The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-04-18
The Poisoning Case in Piaua.

inquiry b the recent case of poison
ing at Piqua. From the character of
the parties, being professors of religion
and attentive church goers, the surprise
of the community may well be imagined:
From tho Dayton Empire.
Tins PfQgA PoEsoNfNG CAsE.-We
published, a short time since, a short ac-
count of the Sickness aud suddepdeath
of Mr.. Raglan, at Piqua, Ohio. Be-
fore his death he informed his attending
physician that he was poisoned, but did
not, if we are correctly informed, direct
suspicion upon any one. A post NOR
tenn examination of the deceased render
ed it certain that he had been the vic
tim of poison. Circumstances existed
which had the effect of fastening suspi-
Some time since in December last it
was ascertained beyond much doubt,
that Mrs. R.. wrote a letter to a man
by the name CT Mowery, residing in
Colesville, o., and who was formerly
a lover of the lady, in which a PROPOSE
ton was made to despatch her husband
by administering poison to him. The
letter, by mistake, was taken from the
post Office by a gentleman named Muy-
rag, the address being similar to his
own. The cxtraold binary character of
the letter caused much speculation in a
select circle, at the time, and the assis-
tant postmaster at Troy made a correct
copy of it. The next link in the chain
was the fact that Mrs. II. purchased
poison at a drug store in Piqua, a short
time before the death of her husband
These suspicious circumstance were
considered sufficient to warrant an inves-
tigation of the affair, which resulted in
her being bound over to answer to the
charge of murder.
The man Mowery is now upon his tri-
al before Justice Sage of Piqua, charg-
ed with being accessory to the murder
of Arthur Raglan The evidence thus
faris strongly against him, and the prob
ability is that he will be held to answer
the charge. The following is a copy of
the letter, which Mrs. Raglan has &C
kuowledged she wrote to Mowery
PIoUA, December 9th. 1854.
DEAR JfMMY:-0nce again am I scat
ed to writo a few lines to you. 1 said 1
would not write any mere but you know
l. al Y ~ ~ IA dS L AdNSl
been living in a perfect He'll. if you will
allow me the expression, it is hard one
but nevertheless true. and / have been
tormented day and night since l came
home. He saw me kiss you and that
was enough. Oh / have had to suffer
for it. l did not think he saw me but
he was watching me. l I'm SO near be-
side myself l hardly know what | am
doing. He says [ shall not go home
any more, and he says he will not get
me any more clothes and then l can't go
much as 1 have. Now 1 can't stand
this any longer and appeal to you for
help. l have thought of one more plan
1 am going to make one more PROPOSE
tion to you, and if you will do it l will
grant you the request you have SO long
asked of me, as soon as you do what l
want you TO do, or before, if you will on
ly do as | want you. Now it is this,
you make a proposition to him to go with
you to look at some new country-to
Oregon or Wisconsin, or some other
place-and name the period right off,
and if he says he has not the means you
tel him you will furnish him the means
of he will go for company; then l will
otou10C LIN " RO, anu buch JOu Cdu
60 on horseback or on the cars, and you
can take your two horses and 60 part Of
the way on the cars, and then you can
take the horses and go the rest of the
way-that is till you get a good ways
from here, and you can procure your poi
son and administer it in his oysters and
he will never know the difference you can
eat your oysters on the road or you can
give them to some farm house, they will
never know the difference, and you can
pretend to take it hare to think you have
to turn back. When you can accomplish
have told you, then you can tele-
graph to me that he is dead, l Will tell
the Templers and have them to make
up thirty dollars and send to you to bear
his expenses. If you will come up as
soon as you get this 1 will tell you all
about it, and then I will grant you the
request. Come up right away, 1 can
tell you better. Now Dear do come,
yoa know 1 love you-you are well
aware of it. / will write Go more till l
see you. Como up right away. My ink
is pale. Yours in life or death.
: From yours, or one that loves you.
Mrs. Raglan is thus described by the
Reporter of the trial for the Dayton Dali
ly Gazette
This morning Mrs. Ragan, the widow
of Arthur Raglan, who was present al
though under arrest as the principal in
his murder, consented TO be sworn. She
came into court at eight o'clock leaning
on the arm of her father. She is a lady
of about % possessing a graceful figure,
an intelligent conference indicating
much frmness and energy. She is quite
attractive in her appearance and manner,
with bright blue eyes, brown hair, and
fair cemplexian. She was scarcely at
all disposed but seemed determined TO
make a-fulI and clear statement of the
whole affair. The following is her tes-
timony.
Mrs. Raglan Sworn.-I wrote a letter
to James Mowery in December last
copy of the letter given her to read.)
This ii a copy of the letter | sent, / had
talked with Mowery before Last sum
mer a year ago l was at my fathers
hause and was nursing my child, and he
came up to me and declared his affection
to me /; he said he had been miserable
the last four years Of his life; he took
nv child and carried it to another rock
and tried to have me follow, but l did
not. I told BIN | was a wife and moth
er and we ought not to think of former
days. Nv child afterwards died, and l
did not see Mowery again till the next
fall when I went to Tippecanoe 10 Quar-
melting. Uhere I met him again,