The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-22
THE ALLEGED WIFE POISONING
Court OF Oyer and Terminer,
Before Hon. Judge Roosevelt.


THIRTEENTH DAY-CLosE OF TnE TESTIMONY =, Rru,s
DEFENCE,
March 2l.-Ihe People ". James SeFheRs-r,e judge
announced that with regard TO tho Litter Of Mr. Charles
Bell written to the prisoner there two obi tons 70
its being adnittedone that Mr. Charles Be was an
unsworn witness the other that the matt.r had no
bearing on the issue in this case, and would ing up
aboher matter that would extend this already racted
trial to unusual length. There expressions in the
letter which be he Juog gould not understand whether
they were hgurativc literal Exocpuon taken by the
defencel
The District Attorney called Mr. Pullman for the purpose
of being examined by the Defence but he was not
cross- examined.
Dr. Momas C Fcnnel was examined by Mr.. Ullman for
the defence and depsed ttat he is ply scian of ten
years practice; arsenic Is irretant poson differing
from the acute posUns death usually occurs from ton to
thirty hours after arsenic has taken in poisonous
quahutles sometimes IN three OF four hours wItuess
lad one case where death occurred after one hoar
NnDts sS produced Two stomacEs taken from persons
who bad died from aTsenic shows where arsenic doss
LOT ahect and where ooes The shown lying
IN the folds OF the stomach; also shows somacha in
cases OF arsencal poisoning where no pAho-
logical appealances The latter where the party
within Elk hours alter ng the poison the degree
Of redDess would be found Intestine md do the
intestinal canal; ulceTaops Oh Tie stCnaC
mucous nbrane OF the stomach cal poisoning
will contain tho RIDGES dark black spots Of blood: be-
that there tough souehy mucous in the folds of
the mucous membrane; has ia his museum about
thy somacbs OF arsonicai poisoning cases; where tho
arsenic taken twelve or twenty before DEATH
there VIII be always redness whore the stomach empty
the ridges Will be Always better Marked of slow
chronic poisoning the rdses would not marked but
there would be chIoGic inflammation Of the stomach;
where redDess s found the outer surface of stomach
and where there has been poisoning, there might be
por eight hours abons the usual time Of death from
poisoning by landanum Witness produces frame
soospg section Of a stomach where death
was caused by laudanufn. A person who took three
and half or four ounces OF aadanum, within hours
it would cause death; teaspoonful Of laudanum will
sometimes produce death; pero have sometimes taken
ounces Of sadanum and recovered but he presumed
laudanum in such cases to be bad the effect Of taking
half pins Of brandy with laudanum would be TO in
crease the acton Of the audsnun the effect Of arsenic
with the laudanun wond 10 Increase tho activity of
the laudanuu and TO diminish the activity Of the arsenic,
where tie person POISONED has lived than twenty
four hours daTrhGa very common sympton cholera
and cholera morbus diseases resembling arsencal
poisoning so do disorders OF the stomach cholera NOR
bus 10 often taken for arsenical poisoning. Witness
describes the symptoms of chronic gastrts Pain the
"sophagus s not necessary accompaniment of IL there
is such complaint fatty degeneration OF the heart; t
is Lot an uncommon cause Of sudden DEATH the symptoms
honr or W aIS bs penas ony or an
ton OF the lungs Persons sometimes suffer for years from
occasional vomiting and burning sensation at the
stomach the latter symptom proceeds from the a,idy Of
the stomach and the liver usually torpid in such cases
wtLess Bellevue deadhouse the body of Mrs ste
phers il was during the Coroners inquest the abdomi
nal aud thoracc organs had been removed cut of small
piece OF the bocy and brought home intending to ana
j. III Robert Bell was there at the time: witness Ief
that person behind him in the ROOM the body was living
ON the table; in caee OF death by the poison
would usually be found IN the stomach inestnes has
sometimes taken fom the stomach teaspoonful of crude
alsene; vomiting and purgDg very seldom dsoge it en-
troly from the stoach when arsenic deposited in tho
internal organs is TO be found most abundant in tho
liver believes that seventh the proportion IN which
it is found in the liver the blood there;
wien audanum Is taken and thrown of, its odor would be
recognized by those who are familiar with it; it would be
moderately diAused through the room.
a. When there is little or no inflammation In the so.
