Worcester daily spy., 1871-07-17

On Saturday afternoon, June "a, Mr.. Eugene
Van Ness, clerk in the banking house of Alex.
Brown & Sons, called at the house OF Mrs. +. Il.
Wharton, widow of Major Harry W. Wharton,
U. S. A., at 26S Eutaw street. He was friend
of the family, and also financial agent for Mrs.
Wharton, and attended 10 the investment of her
money. Shortly after he entered the house he
drank glass of beer, pouring in few drops of
the tincture of gentian. In short time he was
taken i'll, and DIR. S. Z. Chew summoned to at
tend him. Mr.. Van Ness was too i'll to be taken
to his home, and was put 10 bed in Mrs. Whar-
toms house, where he remained till the follow
ing Friday, under DR.. Chew's care. On the
same Saturday afternoon, General William
Scott Ketchum, retired officer of the United
States army, and an old friend Of the Wharton
family arrived, intending to spend few days
with Mrs. Wharton before her departure lOr
Europe. He and Major Wharton had served
together in the sixth United States infantry,
the relations Of their families had always been
most intimate, and they were in the haolt oil IN
terchanging frequent visits.
On the evening OF his arrival, zen. ketchum
was taken suddenly i'll, and did not leave his
bed until carried away corpse. Dr. L. U.
Williams of POI Madison street attended him,
and had suspicious all the time that he had
been poisoned. He communicated his suspicious
to Paymaster General Brice, Gen. Ketchum's
brother-in-law. A post mortem examination
was made the contents of the stomach anayzed
by Prof. Aiken, and twenty grains Of tartar
emetic discovered.
In the meantime circumstance occurred in
the room in which Mr.. Van Ness was living that
seemed TO give the kew TO the mystery and to
demonstrate beyond a doubt that he had been
poisoned. DIR. Chew had prescribed "milk
punches" for his patient, which were prepared
in the house and brought TO the chamber ready
made. He drank the first one. which appeared
to be all right, nothing unusual being detected
in the taste When the next one was brought
in Mrs. Van Ness, who was in attendance on
her sick husband while pouring the fluid from
one glass to another, by some ineXplicable i'm
pulse was prompted to taste it, and she immedi-
atelv discovered that something was wrong.
She poured out the milk, and in the bottom of
the glass was white substance resembling
cream of tartar. 1t is said that lady who was in
the room put this glass in her pocket, and
subsequent examination by Prof. Aiken showed
the white substance to be tartar emetic. This
occurred on Wednesday afternoon, June 2S, an
hour or two before Gen. Ketchum's death, and
confirmed the suspicious to which the Symp-
toms of the dying man had already given rise.
Gen. Ketchum's body was taken to Washington
by his friends and there inferred.
DIR. Williams, after consultation with Gen.
Brce, considered it his duty TO lay the facts in
the case before the marshal of police, and since
then Marshal Gray and Deputy Marshal Frey
have been engaged in securing the evidence that
would Justify an arrest. Mrs. Wharton and
her daughter had, some weeks since, en-
pleasure tour.
Mrs. Wharton was arrested on Monday eve
ming. Out of consideration for her health she
was not taken to jail but was made a prisoner
in her own house, four officers being detailed to
guard the house and prevent any one from leav-
ing.
A thousand rumors are afoat, which, if true,
will magnify the crime into one of the most
heinous, and make the accused one of the great
est criminals of the age There is singular
concurrence of circumstances which, viewed in
the light of recent developments, give color to
many of the rumors. it is said that Mrs
Wharton was indebted to General Ketchum for
money borrowed, and that he held her note for
$1,000. 1t is also rumored that Mrs. Wharton
went to Washington after General Ketchum's
death, and made a claim of $4,000 against his
estate.
About four wears since Colonel Edward Wbar-
ton, U, S. A., cousin OF Major H. W. Wharton
Mrs, Wharton's husband). accompanied by his
daughter young lady of eighteen years of
age. paid a visit to Major Wharton's house in