New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-24
The Murder Of Fanny Crouch.
TRIAL OF LOUISE pELAGIE BROWN

the murder OF MIS-. amy CIOuCli WIN uIGu dtHt
residence at the corner Of Poydras and Corondele
streets, on Sunday, the 2ith September last, from
the effects, as was found by a jury of inquest, o
arsenic poison, came up in the First District Cour
yesterday, Judge Abel presiding.
The large number of witnesses subpenaed in thu
case, upwards of fifty, and the interest attaching
to the trial, filled the court room The prisoner
who appears to be some thirty-fve or forty year
Of age, a quartero0n, of the style commonly know
as Gordon 6leU, was, when we saw her before tn
examining magistrate last fall, of full figure anC
smooth full face, showed yesterday, visibly, thu
effects of confinement and anxiety. She is wasted
in flesh, and her detected expression of face be
trayed the suffering of mind and body she has un
dergone.
The case was taken up Immediately after th
opening of the court, at 10 A. NJ. Messrs. Man
and Field appeared as counsel for the accused.
The prosecution was conducted by Attorne
General Heron.
The court ordered the sheriff to commence cal
ing the jury where he left off the call for the la
case on the previous day, and counsel fer defep
took exception thereto, claiming that it was
right of the prisoner to commence at the headt
the list furnished her.
Before jury was impanneed the accusedE-
hausted the twelve peremptory challenges alloed
her by law, and in that manner the follong
jurors were rejected l.. @. Richards, G. L. lss,
James Brady, 0. L. Kernion, Oscar Stone, Rert
Campbell, A. P. Schneider Jno. O'Flaherty, F.
Spearing, Edward Hayden, Louis Prados, and
Felix Arroyo.
j. A. Martin, Camille St. Amant John ynn
and Oscar Blasco were peremptoriy chalhged
by the State
The following jurors were set aside for Iuse
stoddart Howell had formed and expreed an
opinion in the case Daniel Tillotsons nae was
not given in full, in the list furnished the soner
John Mclaughlin excused by consent Ernest
Nicaud could find man guilty, with cstal pan
ishment but had conscientious scruples5ainst an
unqualified verdict in relation to WON accused
of capital offense A. Gubert excud By CON
sent, on account of age, being n yes DID, ana
being unable to sit through the Grubecase, caus
| ing the trial in that case to be q miHai Ernest
Malus had conscientious scruples alnst capltal
punishment in any case, and Z. x lartln' whose
infrrnity of health incapacitated "a from sitting
out protracted trial.
| Subjoined are the names Of jurors inpan-
nelled in the case:
S. Fl. Bird, VIM. A. Moalton William Mclean,
B. Mouchon, Arthur Lambel Adam Joachim
Iouis Guiraud i. r. Dobon5gJoh P. Collins, E,
| r. Pitcher, Charles Arroyo a. Peter porwlck'
The indictment having be1read to the Jury by
the clerk, the testimony forae oIate was heaFa IN
the following order:
DR.. Teiser, sgorn-W coroner at the time
the preliminary investig8ol ol !he case was hau'
The inquest was held in urea ssttet gelLletet
where the body was 6hteftea HVe Gays aiiet
death, DR.. Drew makinthe post mortem, IN the
presence of DR.. Barne the city physician. The
| stomach the liver th kidneys, and large por-
tioD of tbe intestines ere taken out and sent in
bucket for ANALYSIS tblr. Laster, apothecary and
chemist at the Chity hosgital me Sr, sexton OF
was new. There ys nothing in 1t except perhaps
some dnst The dy was in high state of de-
composition. and he face very much swollen.
The body was eremely offensive The yiscera
=. color The mast was made upon the suggestion
of NJ 6irrheitr and MIR. Bouny, both OF whom
called upon Dyfeiser in relation to the case.
| Dr. B1,.Ups late city physician, Slcof7l-SaW
deceased frs on Sunday morning, September
2Ith at the quest of DR.. Beard Witness found
her Iahnrin under some, but not all the symp.
toms If mon. Some of the symptoms were
such as arincidental to disease. Was told she
had bpan ek long time OF consumption. Was
inforn,ad e had been vomiting and asked to sec
hnr vomit but none was kept. Attended the in
onaEt III following Friday evening in the GENE
ferv e@ the viscera taken out OF the body
Wifnesput them in bucket and negro accom-
naniayy witness took them to Mr.. Laster at the
boenit, who locked them up in cupboard
Maxine preliminary examination next day will
Dr lister 1t was then found that the stomach
conFned arsenic. The following day the analysis
wo3ompleted and all the viscera taken out was
ford to contain about gram and three
faiths of arsenic. The tissues were satu
red with it, in the same manner as
cined meat is saturated with salt. All the arse
g found was incorporated in the tissues, evidence
hat much larger quantity had been taken; ma
The poison would have been found in every part, il
the whole body had been examined. Witness be
lieved deceased died from the effects of arsenic
The quantity extracted from the visceTa was tse
sufficient to cause the death of weakly, delicate
person. A robust person might overcome tla
quantity. In England, a woman had been cOnvGt
ed of murder upon the finding of the fortieth PR
of grain of arsenic. Chesholm was conVictedOr
the evidence of DR.. Taylor, who found but hall 6
grain and in the celebrated case OF Madam La
farge, but the hundredth part OF a grain VA
fould. Arsenic is absorbed by the kidneys alt
thrown off by vomiting, hence it is rarely found ]
quantity in the stomach The Quantity admins
tered to Fanny Crouch must have been atleastiiN
times as much as was found. That quantity wout
necessarily cause death. Although the symptomssh sh
had when witness saw herliving were such as Nigh
have been referred to disease; witness was satl
fed, after the examination, that she had bee
poisoned.
The witness was subjected to lengthy eros
examination in which nething new was elcltet
except more unqualified statement, that tn
symptoms deceased had when he visited he
shortly before death, might all have been SYM
| toms of disease, but at the same time many
them were the. symptoms of arsenic poison, an
that it was not considered safe to administer ovt
| an eighth of grain of arsenic for medical pu
noses, and he never gave more thar tenth. E
| added also, that neither the appearance of the d
ceased nor her symptoms would warrant him
saving positively that she died of poison alone, bl
he would sly undoubtingly that poison accelerate
her death. The tests applied by Nr. Laster IN u
examination of the viscera left D doubt that IN
substance found was arsenic. Wness eNpiame
4 these tests in detail and at considerable length
y Dr.. Beard, s,Uorn-Wtness vent to see Fam
b Crouch on business on the Friday before HI
death. She was assa4Ant of Witness. Found h
+, ILL., Suggested th sfege had better take medlcln
y She said She had beSh taking some globules. A
Z yised her to take uuinne. Saw her again ON Ss
! urdav, She was Still il. Prescribed for her aga
u Il some cEerry laurel water and morphine.
a Sunday, about A. NJ. a negro woman W4thess II
as seen at her house, cane 10 MS Tesuence ana W
ar him Fanny was vGy i'll. Witness on Vlslu
as her found her so Thought her symptol
ar singular and went fr DR.. Barnes Expressed
him suspicion thaishe was poisoned; that $
ST had taken something she ought not to nave take
sd He expressed anGpnion that she was not polsont
and then witness left Mr.. Bony called on Wltnt
by that evening and told him she was dead, and ask
ee him for certificate for burial. Witness gave
certificate that she lad died Of pulmonary disea
no from which he knew she had been 10
Sc suherlng, as he lodged in her house so
he six weeks or tvs months during the previ
sss winter She was then a sick woman. Mrs. BroN
the accused, desired much to rent the honse