Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-03-03
POISONING.

poisoning case has lately occurred in Phil
adelphis which has attracted considerable at
tention. The family Of Edwin Kirkpatrick
came near being fatally poisoned some time
since, by eating mince pie, alleged to be sent
by his brother Robert. The brother was ar-
rested, but the evidence failed to be very strong
against him. Lately, however, the servan.
girl OF the brother Robert has confessed to q
misrepresentas hon of facts on q former eXami.
nation, and the evidence has been thereby so
much strengthened, that the wife has been i'm
plicated, and held to bail as well as the hus-
band. The victim of the attempt is a man of
large wealth, which would fall to his brother
and which was the motive Of the attempted as
sassination. The witness called was Ellen
Lynch, domestic, until recently, in the fami-
ly Of Robert b. Kirkpatrick. She testified as
follows L was examined on the day Robert
kirkpatrick was arrested; was brought here
then; since that time have expressed a desire
To be re-examined; made ii because had got
out OF my confusion; and | know L said no
when ought to have said yes; (dish shown y
10 tne pest OF my knowledge L know that; it is
the last of four of the kind we had when went
to live with Mr.. and Mrs. kirkpatrick; /
can't tell now where the three others are the
hrst was broken in my hands while washing il:
one OF the other two came home from Mrs,
Richards in two halves, and Mrs. Kirkpat-
rick told me to put it away. as it would do
to bake little pies on; did 30; and then there
house when was brought here the first time;
when the oficer came for me was busy down
stairs; told him was the cook Mrs Kirk
patrick opened the parlor door at that time.
and asked him to walk into the parlor; he said
ne had subpoena for the cook; that he would
IKE me to put on my bonnet and 20 to the
Mayors offlce with him; asked him what is
It, and what am L going to do there! He said
he did not know much about it, but would
have to go; il was Officer Black burn; got very
excited, and thought was going to be taken
up for something wrongfully; went up stairs
to get ready and come with him, Mrs Kirk
patrick came up to me and said, Ellen, don't
get so frightened; am afraid it is something
about Mr.. Kirkpatrick, and if it is say no to
every thing they ask you tell them you don't
know-or else you will get Mr.. Kirkpatrick in
deal of trouble said to her, oh, YES ma'am
will; then came down and went with the
othesr; was not long at the Office when a gen.
tleman came there with a newspaper and a
dish rolled up in it that was officer Russell
he opened the paper and asked me if knew
the dish-or did | think l had used il was
going to look up at bin and ask where he had
got our dish, when it came into my mind what
Mrs. kirkpatrick had said to me when was
leaving the house, and answered. no sir he
asked me If was sure, and L said yes, sir: he
then went away with it; this is the same dish
TO the best of my knowledge; when l went
aome Mrs. h. was in the kitchen; she asked,
what Is It all about any how? 1 said it is ali
about mince pie, that went to Mr. K of Arch
street; am told that there is poison in it. and
NJ Is our dish; she said, my God Almighty,
Ellen, You did not tell that and replied. no
ma am, L did as you told me, and said no; /
said 1t was an awful thing, however; she said,
why, 1t did not kill any of them; said, no, il
did not, but 1t would, only for the child she
said she often told Mr.. X not to be 30 revenge
ful, but there was no use in talking to him.
Mrs N, soon after, asked the witness if they
had any more Of those dishes L said, YES.
there are two she said, there is the other
she took the meat off it and laid it on the win.
dow, and she told me to reach down the one that
was broken In two pieces; she then set to
work and broke them all into little pieces with
the litter you take the cover off the range with:
she Mrs n then told witness to keep the
cnamoermaid out Of the kitchen; the fragments
were then wrapped up in an old Ledger, and
Mrs n. told witness to take them to a vacant
lot in the neighborhOod; this the witness re-
fused to do, alleging that she was afraid. and
that she had already done wrong in saving
=" no, when she ought faithfully to have said
yes. The witness had never seen the pieces
OF the plate since. Mrs. h had made two pies.
and the witness baked them; the former told
her to be very careful, as one Of the pies was
To be given BY Mrs h. to a friend of hers; Mrs |
rkpatriek said she would put s.crisscross"
upon that one, SO that che would know it, She |
tEiien) did not know what was done with the
pies; all that were baked about that time. so
lar as she knew, were eaten at the table, ex-
cePt one. Those eaten by the family had no.
thing on them. Witness went into the con-
servstory, where the pies were kept, one morn
ing, and she noticed pie with some fine sugar
on 1t, and she remembered that Mrs h. said
che would put some sugar on the pie that was
TO 20 away. Jane Carlin was sworn, and cor
rooorated the statement of the above witness.