Edward Irving Darling Jr. (1862 - 1894)

Born 9 Oct 1862 in Louisiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 13 Feb 1894 at age 31 in Mount Clemens, Macomb, Michigan, United States

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Biography

Edward was born in 1862 Louisiana to Edward Darling and Florence Adams. His father, Edward, was fighting for the CSA and was reported as dying from his wounds in Tennessee in 1863. His mother, Flora, reported that he was a brigadier General at the time of his passing but no records to that can be found. Flora later became a notable for founding the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Edward was a writer and a musician. In 1885, he married Susan Beatrice Gay Klingle. Together, they had two children. In 1890, Edward fell from a second story window and broke 27 bones. His doctor was Dr. Francis X Spranger.

Edward's recover would take two years. The doctor visited often to tend his injuries. In the process, he became a little too friendly with his wife, Beatrice. It is around this same time that Beatrice had come into an estate yielding a substantial income in its own right. ($12,000 per year)

In July of 1892, Edward traveled to Washington, D.C. He became ill and the attending doctor speculated that he had been poisoned. Edward returned to Detroit but his condition continued to worsen. Flora started making accusations against Beatrice for making Edward ill and by November had taken him to New York City. Beatrice had divorce papers drawn up claiming Edward was a drunk and had abandoned her. Edward began to recover. But in January, she traveled to New York and stayed him until March. During this time period, his condition worsened. It is also important to note that New York law disqualified the divorce proceedings since she was now living with her spouse. Beatrice returned to Detroit. In June of 1893, Edward surprised everyone by traveling back to Detroit but found his wife in the arms of the good doctor.

Edward's condition worsen and by January of 1894, he was admitted to Mount Clemons Hospital. Doctors there stated he had been poisoned and his vital organs were now destroyed. Edward knew he was about to die and made a testimony against Beatrice and Dr Spranger. That testimony described how their relationship as husband and wife had been fine until his initial injury. He believed an affair had started while he was recovering and that they had together plotted to poison him.

Edward died on February 13, 1894. Beatrice ordered her husband cremated immediately and the ashes turned over to his mother, Flora, for burial.

By July, Flora began the process of bringing murder charges against the Beatrice and the doctor. Detroit declined to bring charges stating that their was not enough evidence. Flora turned to New York and worked the system there.

Beatrice and Dr Spranger got married immediately after a year had passed and moved to California. Three months after this marriage, Beatrice died of complications from diabetes and New York dropped the case.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHRF-QL3 : 29 August 2017), Edward I Darling in entry for Nancy A Adams, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 41, sheet 157D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 0762; FHL microfilm 1,254,762.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #173185807, no burial site identified, cremated
• The Washington times. (Washington, D.C.), 19 April 1895. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062244/1895-04-19/ed-1/seq-1/>
• WorldHistory.us, Killing of a Darling

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