The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-10
The stephens Case.

MORE INTERESTING fARrICULAKS-ADDITIoNA TES.
TiMoNy OF SOPHIA AND FANNY BELI.--TgsriMoNr
or ROBERT BELL.
The inquest Of death Of Sophia stephens
resumed Tuesday morning at Bellevue Hospital.
Stephens not present.
Fanny Bell recallcdIIer aun; confined TO her bel
fortnight before her death she used 10 put the towel ~
the window by her unc!cs direction; he told her If the
doctor called put the owc. up, and If the doctor sd
she wanted medicine 10 put the towel up for him To cnc
home aud give her medicine, she often put u up, AID he
returned and wot to the drug store for the incidence
this happened while the doctors in Attendance
put the towel up except when he was at work,
nr Ircmongcr write than prescription: her
Gle always attended her aunt during the night when she
sick there bed brought into the sick room for
her uncle TO sleep upon she never gave her aunt any
medicine, but often gave her drinks.
Sophia Eel! recalcd-ler uncle never made any propo
sop 70 her prev ous TO her aunts death has vndc
i've feelings towards him ia Tia. testimony she Is giving
about ten twelve months before her auns death her
uncle tempted 10 take improper liberties with her THIS
vas In Fifth avenue in hossa whera So. was working
she tad brcn sick all the and he came 70 see her
he asked her show him the house, and when he came
h. her own bedroom be took bottle at vine out 81 ms
pocket told her 10 take some Of IT, as wound 40 hcr
good I'll. took az the vine, immediately afterwards
Le caught hold u her. threw her on the bed and under
took something else but did not succeed; she was just
about 10 leave the room when be caught hold OF her she
screamed loud As che could, and said she would VI
her aunt he then des.oied and b.gsei she ~oua nov VI
her aunt rs be did not anything bad and she told
her lac would be obliged To leave her. ac mads no proo
sition Of marriage 70 her until after her aunts
death: the house this occurred ZJ3 ruin avenue
lie subsequently made similar attempt That was las
New Years bay she sitting all alone in church ia
Twenty seventh street. and felt so faint that she hal 10
leave the church, her uncic out and took her home
and got her undrccsc6 and PITT to bed he there under
took 10 take improper bcrtc and she screamed out che
was all alone with him the house he attempted to take
improper liberties With her two three other times h.
pull the clothes Of her, ana asked her q ut him
lie down IN bed, and she refused 70 allow him; DOES not
know wha, motive stephens had Ia nurc her aunt never
had any suspicion Of hs going TO poison her all tho night
before Sic ulcd when her sister met her on the stairs aud
told her what occurred her aunt was dead az IN. time
s,a hens made these attempts To dcbanch her she Ia
cf,cn been church with her uncle, but never went out
with him after this attempt her aunt sways insisted ON
her gong with her uncle he att nided once or twice
again 70 take improper liberties with her. but these nj
cmla- did not amount 10 mech, AMI she knew sine was
perfectly able take Of herself e FIRST attempt h
ever made rIen the hcossin Firth avenue; he
asked her a. s,ow him the house. ana she took him
through u, all the family being IN The country, anl none
ia the bouse bat beis4f aud him. had bottle 81 vine
with Lin. which she tasted ami ~ ms request pu' ~
her trunk; after drinking the Nine that he made
THIS indecent attempt he .cycr sl.sc word, be, tpN
lar IN his and threw her on the led she told him
she would toll her aunt, and he said he meant nothing
bad and nd not wish 10 do her any harm, h. mate no
cxTrcssors love 10 her tcn NJ subsequent tine:
she did no, allow him 10 10 So gave hsr aunt any
medicine but gave her drink; never complained - hes
uncc's conduct 10 her sister did not wish d. 40,
knowing she able a. t,s. &c lers..i a-r ,h"
attempt New Years day she determined 20 leave
immediately and Il was then that h. made threats
that bc vcnd injufe her character.
Robert Bell the brother CT sophia and Fanny testified
that Win. nom. ireland last he heard sre
fact from letter written by hi sister faany, AMI which
he read nilenv-y the leading iestu. 81 tl- letter was
that she c"uld have letter addressed I" &c risln
direction she would make rcvciaiiors r. undeFtood ~
10 relate 10 hi- auBt's DEATH cover-ing WITH Nj.
Stephens ~. wiul. day after iii- arrival ~ 'his cy
Stelhsps came down 10 meet him, convcTsed with his
l.ts about his death the cond thrd IL! sr
he arrival he first ROT his sister Fanny privately INTO
room, and asked her. she esita,ci or some tne All
finally under premise that he would not speak uf 4, she
and told him tho whole matter she fet alra1
&C stephens. even though 81" was fon ule ~. conirp
what she ,cld him precisely the she had ss'
cd Ia; witness lad been time in III" drug business
and inquired particularly about the audanun, andi "a
what hrs sister told him. he felt convinced MS aunt WIS
IpscneI his sisters very much ~ dread ~ stephens
Panty particularly, stephens spoke IN communication "
his sisters conduct he said he thought that Fanny was
little heaastIopr leaving lis hou-s AMI u" ~an-i VT
~ 70 into business with hni witness ioiArwfi
stephens ia, ard night accuunt uf hi connection Win
hts sun,s deat and his consu,' towards hs sister wi
stephens letter, accusing him 81 nlifdrrng
bis aunt. this caused hy the anony NOUS hitter writ
ten by stephens a. Mr. ,afdwcl the day previous y %
Intended marriage ~ Mr. tarlwc and SOPHIA The icti r
he wrote was from Orange county, where he hal been
10 pacify his mind. IA this letter he accused unc
u hi condu, towards biz sisters and If murdcring hi
aunt and ndcd him, ur MS children sahef "
b. of the city when he back rs he di uni wir
"a have the family exposed wtncss produccl s"iy =,
marriage 20 ,ske place The letter was anony inous
or they az not married viii make her (rscaning so
rha) GOOD husband will lay down my life FOR her, or
any thing to prevent that man from getting her they
arc married and that they 1T M alone, viii let them
acne You know whom shis comes from"
Witness did make copy &C this letter from the one
be before he sent 10 his sister Sophia shc des
troy ed that letter this extract made from recollection
copy was made this morning between Mr.. tardwoil-
himself and sister Sophia they all knew the contents q
the letter very we'll Mr. Cardwell who wrctc these
lines from memory the original beisg destroyed; Mr.
farewell had several times repeated the words W him
and asked him VI he remembered them, IN case they
might be ever wanted: witness knew his aunts being
POISONED incrsy from hcarsy the letter which lac had re-
ceved his days bforc he left Ireland was
Of the reasons which induced hn TO ernsrae DC nso
bu, that letter induced him 10 come his uncle met Inn
Castle Garden having learned from hs father that nc
was coming had suspicious &c hs uncle that day. but did
pretend to- he distinctly noticed his uncle while pre-
tending cry about his wes DEATH looking through MS
fingers witness. his sisters assigned To him many rea
cons why ,h,y did not communicate their suspicious pre-
viouslv, as their sunts beng poisoned; ono 81 w
principal ones was that they were IN great dread
| Stc. hens and that witness knew perfectly se'
Tcy sad they had often talked The matter over but di