Episode 172: Emeline Meaker
40-year-old Emeline Meaker lived with her husband, 45-year-old Horace, who she met when she was 18-years-old, and their children: 20-year-old Lewis, who went by his middle name Almon, and a daughter named Eleanor. Crime historian Harold Schechter described Horace Meaker as a “perpetually down-at-heels farmer” and described Emeline in his book, “Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of” as a “coarse, brutal, domineering woman,” a “perfect virago,” and a “sullen, morose, repulsive-looking creature” which were words used in local newspapers at the time. Emeline and Horace were both very hard of hearing and almost entirely deaf.
Emeline was more than strict, openly being cruel and abusive to her children. She was especially abusive to Eleanor, and neighbors commented to one another and even to police that they were disturbed by Emeline’s treatment of Eleanor and that she was beating Eleanor so hard with sticks that they could hear her screaming across the river. Almon was described as “simple-minded”, but he was a good kid, eager to please and would do what he was told.
Horace’s father died in 1873, leaving his two half-siblings, Alice and Henry, in extreme poverty. They were sent to live in a poorhouse that was very overcrowded after their mother remarried and moved to South Burlington, Vermont. She was described as an unfit mother and left them to fend for themselves in the house until someone found them and brought them to the poorhouse. To make matters worse, little Alice was abused physically and sexually there. Others at the poorhouse described her as “a timid, shrinking child - of just that disposition that seems to invite, and is unable to resist - persecution.”
Alice and Henry got the chance to get what they thought would be a better life in 1879 when Horace was offered $400 by the state to take them in. Emeline was not happy about this and took this out on the children, mainly 10-year-old Alice. She rarely called Alice by her name, instead referring to her as “little b*tch” and “that thing.” She saw them as burdens and extra mouths to feed, and was even more abusive to them than she was with her own children.
On at least two occasions, Alice was made to take off all of her clothes and was then beaten so badly that she was bleeding. Neighbors and visitors to the home remarked that Emeline didn’t even try and hide her behavior and openly beat Alice in front of them. Emeline’s behavior escalated even more when she started making comments to her son Almon about wanting to kill Alice. They started as off-handed comments about how Horace needed to find her another place to live or she would kill her, then it became apparent that Emeline wanted her dead and was going to have Almon help as he would do anything that he was asked.
Almon went to the druggist in Waterbury, Vermont and purchased a lethal dose of strychnine for $0.10. Strychnine is a highly toxic substance used as a pesticide and rat poison, and when inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the eyes or mouth, it causes muscle convulsions and eventually death by suffocation.
On April 23rd, 1880, Almon and Emeline woke Alice up and pulled a sack over her head before leading her to the carriage that Almon hired in advance from a livery keeper. They shoved her into the carriage and rode to a remote area where they forced her to drink the strychnine mixed with sweetened water from her favorite mug that was a gift from her mother. Alice screamed and writhed in agony for almost twenty minutes as the poison took effect before she died. Emeline clamped her hand over Alice’s mouth to keep her from screaming and to keep her from vomiting or spitting out the poison. Almon and Emeline then buried her body in a thicket under mud outside of Stowe, Vermont.
Not even a full day later, Alice’s disappearance was noticed and Sheriff Frank Atherton showed up at the Meaker household with some questions. After taking Almon in for relentless questioning, Almon broke down and confessed, but took all of the responsibility to try and protect his mother. He led the sheriff to Alice’s body.
During the trial, they were both found guilty of first-degree murder. Almon had changed his plea from not guilty to guilty prior to the trial. The case was taken to the Supreme Court, and in November of 1881, both of their sentences were confirmed and both were to be executed. Almon’s sentence was overturned to life in prison due to him being “simple minded” and that he was simply doing as his mother was telling him. As for Emeline, she displayed violent and erratic behavior in prison to try and avoid execution. She lashed out at the guards, threw tantrums and had multiple arson attempts to burn down the prison. As the date of her execution approached, Emeline’s behavior slowed down and eventually stopped as she seemed to accept her fate.
On March 30th, 1883, over three years after the murder of Alice Meaker, 125 spectators gathered in the prison guardroom at the Vermont State Prison in Windsor County. None of Emeline’s family was present at the execution and her husband and children did not accept her body for burial after. After 12 minutes of struggling due to an imperfect execution, Emeline took her last breath. She was the first woman to be executed in the state of Vermont.
Image sources:
timesargus.com - “The Duxbury Horror”