Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-06-09

Another remarkable criminal trial is 90 DE
added To- the notable contributions of tire
last two years to tie history of crime. The
case is one which iu elements of mystery
and tragic interest EQUALS any romance Of
DUN as or Victor Hugo; and it bids fair to
take It's place with the McFariandEuloh and
Laura Fair trials, among the recent Amen-
ca q lqis,s cetfres. Our readers viii remem-
b IT the annouucemut by telegraph some
thin. more than month ago, that Mr.
ruth. the business mana ger Of the Lawrence,
Konsas. Tri5uue. was found dead in bis bed
ir. his house. and by his side q note addressed
t, bis wife (who was absent) reading thus
pruyo. The doc1r-I mean Dr. Nela-
colt gave me guiuiue powder wednesday
NIGHT. April -6 The effects are these nave
q terrible seusad II rush Of blood 20 the
head. and my skin burns and itches- am De-
comir- numb and blind ] can scarcely hold
my pencil. and cannot keep my mud f'ealt'
Presentation stands Ont over my whole N-i5f
snl feel terrible The clock Las just stli-A
eleven. and I took the medicine shout lp ~ p
III write this - That, if l never see you
again. sou may have my body examined anu
see what the trouble is 0oei-0y, and ever Ia-
member my asst thoughts were Of you. can
not see to write more. God bless you, sni We
msv meet in heaven. Your loving husband
l. ". Rum.
The DIR. Medlicltt, alluded %, Is held fur
trial. for the murder Of Ruth, and the Kan
sas papers narrate the following peculiar
circumstances. concerning the parties. Mr.
Ruth some six years ago, married woman,
who had been the widow of Nr. he
Srransh. and who wac the divorced vito ola
French lawyer of st Louis, named You'll
laire. lie had been intimate with her Before
the divorce. which was obtained by her, and
two shooting cases tetVeen Ruth and You'll
laire followed the dn zee, one before Ruth
marriage. when Ruth shot youllairc through
the shoulder with a Istol handed him hy
Mrs. Voullaire, and Tho other after the mar
rage. when Ruth c)wlded Noullairc l'r
traducing his wife, when the latter drew
pistol and fired five shots at Ruth, who dis
armed him, threw away the pistol and COM
pleted the c5whidinr This took place in
St. Louis.
So much scandal was caused, however, by
the whole business, that the ncwly-wcided
pair removed to Lawrence, Kansas, where the
Ruths became acquainted with DIR. and Mrs
Medlicott. DR.. N. was Irish by birth, a
graduate Of the Cincinnati medical college. .
and had served with credit in a West Nir-
GINA regiment. His standing IN the COM /
munity was high. Ruth seems to have con- /
ceiyed a warm friendship for him, and to
have had him frequently at his house. It
was soon Whispered that the physician add I
mired Mrs. Ruth rather too much, but no
Is spoken Of between the men.
Ruth Is said to have demonstrated
frequently with his wife for her overfamili-
arity with the doctor, and on the day before
Ruth death a violent alteration on the
subject is declared Co have taken place be-
tween them. The last-named catastrophe
was, however, preceded by the death Of Mrs.
Medlicott This unfortunate lady is said to
have died under very peculiar circumstances.
In truth, the St. Louis papers affirm that,
but for the excellent position held by her
husband, there would have been an inquest.
On the morning O her death She was in good
health. She poured milk into her coffee but
her husband did not do SO, although in the
habit Of taking milk with his coffee Some
IF the milk was aftcrward given to a cat,
md the animal died. \ DR.. Newman ezamin-
ID the dead body Of Mrs Medlicott, and
is thought had been poisoned. Motto
M blue line about the neck of the dead
woman, he asked her husband if she had not
-aken certain South American drug. The
after al first said she had not, but afterward
that she had taken a few light
loses. The physician ''spoke to the county
attorney, but that official declined to make
himself ridiculous by instituting proceedings
against so respected citizen as DR.. Medli-
colt. So the doctor buried bis wife, pocket
d $4,000 insurance on her life, and redouhled
ls attentions to Mrs. Ruth.
On the night Of the date Of the note found
" Ruth's bedside, Mrs. Ruth being absent
IN a visit to neighboring city, Dr. Medli-
,ott passed some time with Ruth at his home,
md played three games Of chess with him.
rhe doctor left Ruth before 10 O'Clock. Ruth
went to his chamber and was found in it
next morning stiff and dead. DR.. Medlicott
was summoned, and " it was remarked that
nc was pale, and trembled so violently that
be could scarcely hitch his horse in front of
The house." An analysis of the stomach
vas made, disclosing mOrphia and traces of
mother poison which they had not as yet
,een able to identify. The same blue line
vas noticed on Ruth's neck that the physi-
ian saw on Mrs. Medlicott's. Medlicott
vas much agitated, but denied having ad-
any powder whatever on the
yening of Ruth's death. He was, of course,
leld for trial What its result may be can
lot be foreshadowed. The evidence is pure