The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-05-09
TRIAL, OF NINA

Penn, came on at Doy'cstown. on Tuesday
April "a, and lasted five days. The Jury
returned a verdict of guilty. Few cases IN
this country ever excited more intense IN
terest in the public mind. 1t will be reeoi-
lected that Mrs. Chapman Tor Mlna) was
tried last fall for the same offence, and ac-
quilted. We subjoin from the New YORK
Enquirer certain portions o: the report OF
the trial, which will give the reader some
idea Of The facts on which the conviction
has been procured, and OF the lnfatua'ion
of the wife Of Chapman, who, IN our appre-
hension lsays the Boston Couller) IS the
more guilty of the two.
MIR. Reed opened the case. He said he was
about to Law before the Jury bill OF indictment
against the prisoner. charging him with having
murdered William Chapman, cltizsn oil ms
county, who was inoffeusye towards his ncighoors'
and who did his duty towards all men, vi the prison.
er we know nothing, save that ne was foreigner,
until on one occasion he presented himself at the
door Of Mr. Chapman, to ask that charity whlch
was Afforded to him. The evidence he would rely
vpon was this that the death OF, Mr.. Chapman
was eau I'd BY a most deadly pa!son-Atiiat the day
before he was taken i'll. the individual at the bar
purchased in Philadelphia large portion OF that
same drug by which the deceased was cut on nom
this life. Immediately after the decease the pris-
oner assumed the mastership Of all the household,
and ,vihin tcelre days after lae deceGse the pris
oner became the husband of that woman whom
the death of Chapman had left widow
will lay before you, gentlemen, said Mr.. Reed,
a brief narrative of what we intend to prove =
Early in the month of May, 1881, a certain
evening, whilst the family of Mr.. Chapman were
seated around the tea table, the prisoner presented
himself at the door to solicit nights lodging
He was received with the hospitality which char
acterized MIR. Chapman, and in short time he be-
came entirely dOmesticated in the house-actng
in all things as if he was of the family. An
intimacy commenced between the prisoner and
the wife OF his victim, the nature Of which will
leave you to judge from the evidence Suffice i;
here to say, that the parties visited Phlladel phia
together and sometimes siaid away two or three
DAYS together. At last the husband became leal-
Gus, and made secret of this to his household;
and at the period OF his illness, this Jealousy had
attained its height. On the 10th Of June the prs-
orer caused letter TO be written calling him to
Philadelphia, where he bought the po:son-on the
l7ih Mr.. Chapman wss taken Hon thu 18th he
was better-aRd the 10th, the eventiul day.
some soup, prepared under the inspection of the
prisoner and Mrs. G. was given to him, aud on the
2}d he died in all the excruciating agonies arising
4th-or 5th of July the prisoner and Mrs. Chapman
married and soon after, in the absence OF
Mrs c., he stripped her house of its furniture
which he sold in Philadelphia. She, however, for
gave that and gave him letters of introduction to
her friends al the east, where he was arrested
1.-THE testimony of the witnesses is clear and sat-
isfactory. We have room only for part of it,
Ellen Shaw, an elderly female who lived in the
hoGse as domestic. testified, that she had seen
much misconduct between Mrs. G. and Nina on
one occasion she saw taem hugging and kissing
each other in the hall. She saw Mrs. c. while
merely attired in her night dress sit the side of
Minas bed while he lay there. One afternoon
that the witness drove with them to tavern about
miles distant, they walked away in the
woods, and were absent two three hours They
intended to stay the tavern that night hut wit
ress would not allow them. Both going TO and
returning from the tavern Nina lay in Mrs C's lap.
and both sang love songs-she teaching him, At
one time Nina and Mrs. C. went to Philadelphia
and were absent three days, during which time
Mr.. was almost crazy at the abseGce OF Mrs. c..
telling all the servants that he woul6 send Nina
out of the house soon as he returned. On the
evening of the third day they returned, and Mr.
C. asked Mrs. c. how she could account for such
conduct. She replied, that Nina had learned in
Philadelphia that his sister had died, and they
were delayed in consequence. Mrs. c. and Mr.. c.
then retired into a room alone. The fits which Mi
ma pretended TO have did not seem to iniure him
much The witness had seen Mrs C. come out
of Mina's early as day light, in her night
dress. Heard no angry words between Mr.. c. anc
Nina when the latter returned from the three Gavs
absence, but the former expressed pity for the mel
ancholy cause. Heard Mr.. c. say to Mrs. c. al
ole time, that she did not use him as she used t.
do, and expressed his wonder what was the reason
Had seen Mrs. c. tap Nina on the cheek. and cal
him her dear little man." After Mina's arriva
the affections of Mrs C. appeared to be weanec
from Mr.. c. and from her children.
Alfred Guillou testified that he was an assistant
to Mr.. Durand, druggis. in Philadelphia. On
certain day in June last, Nina entered thestore in
Philadelphia, and in broken English asked to BIZ
directed to some particular part Of the CITY the
witness perceiving the difficulty Nina had in
speaking English replied to him in Spanish. The,
conversed together some time, and Nina wenl
away. Some few days after this Nina again ca lied
and had slight conversation aoout the weather
or some such topic; he then stated that he wa.
the son of the Governor of California In abou
three days more. bringing the date up to the l6tt
June, Nina again called and asked if there wa.
any arsenic soap the store he said he wanted
20 preserve some birds; witness replied in the
negative, but added, that he could soon prepare It
Nj lima replied that the powder would do as well
He then asked how it was sold by the pound D
Witness told the price, and Nina purchased one
shllling's worth OF it, weighing about two ounces.
The testimony Of Israel Deacon, the keeper Of
the Philadelphia Prison, was read. From this il
appeared that Nina was convicted of larceny in
Philadelphia, and was sent TO Prison there on the
18th March. 1880, where he remained until the 9th
May. 1881, 1.-THE very day on which he presented
himself at the house of Mr.. Chapman, during all
that period Nina never had a IL. He was dis
charged from Prison between and 10 o'clock on
the morning Of the ninth May.
The testimony of Dr. Phillips, the family ply.
sician, who attended Mr.. Chapman in his last i'll.
was. that he was called on the 18th June, and
considering the complaint slight attack of Chole.
ra, prescribed only simple medicine. He was
called again on the ed and found the patient much
worse !; he died the next morning-and the ply.
stefan attributed his death to cholera though some
what puzzled to reconcile all the symptoms of that
disease. lie never suspected otherwise uEtil GER
tain unfavorable rumors became current; when he
inquired of Mrs. Chapman concerning the COM
plants to which her husband had been most usu-
ally subject. She stated that he was occasionally
liable TO vertigo, and sometimes had symptoms Of
apopexy, with GOODNESS Of the extremties, and ir-
ritation Of the stomach.
Benjamin Butcher who lived adjacent to Mr..
Us. house testified. that the night preceding the
death oil Mr.. Chapmen, Mrs. c. called at his house
and requested him 10 go over and stay with Mr.
Chapman witness said he would and soon follow
ed; when he arrived at the house he found Mrs.
Chapman and Nina sitting in the parloi preparing
Tor supper and talking cheerfully together. When
witness entered the room he spoke to Mr.. Chap
man who merely pressed his hand in reply He
appeared almost insensibe. but occasionally tossed
himself about from one side of the bed TO another.
During the night Nina entered the room three or
four times the second time he took out watch
and laid il to Mr. C's wrist and said in broken Eng
ish "h is 55 seconds J" third time be entered
and again applying the watch, said /" il is as Sec
onds, he will not 1--we long )" witness asseuted and
sad he dih not believe he would live ill morn
ing. Nina replied that he would be dead before