The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-01-20
MUIR DER BY POISONING

those mOnstrOSlties of crime which make
lis shud,ler and sicken at the rehearsal.
We publish it partly on account of its
intrinsic interest, aud partly because SO
many of our readers are acquainted with
the locality where it occurred.
The trial occupied eleven days, and we
learn from private letter that s.the YER
diet was received by a sobbing, fearful
multitude, but the prisoner was unmoved
except at the mention of his mothers
name, when he shed few tears"
While at the East last fall we saw Ell
bridge, then under arrest, but his features
gave no sign of eontrition or remorsc,
they wore instead the settled, hardened
look of logged defiance of doom.-ED
JoUR.)
A very remarkable case of murder by
poisoning was lately tried at the st. Law
renee Oyer and Terminer, resulting in the
conviction of the prisoner, James E. Ell
bridge, who is sentenced to be hanged on
the 18th proximo. Eldridge is native
Of Canton, in St. Lawrence County, and
reached his majority on the 18th day of
last May. He emigrated with his pa
rents, who are still living ana highly res
pectable persons, to Iowa in 1856, but
returnc to st. Lawrence County in the
Fall of last year. The name of his, vic
tim was Sarah Jane Could thorn Tough
ery), of Louisville; N. T., widow Of a.
bout "a years of age. She was res
pectable and worthy young woman, of
considerable personal attractions and q
lively and cheerful temperament, resi-
ding after the death of her husband, with
her uncle at Louisville Landing. Upon
his return from Iowa Eldridge went to
Louisville, where he obtained, employ
ment as the ..taciilcr of district school, a
suspicious circumstance being that he as
sumed the alias of Edwin Aldrich.
He made the acquaintance Of Mrs.
Gould, and she soon became the object Of
his particular attention. In March he
became boarder in the family Of Mr..
Britton,. the uncle with whom Mrs. Gould
resided, and he made ia April following
formal propositions Of marriage, and as
ked for the sanction of her relative and
protector, which was accorded. lu an
swer to tie inquiries of Mr.. Britton res-
pecting his pccuniary condition, he sta
ted that he owned 600 acres of land in
Iowa., that his father owed to him $1,000
and that he was remaining i'll Louisville
for the purpose Of receiving $1,000, or
more, wit! which to purchase horses to
be taken West on speculation. These
statements were undoubtedly false, ana
were received BY all except his betrothe d
with suspicion as he neglected to pay bis
board bill. Early in April he went to
Ogd,n>burgh as he stated, for the pur-
pose of making inquiry about the delay of
his remittance. Upon this occasion he
met an old friend and school-mate to
whom he denied that he had been teach
i G during the Winter, saying that ne had
been 'up," which his friend understood
to mean Dup the river" His answers
were so epasire as to excite the suspicious
of his interrogation. In about ten days
after he made another Journey to Ogdens-
burgh. About the lst of May, Mrs.
Britton, aunt of the deceased, found in
bay belonging to the prisoner, a small
package marked "arsenic, which she left
undisturbed. She communicated the
fact to her husband. who did not how
ever think it to be Of nl,ic-l1 Importance.
Upon the 25th Of May, Eldridge was in
formed that unless his indebtedness was
Hquidated at once, he must leave the
house. This communication was made
by Mr.. Harris, the partner of Mr.. Britton
who told the prisoner blunty that he con-
sidered him liar and a swindlar.
Up to this time the general health of
Mrs. Gould had been good. She had
however for few weeks past been atfec-
ted by slight cough, for which she had
been taking 4 "Syrup of Liverwort," pro-
cured for her at the shop of her uncle,
where a package of the preparation was
upon sale. She had never complained of
any injurious effect from the use of this
medicine; her sister had partaken of it
twice, and Eldridge himself, once.
But upon the morning of the Goth OF
May, she complained to heraunt that her
medicine Disagreed VI vi, icr. She after
wards vented ,io,icr of dark green
color She then rested upon lounge in
the sitting room, her betrothed attending
on her. She had several fits of vomiting
and purging, witt symptoms of great
thirst, and burning sensation at her
stomach. A physician was called who
attributed hcrindisposition to yitiatcd bile
for which he prescribed ammonia and
morphene. During the afternoon and
evening, the prisoner being almost con-
stantly with her, administering to her
most of medicines or drinks which she
took, which were morphine, boiled cider,
and buttermilk. On Wednesday or
Thursday Mrs. Britton inspected the bag
of Eldridge, and found the package of ar
senic, which she had previously seen there
in, gone. She communicated the fact to
the attendant physician, out having new
or at that time witnessed the effects of ar
scnic taken in quantities sufficient to des-
troy life, he did not attach much impor-
lance to the circumstance. On Friduy,
and Friday night the symptoms continu-
ed, and the medical man was entirely
bafled. On Saturday afternoon, (May
3oth,) the patient died, to use the Ian
guage of the District Attorney, "wholly
unconscious of the cause of her death, and,
the last effort of expiring nature, embra-