TIME MACHINE ... 1937.

(Reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archives material)　

　 For many weeks in early 1937 the news on the Eastern Shore centered upon the investigation of the death of the owner of the Stockton Power And Light Company and as the story unfolded it drew attention from across the nation. 43-year-old Clarence J. Trader was fatally wounded in the home of his estranged wife. Jeanette Trader, his 37-year-old widow, says his death was a suicide but weeks later, after extensive investigation, she is charged with his murder. (Refer to Time Machine posting from last Sunday for more details.)

A twist of fate brings an abrupt conclusion to the Trader case!


(Part 2)

Feb. 27 .. A newspaper headline reads "TRADER WOMAN IS VIOLENTLY ILL FROM FOOD." By court order, Mrs. Trader is moved from the Worcester County jail to the new Wicomico County jail in Salisbury where "the welfare of the traverser" would be better served. Worcester County sheriff Ernest C. West, who brought the prisoner to Salisbury, says she became ill after eating supper Wednesday night. John L. Sanford, Jr., of the defense counsel, maintains that Mrs. Trader should be hospitalized for treatment. Mrs. Trader's son, Richard, tells Sanford that a doctor told him his mother became ill from the food she ate. Sanford says, "I wouldn't say my client had been purposely poisoned until I have investigated further. After I talk with Mrs. Trader tomorrow, I may take some action."

March 2 .. Jeanette Trader is moved from the Wicomico County jail to Peninsula General Hospital for an operation necessitated by an intestinal obstruction. Her condition is described as "very serious." A physician says a previous surgery may have caused her current condition. When in her Snow Hill cell Mrs. Trader hinted she may have eaten poisoned food. The Worcester sheriff attributed her illness to food and confections brought to her by her children and friends.

March 3
(The Circleville Herald- Circleville, Ohio)

WOMAN HELD FOR HUSBAND'S SHOOTING, DIES

SALISBURY, Md., March 3- (UP)- Mrs. Jeanette Taylor died in Peninsular (Peninsula General) hospital today after an emergency operation performed while she was awaiting trial on charges of murdering her husband, Clarence Trader, wealthy Maryland utility operator.

Mrs. Trader was brought to the hospital last night after becoming seriously ill in her jail cell of an intestinal obstruction.

An emergency operation was performed, but physicians described her condition as "very unsatisfactory." She died about 11 A. M.

Mrs. Trader, who was 37 years old, had been held in jail without bond since a grand jury at Snow Hill, Md., home of the Trader family, indicted her in connection with the fatal shooting of her estranged husband, whose body was found in Mrs. Trader's home.

She had been scheduled to go on trial on the charges the last week in March. She had persistently denied knowledge of the shooting, telling police she found the body on the lower floor of her home some hours after she had retired after refusing Trader's request that he be permitted to remain overnight in the house.

Summary of follow-up press reports from various newspapers:

March 4 .. Jeanette Taylor's head defense attorney Samuel Liebowitz says the Snow Hill jail "was not a fit place for a woman," and he will ask Governor Harry Nice to for an investigation of conditions there.

March 5 .. Funeral services are held for Jeanette Taylor. She is buried next to her estranged husband.

March 6 .. Mrs. Trader's son, Estel, says he will confer with Godfrey Child and John L. Sanford, Jr., about the advisability of bringing suit against Worcester County authorities regarding his mother's death.

March 14 .. After reviewing autopsy information, a coroner's jury rules Jeanette Taylor died of natural causes. Two local physicians testified that she might have recovered had the operation been performed earlier.

March 24 .. The Grand Jury gives the Snow Hill jail a clean bill of health, congratulating its keepers for its "excellent condition and upkeep."

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