Cunningham had not died a natural death but had been deliberately poisoned by someone who might have been interested in securing her money, who might have feared the result of the body and had a postmortem examination.  An analysis of the stomach was made yesterday and the verdict given today that the woman had died of natural causes. The body was about to be reinterred when Andrew Cunningham, husband of the woman, appeared on the scene and ordered the coffin opened that he might look upon the face of his wife.  He had deserted her six years ago going West and a report had reached her afterwards that Cunningham had died. The wife secured a divorce and was to have been married this week to another gentleman, Cunningham was ignorant of the divorce. He had ordered another investigation into the woman’s death.  Cunningham is now a well-to-do resident of Southern Illinois. The whole affair has created a great sensation and further developments are expected.