The New York herald., 1851-11-06
Md.

OF REBECCA EKGLR, By POISON.
From the Baltimore Bun, Nov.4l
Nancy w. Huford was put upon her trial, at
Cumberland, on Friday last, for the murder of
Mrs. Rebeccs Engle, BY administering arsenic:
At hLfpsst II o'clock, the prisoner Was brought
into court, and arrsigned upon the indictment, to
which charge she plead "not guilty" She was
accompanied by her sister, who was much affected
by the solemnity Of the occasion, and the enormiy
After much difficulty, jury was obtaised, and
DR.. Patterson, for the State, was called upon the
stand, and said-I was called to see Mira Engle on
the 2lst day Of September, 1850; went to see her
very early in the mornings or z O'Clock, per-
haps; she was complaining, as is usual before
lady's confinement; her labor commenced ABOUT
ii O'clock, and lasted until about o'clock In tne
afternoon; this was on Sunday; her labor was
very easy, though little protractsd; lett there
the afternoon, can't say whas time; told MRS.
Engle that on Monday she should take some Puf
about the house; saw no more Of her until We'd
nesday, the 24th inst; ard on Saturday, the 18th
inst, when went to the house found Mrs En-
gle delivered; it was about the middle of the day
when / got to the house; found Mrs. Engle sala-
waited tremendously; her gums were almost de-
tached from her teeth; they were very black, and
rom the msuth would not keep the tongue moist;
She complained of great burning from her mouth
TO her stomach; by these sym ms and complaints
j was taken by surprise, for knew had given her
nothing to produce such results; her skin very
hot, burning up; she was not exactly thirsty, bat
constantly wanted her mouth cooled with water
she was very sallow and delirious; her stools were
Gil, because, she said, she could not keep that
her stomach / then gave her small dose of calo-
mel mixed with rhubarb it was in two powders;
one to be taken that night and one in the morning.
there was no smell. no mercurial odor about her
breath; went again to see her on the morning of
tie 18th, and found che was improving; whenleav
ing, told her | would come again as soon as |
could; the Monday following her confinement, CAV.
~ ie naadt IN hQ uA n
the arsenic in; she afterwards told ma the salts
would not lay on her stomach that it made he
vomit everything up; she did not say wno mixei
the salts her skin was then very dry saw ne Gu.
taneous eruptons on Tuesday, which day | found
her mucn in the same condition as on the preceding
day ON Wednesday found her very much bet
better concluded she would get well without any
m ore trouble the persons in the house thought
she had the scarlet fever because of eruptions
on her body; examined them wsll-saw no indi
were strangs; never saw anything like them be-
fore; they were full of clear water and of various
sizes; they were over her body SO far examined:
she did not say anything about the salts she had ia
ken; thought, at one time, she may have had the
yuerperal but finally concluded she could not haveit,
because che complained of no pain below the pit
OF the stomach; that day Mr. Engle and myself
went to the elections the next he ard of Mrs. Eagle
she was dead; and was so much shocked when
heard Of it, that | remarked there had been foul
play; had no suspicious before that; then called
on Drs. Bruce, Harman and Brook, to go out and
seeif we could get post ntorten examination; her
husband objected to it, because all her relatives
were not there's this was the day she died; Drs.
Carr, Bruce and myself went again on Friday; we
nearly extracted all the stomach, and proceeded to
an examination / told those present to be atten-
tive, as had never been present at an examination
OF enc dying from poison; wanted them to be par
ticular and notice what happened; took out the
that it might contain the contents; DR.. Bruce as
sietea me to take out the stomach; DR.. Carr was
near me; made slip of the knife, and cut of too
short the piorc oritce, which is the upper orice;
when made the cut, DR.. Bruce walked away and
sad he was satisfied, on account of the smell; found
the yiscera all infamed; we placed the stomach in
Or. Harman's office; on account Of Dr. Harman's
sickness, made examination for day two;
the inside Of the stomach was very much inhamed;
the mucous lining was perforated in many places,
and the villous membranes had on them splotches
resembling burn; on saturday we made an analy-
sic OF part OF the stomach, but the tests were
not satisfactory; about a week after Mrs. Engle's
death, we dsinterred the body for another exami-
tion; we took from it different portions of the Wis
cera portion of the liver and intestines &c, and
determined to send them to Professor Aiken, OF
Baltimore, FOR examination; we concluded she had
been poisoned by arsenic.
SECOND DAY.
SATURDAY, Nov. l, 1851.
Peter Baker was called for the State-The pri.
bought arsenic from me about ten days before
Mrs Engle's death; she got calomel at the same
time; she said she had q sore leg, and n doctor in
IennsylVanla mad ADVISED her 20 use as q 6alve,
she came to my store some time after Mrs. Engles
death, and said she might be censured butthat she
had applied the medicine she got from me to he.
own use; told her she had done wrong in giving
that; she said she was persuaded by Mr.. Engle to
20 and nurse Mrs. Engle during her con6ne ment,
and that she had not wronged any one, but had
done all she could for her.
Samuel Engle, for State-Mrs. Huford was my
wife's nurse in her last illness; she gave all the
dicine; | never asked Mrs. Hudord to come to my
house TO attend to my wife; have kno Tn Mrs.
Huford about sixteen years; have been very int-
mate; she has often requested me to marrJ hec; she
never said anything against my wife; my wife and
myself have often been at her house, eaten there
often; Mrs. Huford came to my house four days
before my wife's confinement, unexpectedly to me;
she told the neghbors around that she was going to
nurse my wife during her confinement; she was my
wife's nurse, and gave her all the medicine; was
present when Mrs Huford gave my wife the dose
of salts before she took the salts she was pretty
well and cheerful, but after she had taken it she be-
came very unwell; and vomited continuously all the
week she complained OF q burning from her mouth
to her stomach; she seemed TO get weak and sinking
gradually the whole week; she vomitcd some blood;
her spittle was thick and slimy; she became very
derious; Mrs. Huford tried TO account for my
wfes wasting away so; my wife skin was very hot,
her breast was full of small white bisters, her
stout healthy woman, and was doing as well as she
could do until she took she salts; in the night when
my wife was 30 i'll, went to the bed and found her
ina great sweat; ! said then that she would get
better, inasmucb as she was sweating; Mrs Huford
then said It would be her last sweat.
Rev. Mr.. Knepper for the Statc-First saw Mrs
Engle on Friday, 26th September five days after
her confinement; her pulse was quick, more so than
it ought to be- her skin was dry, and tongue much
furred; she was feeble and quiet; saw her aro, N
Friday, the Both September; her ,,ou.h was verv NV
sore, and tongue verv much furred indeed il was Of
plo"nisn Yvror; her breath was very strong, and
OF peculiar odor; IL partook Of a metallic sm ELL
ner gums were so much affected, that, by washing
them thew came loose from The teeth: thew were
had some black specs mixed with the gums 50
far as they turned down from the teeth; her lower
Jaw was much swollen, and from that down full OF
white pustules to the breast; she seemed TO swal-
low with difficulty; she was somewhat delirious;
Mrs. Hufford was in the room while vas there
and seemed uneasy; walked backw and forwards
more than was necessary, and said IL was the medi
cine which pade Mrs Engle 50 sick, so the doctor