The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-01-18
Tsge. E.'.laTt@-: /: G::::"c:;!.
scrrTicE OF THE as: ~ ''r!rn '-Si9EScE
GOES 20 TIKI RI: I.

From. ;lIc Ci.ice"o II!,rur.
Now, YOU Will ak what .h:n:l Of thi'
trial. In bric:: Nrs. h:@:r:.,il never p":-
soneli anyatiy. TIC cfl.i.' ,,;>a ag&jnt her
is ciIc,ui,tan;!.i, helped 81 q: na,sip H:jEA
malignant, a'.cttcI ~ n,'t!i..cd pride of
science. and h%rIicG .n H., .,.!;.lj;Iking i?,l;:-
lie opinion.
\ great deal Is made il E,o,:2Gn cogI2-pon-
dencc Of what il called Iii: >Dcil! life. This
woman is tie victim OF til, assumption that
she belonged 10 some superior >ragc Of eN-
i-teHcc. Tie fact is that ho!' .Hfhcr was al
old penlSy fa,!ia maDUtArtngrT. Who lived in
some extravaganza, and brought Ills family
I'D under Il better acIi-c=t"cin than. their
nciGhbJrs,
Mrs. Wharton, Ike many American women.
exaggerated the yal!lc Of social consideration,
and she was sl.ccrssfill in alHirG Il very IL.
Specialize Office" Of lie alT!,y, 70 whom size
was 4 good wife, and 70 whom ,ile brou%h!
several Thousand dollars, perhaps not aboye
thirty in all. liz: li.al1ia"r }Ht her in rcla-
ton with the stationary class N ainlE Officers
Her son Was a worthless >DIlg chap, and
after his fathers death lie became involved
in lis accounts, and %oiltl have fctn
caslrrctl and sent TO prison. i,tlt Mrs. Whal-
ton, detcrcntIal 80 social it;r - always, took
the means she had to pay his debts, and Dor
roWed money from some o. Ecr intimate
friends to meet his oDli9ati3iis This Young
ster, Harry Wharton, feeling obligated 10 his
mother, and aware that lie h',! expended the
uatrmony OF his sister, r,,:rd o! and i.l-
surcd his life for 50. Hco.
Soon alterward he got o.: q spree, was
seized with q feycr--thc lr:l!!t o.! long
career Of dissipation d. i II home. Tie
mother las refused 70 permit Acr l:lMyera 10
show up his case, and she therefore stands
mal"ncd ny the apparently ugly rocunlaiy
straits which resulted from saving hcrson Ron
! ignominy. Tie monstrous chGiGc is brought
against her ;iiat she Poisoned this son TO
obtain the life insurance a!a the lie insl-
rance companies, Wi>il:l:; 10 force her into
| compromise, have permitted this TIDE OF
| calumny to rush on, alid perhaps have abet-
| ted it. Harry Whartoli'S corpse was Gisin-
| TERED, and even old Aiken failed to lind
anything Of poison in it. 70 expires this
| SANDER.
Next, there WIS 2 disease raging in Balti-
more at the time Of KctcI,vIn's death called
| by the doctors epidemic malignant purpiric
| fever. Dozens OF deaths liaprcncd III that
city from this disease. Some Of the best
physicians III tie middle States will take the
stand about the tine you receive this letter,
aud swear that Kc;clit.n? died OF the said
disease. Eetehlm, while q careful business
man, was by no EleanS, according to ac-
counts, The pl!irst man socially. lie WAS past
the prime OF life, fell sick ., Mrs. Wharton'S,
and died suddenly. The physician called i'll
by Mrs. Wharton waS;l nervous chap named
Williams, who had hobby III medicine, ana
That was 70 administer yellow jasmine and
cliio,-sl as scdatiyc. Some c,har doctOr6 re-
gard yellow Jasmine as too Si.Nc,r, ana aiSaf-
prove of it but this only made !; :llian!s more
in love with this recipe. When kctclum died
Williams was seized with Il panic, no doubt
conscientious, and rushed OIL to the town
authorities to claim that some servant OF the
house had poisoned his patient. about the
time of Ketclium'S death L yo"r2,tcr named
Van Ness had been seized 81 .,i:s. Wharton's
with crimes and collie, and lis respectable
family connections indnlged in good deal
of idle gossip. The phyairiall's suspicious
were backed by these. The newspapers be-
came possessed of the hints current, and
sailed in Oh Mrs. Wharton. The contents OF
Ketcllun's stomach were turned over to the
old chemist Aiken for examination. Aiken
seems never to take up Il case Of this sort but
with an intontion to find poison somewhere,
He lost no time In asserting That III ketcllum's
stomach there was auti:nony-antlmony
being the metal he was directed TO lind by
Williams, the doctor. Aiken Is L professor
in Il nearly defunct institution. called the
MARYLAND University. When he swore that
he had found anthony the said institution
backed up General Ketchum's prescribing
physician, and made it point OF honor to
suDport him. The social gods moving around
Van Ness, who had married into what
are called one of the best families Of Bati-
more,-the CAROLS, Ridgeleys, etc.--fat
also social responsibility; and thus this
poor woman was met all round about with
network of circumstantial allegation bound
to.bring her to the gallows. Human nature,
however, does not work in this way. There
are balances, checks, and resistances to all
powerful movements and the medical fra
ternity of Baltimore, IN honorable. bedy Of