Ida
Burton

IDA BURTON was born in New Jersey in February of 1873. It is quite possible that she is the same person recorded in the 1880 Census as Ida Jenkins, daughter of Kassie Jenkins, and granddaughter or Benjamin Jenkins, of 707 Kaighn Avenue. By April of 1892 she had taken up with William Randolph Whitler, alias Randolph Stokes. Both Ida and Randolph liked to drink, and apparently both had some anger issues. Randolph was arrested for assault at least five times, three of these being incidents where he took a knife or razor to Ida. Ida apparently was no shrinking violet either. Someone tried to poison her at a dance in 1896. 

The 1897 City Directory shows Ida and Randolph Whitle at 624 Kaighn Avenue. They are not listed in the 1898 edition. Randolph Whitler was sent to state prison for assaulting his wife in 1898. By the spring of 1900 he was out of jail. 

1899 and 1900 City Directories show Ida and Randolph were living together at 714 Sycamore Street when the Census was taken. They apparently had been married in 1892, although she apparently rarely used the Whitler name, as best as I can tell. A daughter, Jennie had been born prior to the 1895 State Census enumeration, but the identity of her father is unclear. She died prior to the 1900 Census being taken. 

By 1902, with her husband staying in Philadelphia, Ida was living with a man named James Brown, of 337 Summit Avenue. According to Ida, she stabbed him to death with a bread knife after he tried to brain her with a chair. She then went to Philadelphia, where her husband briefly hid her, before going to Media, Pennsylvania. 

Ida Burton was arrested in Media and extradited back to New Jersey for trial. In January of 1905 she was convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison for five years. Ida Burton was paroled on December 28, 1908.

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 6, 1891

Philadelphia Inquirer - April 8, 1892

Philadelphia Inquirer - April 9, 1892

Philadelphia Inquirer
August 3, 1892

Randolph Whitler
Harry Pease
Cramer Hill
Emily Vandyke
E.E. Jefferis
Legion of the Red Cross
William A. Drake

Philadelphia Inquirer - December 15, 1894

Philadelphia Inquirer - February 16, 1896

Camden Daily Telegram
October 19, 1897

Sumner Derrickson - Charles Taylor
Marwood "Sweeney" Derrickson
John L. Westcott
Baxter Street
Ann Street aka Maurice Street
Kaighn Avenue
Sycamore Street
Mrs. Zane - Mrs. Shaw
Charles H. Fitzsimmons III
Andrew Blair Frazee
William Barnard
Albert Myers
George F. Kappell aka George Cable
John Hill - Joseph Dodson
Reed & Derrickson - Olive Park
John Foster
Edward Fortie - Ida Burton
Lawrence Anderson - Aubrey Thompson
Richard Golden

...continued...

Philadelphia Inquirer - May 3, 1898

Philadelphia Inquirer - May 21, 1898

1900 United States Census
Click on Image to Enlarge

Omaha World-Herald - November 9, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 10, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 12, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 13, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 19, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 23, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - December 15, 1904

Illinois State Journal
December 27, 1904

Philadelphia Inquirer - January 10, 1905

Philadelphia Inquirer - January 17, 1905

Philadelphia Inquirer - January 19, 1905

Philadelphia Inquirer - January 24, 1905

Philadelphia Inquirer - February 7, 1905

Philadelphia Inquirer - December 29, 1908