The Candy Mystery

When former Missouri Democratic Senator Edward V. Long died last November at 64, his death was attributed to a "cerebral vascular accident" that had "all the appearance of a stroke." Last week it was revealed that Helen Dunlop, the Senator's secretary and close companion for 26 years, had touched off an official probe by charging that his death was actually the result of poisoning.

Miss Dunlop claimed in March that before Long died he told her that he had eaten chocolates sent to him by a businessman in Clayton, Mo. She said she and Long had dinner together just before he died, and he told her he thought he had been poisoned by the candy. It had a bitter taste, he said. According to Miss Dunlop, he later reported feeling numb in the arms and legs. The unidentified businessman denied ever sending candy to Long, police reported. Miss Dunlop failed to say why she waited four months before going to authorities and telling them her story.

The bizarre charges became known only after Long's widow Florence, 60, filed a $3,250,000 suit charging the secretary with alienation of her husband's affections. Long had been having an affair with Miss Dunlop, according to the widow's suit, since before 1968, the year he lost his Senate seat amid charges of corrupt dealings with officials of the Teamsters Union. Mrs. Long also petitioned the court to determine the assets of his estate, claiming in an affidavit that Miss Dunlop, 46, and two other employees "have concealed or embezzled or otherwise unlawfully held" property owned by the late Senator.

In his will, Long left $10 each to his widow and his daughter, Mrs. Ann Miller, 30. Mrs. Long also received the jointly owned property, including a Missouri farm, a home in Phoenix, Ariz., and a summer place in Wisconsin, but the bulk of Long's $770,000 estate went to his granddaughter, five-year-old Ann Elizabeth Miller; Miss Dunlop was named executrix. Under terms of the will, Miss Dunlop receives $7,500 annually.

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