Ruth Wetherill's Grave Site in the Jemez Mountains
Before Ruth's death her older sister's Marion and Elizabeth were playing in the stream bed below their cabin gathering Wild Iris flowers. They returned to the cabin with bundles of flowers. Marion gave Ruth a Wild Iris which she promptly ate. Wetherill family members have repeated this story for several generations and suggested this caused her death because of the poisonous principle in the Iris plant. Some of the facts bear this out as the season of her death is part of the bloom cycle of the Wild Iris. There is however, a discrepancy in the symptoms Ruth exhibited and the actual symptoms of Wild Iris poisoning. The discrepancy lies in the literature that describes the poisonous compound and it's location in the plant, which is in the roots and not the flowers. Family lore has indicated that Ruth had breathing problems and was taken outside of the cabin in the evenings into the cool night air to help her breathing. In addition Marietta said "her finger nails were turning blue". The poisonous principle of the Wild Iris does not cause these symptoms or anything close to it. Marion blamed herself her entire life for Ruth's death but in fact had nothing what so ever to do with it. Marietta even blamed her for the death. It may never be known what caused Ruth's death exactly, but the wild Iris flowers did not contribute to it. In any event it was a tragic death which followed the murder of her father and subsequent events which included the death of Bill Finn.
Before Ruth's death her older sister's Marion and Elizabeth were playing in the stream bed below their cabin gathering Wild Iris flowers. They returned to the cabin with bundles of flowers. Marion gave Ruth a Wild Iris which she promptly ate. Wetherill family members have repeated this story for several generations and suggested this caused her death because of the poisonous principle in the Iris plant. Some of the facts bear this out as the season of her death is part of the bloom cycle of the Wild Iris. There is however, a discrepancy in the symptoms Ruth exhibited and the actual symptoms of Wild Iris poisoning. The discrepancy lies in the literature that describes the poisonous compound and it's location in the plant, which is in the roots and not the flowers. Family lore has indicated that Ruth had breathing problems and was taken outside of the cabin in the evenings into the cool night air to help her breathing. In addition Marietta said "her finger nails were turning blue". The poisonous principle of the Wild Iris does not cause these symptoms or anything close to it. Marion blamed herself her entire life for Ruth's death but in fact had nothing what so ever to do with it. Marietta even blamed her for the death. It may never be known what caused Ruth's death exactly, but the wild Iris flowers did not contribute to it. In any event it was a tragic death which followed the murder of her father and subsequent events which included the death of Bill Finn.
Ruth Wetherill's Grave Site in the Jemez Mountains
Before Ruth's death her older sister's Marion and Elizabeth were playing in the stream bed below their cabin gathering Wild Iris flowers. They returned to the cabin with bundles of flowers. Marion gave Ruth a Wild Iris which she promptly ate. Wetherill family members have repeated this story for several generations and suggested this caused her death because of the poisonous principle in the Iris plant. Some of the facts bear this out as the season of her death is part of the bloom cycle of the Wild Iris. There is however, a discrepancy in the symptoms Ruth exhibited and the actual symptoms of Wild Iris poisoning. The discrepancy lies in the literature that describes the poisonous compound and it's location in the plant, which is in the roots and not the flowers. Family lore has indicated that Ruth had breathing problems and was taken outside of the cabin in the evenings into the cool night air to help her breathing. In addition Marietta said "her finger nails were turning blue". The poisonous principle of the Wild Iris does not cause these symptoms or anything close to it. Marion blamed herself her entire life for Ruth's death but in fact had nothing what so ever to do with it. Marietta even blamed her for the death. It may never be known what caused Ruth's death exactly, but the wild Iris flowers did not contribute to it. In any event it was a tragic death which followed the murder of her father and subsequent events which included the death of Bill Finn.
Before Ruth's death her older sister's Marion and Elizabeth were playing in the stream bed below their cabin gathering Wild Iris flowers. They returned to the cabin with bundles of flowers. Marion gave Ruth a Wild Iris which she promptly ate. Wetherill family members have repeated this story for several generations and suggested this caused her death because of the poisonous principle in the Iris plant. Some of the facts bear this out as the season of her death is part of the bloom cycle of the Wild Iris. There is however, a discrepancy in the symptoms Ruth exhibited and the actual symptoms of Wild Iris poisoning. The discrepancy lies in the literature that describes the poisonous compound and it's location in the plant, which is in the roots and not the flowers. Family lore has indicated that Ruth had breathing problems and was taken outside of the cabin in the evenings into the cool night air to help her breathing. In addition Marietta said "her finger nails were turning blue". The poisonous principle of the Wild Iris does not cause these symptoms or anything close to it. Marion blamed herself her entire life for Ruth's death but in fact had nothing what so ever to do with it. Marietta even blamed her for the death. It may never be known what caused Ruth's death exactly, but the wild Iris flowers did not contribute to it. In any event it was a tragic death which followed the murder of her father and subsequent events which included the death of Bill Finn.
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