The New York herald., 1871-11-01

Sd sase0llt nast KAu8Aas a. usIriatss.,l
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9NN tfee Review - til Case. nrfi 40t1t
Tne fury n she case Of Dr. Mo1licotk afser being
out from balf-pass nine oscaock on Wednesday ngns
until half past etghs ocA0ok Thursday morning re-
turned verdict Of guilty OF murder the nrvt Do
gree. the jury eSuld not consistently have found
verdict for any besssr degree under the circum-
stances, ~ the laws Of Kansas make killing By pot
son murder One juror stated that he was IN favor q
murder In the second degree but yielded to the opn
ions or the otter twelve. motion for new trial
was made and as Il win probably not be granted py
| Judge Bassett the case win 10 % the Supreme
Court A large number OF exceptions were tsken TO
the rulings OF the Court during the progress OF the
| trial. and II is not improbable that some
4 OF these rulings may be decided TO have
I been erroneous. For instanca there WAS
4 one rather curious piece OF testimony
| Johnson the cell mate OF Medlicott, WAS not al
lowed TO state what Aediicot said In hs Sleep but
was permitted to state what he told Medlicotr ne
mad SAID in his sleep. These .somnambulic revelar
tions had, doubtless their fun influence upon the
minds OF the Jurors. There are other points upon
which counsel for the defence confidently expect
to obtain from the Supreme Court reversal OF tho
The case taken In all its details. is one OF the
criminal Jurisprudence. a brief epitome Of the
leading facts connected with it may not be uninter
Isaac NJ Ruth had married, as hrs second wife, the
divorced wife OF Mr Seymour Vouatre, or this city,
dying S Condition a from pistol bail red i By " Ruth.
several months afterward Ruth and his WIFE re.
SeS before ns RnsS oneS situation IS
bOokkeeper In the once Of the Lawrence tribune
ana was quiet industrious man OF business.
John }. Medlicott, located At Lawrence and COM
menced% 1.-The the practice Of his profession. He was
address, manners. aud appearance. His wlfo was
about twenty years his senior-a quiet, pn!ent I'M
land, against tine remonstrance Of her friends who
believed her little fortune OF 1ve six thousand
afrection for the woman. the young physician
obtained . fair practice and was member OF the
Medlicott tecame the family physician OF Ruth
and his account book, produced In Court showed
MS visits were as frequent as twice DAY. Indeed,
SO frequent were hts visits to Mrs. Ruth, ana 50
drawn, that the neighbcrs gossiped about It, and
surmised that there was criminal intimacy between
In December last, Medlicott's wife died very sud-
denly. and 1t Is remarkable that her symptoms
strongly resembied those OF Ruth at his death four
months later. Dark hints were thrown out at the
time, but little was sald and the body was inferred
at Lawrence. The cause or her death was stated 20
be apopiexy, but q physician who was there at the
time declares that no symptoms or apoplexy were
Observable. In the memorandum hook Ia which
death OF MRS. Meahcott, from which he wrote her
obituary In the newspaper and It s there stated
that Medicott himsef furnished the dates and cause
OF death to Ruth: .li g0 .sa+ta3 r
still more attentive TO his patient, who, according
TO her own statement was afiicted with multitu.
spent great part OF her time in bed. YET it ap-
pears sne frequently attended dances, and some
withstandng the gossip OF the town, II does ap-
pear that kuth was jeai GUS Of the attentions OF
terms with MIN up 10 the hour OF his death. ! 4 -
On the 26th OF April in the afternoon, Mrs. Ruth
ana % Mcdlicoss psSed three games Of chess % al tine tue
house OF the former, and they parted between nine
dead in his bed, with frotn and 6iood oozing from
his mouth or course the family physician was the
nrt person sent lot ana ms 10 the presence
The strongest feature Of the whole case is the ler
ter written BY Ruth % e nis w,ie Just before he DIED
nine powder half an hour before and requesting
her. IN case OF his DEATH to have his body examined
In tnis letter he describes has symptoms with some
minnteness, and states that the clock has just
struck eleven. The memorandum book was found
/ lying on hts coat, on the piano, with his vest ana
pants living on It. The question win at once arise
why did he not call TO his assistance the physician
who slept next door, within few feet OF his room9
BY doing SO he might have saved his life. He, how
ever strange as may Appel spent ,s sae last mo
on the trial. was the most convincing evidence that
he was murdered. #sH FL.f0~ o mDEs
was arrested and logged IN jail. lie Immediately
| sent for lawyer and the result OF the coffrence
that the lawyer had Mrs. Ruth taken tons own
house Immediately on her return from Leayen-
worth, and nerore sne had seen the corpse OF ner
husband What transpred between the lawyer and
the lady has not been revealed, but the prisoner
subsequently stated tnat the lawyer assured Nun
In Inc cell in which Medlcott was confined was
young man named Henry Johnson, alias Sperry-
Circuit Court in this city about year ago for de-
frauding the revenue department. Johnson was
lie became satisned OF MedIicotts gaiit IRON hear.
ing him talk IN his Sleep The spirits OF the dead
haunted him In his dreams. The appartiOn OF hts
wife hovered over him In his midnight slumbers,
and he started up with giaring eycDas and cx-
sgones or ruth were enacted IN his dreamy imagi
nation, and he would smooth the drapery OF his
couch and say. .Be quiet. Ruin rake thus, and 1t
Johnson who Is described as professional bur-
glar in appearance conceived the idea Of winning
his freedom by obtaining satisfactory evidences
OF the guilt OF hls fellow prisoner lie succeeded in
gaining Medcotts confidence and in Obtaining
from him letters that are q virtual confession or
guilt. one or these letters was glowing lovesick
episte to Mrs. Ruth, written, as he stated on the
him. To understand this expression 1t necessary
W know tnat the newspapers had published re-
the murderer or her husband, and had sworn her
children over his coiiined corpse TO avcnge his
death. These fearful threats explain why Medli-
colt was anxious TO mOliiy her-wny he wrote In
one Of the intercepted letters that he could not 60
to trial Without knowing what this woman Will
Tue analysis OF the contents OF the stomach made
by the chemists showed that Ruth had died OF NOR
pnine poison, ana IRON subsequent examination
OF another portion OF the boay discovered the pres
eHCc Oh aITOplue. as lestllcu Df lue CuclnlSs Inc
body OF Mrs. Medlicott was also cxhumed and 1t Is
said that these TWO poisons were discovered. 1t
appears that The mixture OF these two polsons Will
have the effect OF preventing the usual postmortem
appearances produced by either although the one is
frequently used as an altidote for the DINER.
These and numerous minor facts and circum-
stances were carefully gathered by the prosecuting
IN such a clear and f0rcible manner that no doubt
remained OF the guilt OF the accused and the verdict
was murder In the nrst CegTee"
The defence attempted to account for the death OF
Ruth on three theo.Ics-nrst that he died from the
effects Of the qunne, taken IN the worst stage OF con-
gestive chill; second, that he took morphine by mis-
take for quinine; third, that he committed suicide
and wrote the dying letter to save his life insurance
policy. In support Of the first theory they proved
by several respectable Physicians that qutnne some
times killed when injudiciously administered. In
support ol the second theory, that morphine was
taken BY mistake, II was shown that botn quinine