Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-06-26
THE CLEVELAND BoRGIA.
sarah Maria Victor ON Trial for Pol
soning Her Brother.
From the Cleveland Leader. June Ill

From the cleveland Leader, June IL.
Yesterday morning the case of Mrs. Vic
tor, indicted for murder in the first degree,
was called in the Court of Common Pleas,
Judge Foote ON the bench.
From the evidence ELECTED at the coro-
ner's inquest, and from the statement of
the prosecuting attorney to the jury, the
case appears to be about as follows: Mrs.
Sarah Maria Victor is charged with causing
the death of her brother, VIM. Parquet, by
poison, for pecunlary reasons. For some
wears she has borne no enviable reputation,
having quarreled with a man, with whom
she had been living, and after separation
taking the name of Victor, and leading
life not above suspicion. She has one
sister Mrs. Gray, and had one brother.
Mrs. Gray has lived with Mrs. Victor until
recently, on Webster street, but not long
since the sisters quarreled and separated.
Mrs. Victor's brother during the war
served in the army, receiving his discharge
in 1865. He then came to this city on
visit to his sister. Soon after his arrival
Mrs. Victor induced him to obtain life in
surance policy of $4,000 on his life, paya-
BILE to her, she meeting the expense. She
also took out an additional insurance poll
CIV for 81, 500 on his life, without any ones
knowledge. He had brought with him
my, part of which he invested in real
estate, at the suggestion of Mrs. Victor
The deeds were made out in her favor, for
some reason not yet explained, though it is
thought by some that she took advantage
of his not knowing how to read or write
On the Goth of January, 1867, Mr.. Par
auet was taken very sick with vomiting,
craving for drink, intense bodily agony, and
other symptoms of poison. Mrs. Victor,
however, by frequent doses of chloroform
and morphina, succeeded in Disgusting
from the physician the real cause of his
illness. Nor would she allow any one but
herself to take charge of him, administer
his medicine, or prepare his food. For a
little more than a week she remained with
him, night and day, and not permitting
medical attendance, when she could pre-
vent it. She affected great concern for
him, and remarked to several persons that
he had presentiment that he should die.
She frequently insisted, too, that his sick
ness was the result of fail which he had
received some time previously, hoping, it
is supposed, that this would secure to her
the ST. 500
On the 4th OF February he died. As the
physicians and some of his friends were
not satisfied as to the cause of his death, a
post morton examination was proposed
This she would not consent to, claiming
that he had made as a last dying request
that his body should not be cut up by the
doctors. So he was buried.
After the quarrel between Mrs. Victor
and Mrs. Gray, the latter applied to one of
our Judges for advice as to how she could
obtain the bounty due her brother. In
the course of her interview she let drop
some remarks which excited suspicion in
regard to the manner of the young mans
death, and an investigation began The
body had been buried then just year, but
it was disinterred, and submitted to the in
spection of Dr. ]. L. Cassels, who testified
that there were positive indications of
large quantities of arsenic in the stomach
and other parts.
On the strength of this, and other testi-
mony elected at coroner's inquest, Mrs.
Victor was arrested She waived prelim-
mary examination, and an Indictment was
found against her for wilful murder. The
trial was set for May %, but postponed on
account of the sickness of the accused, who
was at that time suffering from fever. She
was pronounced able to appear yesterday,
however, and accordingly the trial began.