mach and where arsenic found contents Of tho
stomach and where so slight traces in the analysis the
inestnes and liver that chemist could say whether
he had found arsenic or not and where is found
only in The bones tho muscular fibre and the adipose
sues Of the body, would you say that death had been
death was due To- arsopc "fau be wUos Hoo ss ta Ina.
arsenic was in the body; in the large number of
freely. be always found poison in the stomach: the
arstpic st comes in contact with the mucous membrane
of the stomach, and large amount OF and blood
aTstnic entirely; some portion of VIII always remain in
the stomach and ntes'inesj he knew case where
all the arsenic had been dislocged entirely even though
mere pad betn very iree vomiting and purgDg;
animation OF tie vontcd material would show the whita
serves the parts OF The lody to which locally applied
rut Is not general preservative chloride of zinc and
creosoe are much better preservatves of bodies the
reafops why some bodies preserved and others de-
composed, without apparent cause, are not understood
the effect Of nre taken IN small doses, on the kid,
peys; in large doses it acts poison; effect or
Dovers powders is an anooyne; they sometimes produce
vomiting; Goes nitre sulpbate OF qunine sometimes
produces vomiting and distress IN the stomach: IL s yery
dneltnt Iom arsenic; when arsenic administered SO
as 10 cause DEATH the symptoms progressive q case
that would last two weeks would have slight Kemis-
sicn and apparent improvements, but in an acute
case the sy mptoms would progress till death eusued.
in casc where within two three days, the patient was
Venting and then there was an mprovementfor a day,
and then death would ensue he would say that the death
was not produced by the arsenic administered the first
day aIsenc Is cumulative poison 10 certain extent,
but then ceases TO be cumulative poison and s thrown
on from the system.
The witness was here examined some length by
The Assistant District Attorney, but nothing important was
elected
DR.. James Il. Wood recalled by the deferce-Q Had
you occasion roprmand John OBrien the keeper OF
the dead house ut Bellevue Hospital, for permitting
persons to view The body Mrs. stephens? Objected
and ruled out have used arsenic for the preservation
oil human bodies there is no course of dissection permit
ted in the hospital at Beevue tho post mortem examine
tons are conducted there and illustrated
Tho Court hero took On re assembling Or.
iopzo Clarke was examined by Mr. Ullman for the de-
fence Was professor OF pathology and practical med
vue and st. LIKES Hospitals; practsed medicine for
nearly twenty four years. arsenic supposed TO have
double acton on the human system don't know of any
mic in all its details, unless be spontaneous Inflammation
Of tho stomach; when arsenic produces vomiting 1t is not
always all thrown or is usual to find it LOGGED in the
mucous membrane IL is one Of the most i1solubs mate.
rails known IN medicine; when thrown up in 1uid it
would not easily be detected soils have different
elect upon the bodies and preserve them longer than
oiher SOILS aIseDous compounds are used medicines
would show that arsenic has been found in the excretons
from the time Of its being taken into the 81 stem il yares
from SIX 10 twenty four days.
The witness was then examined at somo length
by Mr.. Sedgwick.
Mr.. AshmCad offered in evidence the papers In thIs
prosecution used before Justice Welsh. (Oblects 10 aud
excuded) Mr. Ashmead also offered ali the papers be.
fore the Coroner.
The CouI sad that those portions that were identified
by the witnessed were admissible; the others we're not
The District Attorney asked the counsel for the de-
itlce would admit that what here by tha
Witnesses at the CogoDer's Jury
MI. Cushing ano Ir Asbmead would rot make that ad
mission They waited the evidence in to show the dGe.
rc-.ce between II and the testimony here
Inc District Attorney then objected and tho Court ruled
That these portions which identified by The wnesses
were admissible, but that the others were not.
blr. Cusbins then said that they would not offer any
Ien OF the testimony before the Coroner in evidence,
and excepted TO the IuIing Of the Court
Mr.. kshmead rcd TO read the adays OF Fanny BalI
and SOPHIA Bon, on which the issued for the
arrest of James stephens. Objected TO-
The Court ruled that they not admissible, tho
attention Of the witnesses net called 70 the adavs.
Mr. Ashmoad said ha thor evidence for the defence
would be only cumulative, and they therefore closed
The District Attorney rald 10 would have robuttiDg tcs-
timory.
Aat.,. gt,I e,favr nj ton o,,