Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-02-21
Medical Experts in Murder Trials.

The great Wharton trial still drags
its weary length along, illustrating in
striking manner the uncertainty as
TO results or facts ohtainable from the
evidence of medical experts. ltwould
seem as If the advance in tho exaet
sciences tended moro and more TO
provo the danger Of implicitly relying
on medical testimony alone in climi
nal trials. Mrs. Ellen G. Wharton is
accused of poisoning General Ketchum
with tartar emetic for the purpose Of
relieving herself of an Indebtedness of
two thousand six hundred dollars
The case for tho prosecution, when
presented alone, seemed mountain of
proof in itself, under which the pris
oner was crushed beyond dclivcrancc
Tho circumstanlial evidence seemed
to point conclusively that Mrs. Whar-
ton had administered the poison, which
DIR. Ailion and Professor Tonry swore
they found in the stomach of the de-
ceased. The symptoms of the mori-
bund were stated to have been those
Of ono intoxicated with antimony,and
Dr. p. c. Williams, who attended him,
declared that upon these symptoms
and some sediment in Il tumbler he
first founded his suspicion of foul play,
The case ut this stage looked black
indeed for the refined lady against
whom all these aptly joined conclu-
sions and damning spots wero found,
The Ingenuity with which the prose
cution had joined all the links Of inlOr,
nation together was regarded as cred,
liable TO their sagacity and diligent
labor in the peoples cause. Nineteen
days had they labored TO weave the
web around her, and when on the 9th
Of December last Attorney General
Syester rested his case there appeared
10 be small room for Mrs Wharton's
escape from the meshes which would
hold her until the gallows claimed ita
own. The defence arose to its hercu.
lean task, and during tho last eight
days have done such serious damage
to the case for the prosecution that it
seems no longer tenable. And the
most curious thing is that it has been
almost wholly by purely circumstan.
tal evidence that this has been brought
about. Drs. Aiken and Tonry pro.
fessed to have found poison Profes.
sors McCulloch, Genth and Reese tes-
tilted and appear to have proved that
no antimony had been found by the
tests at all. Thoy showed conclusive.
" that the results obtained in the OK
periments could have been produced
by the action of the reagents employ
cd by Aiken and Tonry upon the mid
icino administered before General
Ketchums death, and left 1t open 10
serious doubt but that the poison, if
any, was contained in the reagents
themselves. The discrcdt thus thrown
upon tho so.called analyses startled
tho unlechnical, who had taken the
prosecuting professors at their word
The most fatal objection to the chemi
cal testimony came from Professor
Genth. 1t may be summarized in one
of his replies, as follows -"Whoncver
Il substance is to be treated for the
presence Of any poson-an,imony,
for instanee--it is necessary under all
circumstances to use the best methods
known, and which are not liable 10
error; and in case Of metallic poisons
TO produce the metal, and to produce
tho metal in such quantity that by
a subsequent investigation of that
metal no doubt ut all can be left as to
its nature"
The professors had not produced
their antimony. After thus nulify-
ing the analyses, the defence proceed
ed 10 throw doubt upon the medical
testimony as to the cause of Death
DIR. Warren, of Baltimore, declared
the symptoms to be those Of a disease
well known in that city as malignant
purpnric fever, or, technically, Cpl
demic cerebro--spinal meningitis.
Turning moment from The medi.
cal evidence it may be noticed that
another important line taken up by the
defence is indicated In the evidence OF
young Mrs. Coitman, who testified TO
finding torn strips Of paper after Mrs.
Wharton having an interview with
General Ketchum ut the house of Mrs
Chubb. The defence evidently intend
to support Mrs. Wharton's statement
that the note for two thousand six
hundred dollars was destroyed there
after being handed to her by the dc.
ceased.
1t will be seen, then, that the dc.
fence, as far as developed, sustains
moro or less strongly, first, that if an.
tmony were found it should have been
presented second, that no antmony
was found third, that he did not die
of antimonial poisoning, but Of pur.
pmic fever; fourth, that he took no
antimony; fifth, that Mrs. Wharton
owed nothing save good will TO Gen.
eral Ketchum at the time Of bis dc.
cease. 1t is n complete redacfi0 ad
,dtSRratsR Of the theory Of tho prose.
cution, which places lis allegations in
an order exactly inverse TO those given.
Many more days must elapsc before
the case goes TO the jury but the i'm.
preston that the ease for the prose.
culion has broken down takes away
much speculation on the result. Now
what is painfully apparent throughout
this trial is the wOful incompetency
Of The medical men engaged to analyze
the contents OF tho stomach in
the first instance. For the accused
woman whose life is in jeopardy we
have profound sympathy that her
chances OF shameful death rested on
the fallacious and careless conclusions
Of such digraees TO q profession which
IS nothing if not exact and absolute.
The failure OF the analyses will unfort
unatcly leave painful gap which il
will be found impossible to GIL. 1t
may be proven that antimony was
net found but it cannot be now de
clared with certainty that it could
not have been This is extremely re-
grettable, as much for Mrs. Wharlon's
sake as in The pure interests of justice
Ia a l. 4. A