New Orleans (LA) Times-Picayune, July 1, 1851, p. 2. NOTE: I believe the J. M. Mathes noted in the item below is one and the same and Rev. James M. Mathes who published the Christian Record for many years. In 1850,according to the population census, there was only one person name Rich* Treat residing in Indiana and that was Richard Treat, age 35, who was head of household in Adams Twp., Morgan County, Indiana. At familysearch.org, digital images of two marriages were noted for a Richard Treat, both in Morgan County: Richard married Susan Clark on September 21, 1836; he married Elizabeth Rowland on June 20, 1844. Poisoned-The Bloomington (IN) Reporter of the 14th inst. contains the following extract of a letter from the Rev. J. M. Mathes, formerly of that place, dated Gosport, June 9: I have just closed my meeting here. Two of my sisters have been poisoned with arsenic in the following manner, as I am informed, to wit: Mr. Richard Treat, who lives near my father, has his second wife. He had three boys by his first wife and some three by the last. His first mother-in-law was much opposed to his second marriage and has been his enemy ever since. On last Saturday week his wife made a wool picking and invited all the neighbor women, and two of my sisters, Kitty and Eliza, went with the rest. In the meantime, his first mother-in-law, old Mrs. Clark, had procured arsenic and induced the oldest boy to put it in the flour for the avowed purpose of killing his father, stepmother and her children, telling him that in that case he and his brothers would inherit the farm and all the property. The poison was, perhaps, put in the flour the evening before, and the whole company ate of the bread and were badly poisoned to the number of 31 or 32. None have died at our latest date, yet several were not expected to recover. It was expected that Kitty would not survive many days. Old Mrs. Clark is in custody.