The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-01-06 00:00:00

A LONG TRIAL IN MARYLAND.

The trial of Mrs. Wharton, at Annapolis, begun on
the 4th of December, excites much interest in the
United States, and is likely to be of great length.
Mrs. Wharton, the widow of Major H. Nbarters,
of the United States' army, is charged with the mur-
der, by poison, of General Ketchum, a retired officer
of the Quartermaster-General's department. The two
families, the Whartons and the Ketchums, were on
terms of intimacy, and General Ketchum had lent Mrs.
OVharton 2,601.) dols., for which she gave him her
promissory note, paving, the interest half yearly. Ac-
cording to the case for the prosecution Gen. Ketchum,
in June last, went to visit her at her house. in
Baltimore, taking (as is believed) the note with
him, in order that he might receive the amount
lent to her, as be intended to go to Europe, and he
might want the money before her return or, as he said
to his son, might never see her again, she being in
delicate health. He had not been long at her house
before he was taken ill, and in four days he died. The
symptoms led the physician to suspect that poison
bad been taken, and the indictment is described 3-4
charging poisoning by tartar emetic, by yellow.
jasmine, or by some poison unknown. The phy-
eicran lint prescribed creosote, afterwards yellow
jasmine, and later (on using a catheter) had occasion
to give chloroform. followed by chloral. Mrs. X% harton
purchased tartar emetic while G enerat Ketchum was at
her louse, and 11,1.1 that drug at night (in the presence
of one ef the witnesses for the prosecution) for a
plaster which she applied to her chest. She was fre-
quently with General Ketchum during his illness.
There was evidence tending to show that she
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ekuini t,rol an overdose ot medicine, and that
• it had a diffident appearance from that wade up
friim the prescriptiomand produced in court, the one
beim; cloudy and the other clear. The pmt mortrat ex-
amination developel no natural cause of death; tartar
metie was found. A witness, deposing to General
Ketelinni's condition while ill, stated that be said he
was getting better, but bad been quite iI ; that Mrs.
bad poisone.l him in a glass of lemonade.
Tin prisoner's counsel objected to this "jocular re-
math being given in evidence ;it does not appear that
it wits /mule in Mrs. Wharton's presence; the state-
ment is described as unexpected, and it was expunged.
The deputy marshal of police deposes that after
fleneral Ketchum' death he told Mrs. Wharton that
Hilt' ought list to think of leaving for Europe until the
affair was cleared up ; she. thanked him for all the in-
fame:thin lie had given her In the case, and requested
liii ac,ptance of a:2O dots. note, but he declined it, say-
ing he could not take presents. When the General's
clidhes were parked up to be sent to his house after
his ibath, his set coidi not be fidind ; on inquiry, Mrs.
What.; IS sidi it was in her wardrobe, and it was found
there. Her pronilasary note for 2.1;C0 sannot
be figual. She that she pail it olf some months
before, aid then th-troyeil it. ilie also claims that
neral Ketchum is in her debt ; that -she handed to
Las for I iv, Twenty lionila for 1,00 11-11. each, to
Is. Id by him acil converted into other bonils. There
were mi wit hess, to either of theie transactions ; and
it is t hot Co re int iso trace of either in General
Krt. lllls. I i. si kept with minuteness.
Thee, nwher li'. ent far attempting to loio,n
Arr. Van Ne,s. a back eli•rk who had transacted tins,,-
.dalfir Mrs. W hart, ft, awl who called at her
Lilac n hen the General Was staying tiorre.