Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-07-27
The Baltimore Borgia.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE GREAT
POISONING MYSTERY.
rFrom the Baltimore Sun. july IN

of society, as the extraordinary crime
charged against Mrs. Wharton. Th
facts of the case as they stand befor
the public, are of themselves sufi
GENTLY sensational without the exag
geration Of any highly-wrought de
scription. Those who have been ac
customed to regard crime as an ac
compartment of rude and vulgar lif
are astounded at the information tina
the educated. and refined walks o
life have been invaded by the arres
of one of its members upon charges
80 heinous, atrocious. aud appalling
especially when considered in con
nectiou with the suspicious which
have been engendered of antecedent
crimes, as to be too horrible for ready
belief. The charges read like chap
ter in the life of the Borgias, or oI
the Bourbons of a later date, in al
age when the poisoning Of human
life was regarded as a science and
practiced as an art. Unlike, how.
ever, tile crimes dictated by State
policy and craft, or the.strong passions
Of jea.ousy and revenge, the theory
of Mrs. Wharton's case is that she
was influenced by motives entirely ol
a pecuniary nature.
1t is not just, however, to base any
assumptions upon the preceding deaths
of Mrs. Wharton's husband and her
son, because there happened to be
large insurance on the lattcr's life, for
it is understood that the physician in
his case certified to his death result
ing from. typhoid fever: and as to
the death Of MI. Edward Wharton,
her brother-in-law, at her house, and
that of his daughter, two weeks
after, three years or so ago, the inti-
mate friends Of the family Of the lat
ter declare there was never any
ground of suspicion in either case
against her.
1t is known that Mr.. Van Ness.
one of the victims Of the alleged
poisoning, wholly exonerates Mrs.
Wharton from all suspicion of guilt
in his case, and it is inferred that
such was the mature of his testimony
before the grand jury, and also that
the vote of that body was not unani-
nous upon the subject of the pre-
sentiment.
The manner and bearing of Mrs.
Wharton under the terrible .cirsum-
stances in which she is placed are
said to be perfectly composed. She
sheds no tears, utters no reproaches,
quietly asserts her innocence Of the
charges alleged. She appears like
woman accustomed to discipline her
feelings and the exercise of perfect
self-control.
Her daughter, however, though
assuming sprightly manner to en-
courage her monther's spirits, cannot
conceal her anguish of mind. Mrs.
w., since her first arrest, has been
visited by her brother, DR.. Nugent,
of Pittston, Pa, and sister, but it is
stated that since the death OF her
husband his family connections have
held no intimate relations with her.
STATEMENT OF DEPUTY Marshal
FREY.
Deputy Marshal Frey has commu-
nicated the following statement. ex-
hibiting the manner in which the
case was worked up by the police au-
thorities, and the evidence obtained
by them:
Derr.y Marshal Frey states that
as soon rs he learned Of the death OF
General Ketchum from Drs. Chew
and Williams, lie called upon Mrs.
Wharton. After talking with her for
,hree-quarters Of an hour, he told
her he would like to take her servants
to his Office and examine them rri-
vately. She made no objection, and
the servants were taken to the Off, e
and examined separately by Marshal
Gray and himself, and they We're sat
isfed that the servants knew OF notl
ing wrong as to thr u.e OF the death
of General Ketchum. On Saturday.
Sth instant, he asked Mrs. Wharton
if she had'purchased tartar emetic !;
she replied that she had bought some
and used tin mustard plaster which
she placed on her breast
He then went to the store of Cos
man & Co., No. 19l Madison avenue,
where he found that Mrs. Wharton
had purchased, on the 25th of Janua-
ry, about sixty grains Of tartar cmetic; /;
he found it charged on the books. Up
to last Sunday night, 9th instant, he
was satisfied that suspicious pointed
strongly to Mrs. Wharton. The next
move OF the deputy marshal was to
ascertain what motive there could
have been for the desired death of
General Ketchum, and in doing this
he learned that the deceased came to
Baltimore, as believed by his friends,
for the purpose of collecting note
of $4,000 from Mrs. Wharton; that
after his death this note could not be
found among the things he brought
with him, which had been returned
by Mrs. Wharton that few days
after the death of General Ketchum
Mrs. Wharton visited Washington,
and called upon General Brice, the
brother-in-law of deceased that she
asked General Brice for $4,000 worth
of government bonds, which she said
she had deposited for safekeeping
with General Ketchum. General Brice
asked her if she had written proof
of the fact, or living witnesses that
she could furnish she said that she
had neither; he then asked her if she
was not indebted to General Ketch.
um, and whether he did not hold her
note for $4,000; she replied in the
negative, and said she paid the note
some time ago to General Ketchum
in person, and that she had torn up