The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-09-03
The Poison In Miss Steinecke's
Stomach.
The Alleged Forged VIII TO Be Assigned as
The Aciiye Of Murder.
THE APPEARANCE OF the PRISONER.

and Importance begin. The preliminary bicker-
inss and petty strife noticed between counsel for
the frst few days has passed away, and all have
settled down 10 hard, earnest work. Most OF the
evidence 20 far given has been OF great interest
except 10 the common herd. The recitation OF the
death scenes attending Miss stelnecke and the
partial dissection OF human body IN open Court
were certainly horrible sensations; but the
testimony that n 10 follow In @ short
time VIII drape the proceedings with .
lively interest not heretofore known to
them, aud show how little what really
belonged 10 the moral point Of this case was
brought out upoa its nrst hearing.
The vital evidence for the prosecution has been
nearly all developed, and does not d.rer materially
nom that given upon the Grst trial Nothing of
importance has been added 20 II or taken nom II,
so far as the medical ana chemical evidence Is con-
cerned, that IL given 20 make q case OF poisoning
against the prisoner. The same spectacle Is pre-
sen'ed Of human ne beng ~, in jeopardy by
such ignorant, numbering scientists II makes one
shudder az
TUE INSECURITY on HUMAN LIFE
when prelndieed minds are permitted 10 receive by
an equally preudiceG judiciary. These false asser-
tions are taken ~ truthful statements OF scientific
questions ana TO outweigh the truer ana clearer
explanations OF learned ana tkllled gentlemen oc-
eupying the highest positions in their profession.
The evidence of malpractice snd laundering shown
In the wharton-Ketchum trial sinks into insignil-
canoe by the side OF the developments OF medical
and chemical ignorance eminenty presented In
this--the former being worse, npossihe, than the
latter. DIR. Herman, or this place and Dr. Conrad,
OF Baltimore, are the vehicles through which this
evidence was put forth. pr. Herman Is an
old country physician, who never saw @
case OF poisoning ana whose knowledge Of mod
crn science is limited. MS testimony is worth
really less than that Of any intelligent man who
has lived with the advancing age, and DIR. Conrad,
who made the postmortem examination OF Miss
steinecke's body, il younger man; yet his con.
illusions were not much more satisfactory, and
were worth nothing at all. lie left the stand with
the opinion created among intelligent hearers that
he either knew little OF his ealing was guilty OF
gross laundering IN the postmortem, upon the &C
curacy OF which, perhaps, human life DEPENDED !;
and tins opinion vas strengthened by the Gear
TESTIMONY or PROFESSOR woon,
| OF Philadelphia, that demonstrated his Ignorance
| OF some Of the commonest principles Of medical
science. IL Is severe commentary upon this ply
slcan that all the learned gentlemen, men Of the
now here, have declared his post.mortem utterly
worthless for the development Of any cause OF
upon such medical evidence as has been aadnced
here for the prosecution there is little security for
human life. A gentleman from Baltimore now
here, In private note to friend, says that Con-
rad was o child in the hands OF the lawyers,
and Professor Wood completely annhated
This comment on scientific evidence is made be-
cause IL Is hard for persons not present at trial
to estimate the real value OF such testimony and
1T would be really unjust 10 all parties TO have u
go forth that either the medical or chemical evil
dence in this case arose 20 that dignity where
credence should be given 10 II, even In the most
ordinary transaction of life. The proceedings to-
day closed all the important medical and chemical
testimony, ana the prosecution VIII 30 10 another
branch OF their case--the moral part or it-ln which
the will alleged to be forged viii he put forth as
MOTIVE FOR TIE MURDER,
and many other matters OF Importance aud general
interest viii be presented.
The Court convened promptly at nine O'Clock and
at once proceeded to work. All the attorneys were
promptly in their places, and the court room was
well filed with spectators, the enclosure within
nence in the legal, medical and chemical professions
from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Harrisburg and other
and books, and looked fresh and vigorous.
a Me Tas az ,n usual Same
During the trial each day he works hard taking
notes of the evidence and to day he seemed to take
great care The latter WINGED and dubbed under
the able and pointed cross-examination OF Samuel
Hepburn, Jr., who has had the whole preparation
of the defence, and who has so far managed II with
skill and ability. The prisoner evinced genuine
as usual, little factons but showed in ali bis con-
duct OF the case fairness and impartiality rarely
seen in heated trial Of this Kind He Il one Of The
Court the Judge stated that he was ready TO hear
the arguments as to the admissibility OF
as O medical expert. l.. Mclaughlin, for the
prosecution, took up the argument In favor OF the
expert. He was followed BY Mr.. W H. aier for
the defence, who contenGed that DIR. Aiken was not
Q medical expert and against the admissiblty Of
his evidence as offered by the Commonwealth.
Judge Junkin after this argument, said, the ques-
ton is, Can medical expert give his opinion as 10
the quantity OF prussc acid that present In the
before the chemical expert made his ana.
s yGa Of se1nce 81
missbe, for on such questions scientific men
mostly think alike, but The Offer here is 20 obtain
an opinion as 10 quantity which the witness never
saw and has no means OF determining. II would
be guess, and the jury can guess as wen as he,
but the ability OF the organs TO absorb prussc acid
may be shown, because that Is fact asccrtainaDlc
by medical science and may aid the Jury. Hut, UNI
not to be such an expert as would be competent 20
prove
THIS ABSORBING POWER OF rnE ORGANS
as he has only practscd medicine eighteen months,
and not at all for forty years ana we follow the
ruling of the Court by Chief Judge Miller In Mrs.
when if was held that he was only q Chemical cx'
pert aud not O medical expert, the witness Is
rejected as incompetent for the purpose offered,
The counsel for the prosecution then offered 90 pot
substantially tho same question 10 the witness az
chemical expert aud the Court delivered the same
t tie PROSECUTION 1'e was al liberty Msye 10 ds
vclop by this witness the volatile nature
OF prusslc acid ana It's tendency TO rapid
evaporation or decomposition. Professor Aiken
then took the stand, and his examina-
ton was continued all day. As Professor
Aikcn's direct testimony has been printed In the
HERALD ce,Datim, do not deem IL necessary 10
give more than a review OF his crosse xamination
II the figure that this gentleman cut In the whar
ton trial was disgusting TO modern science his tes
tmony to-day was still more so. Orfila and all the
great standard authorities were absolutely repu
dated by the Professor whenever their ideas ap-
peared TO clash with his own. The great standard
authorities were placed, as he said,
in THE cRUCIBLE OF COMMON SENSE,
and after SUFFICIENT amount of pounding they
we're dra wn forth for use. Those which had not
lost entirely the complexion which the simplest
rules OF science affixed discarded as untrust
worthy, but whenever O vegetable or animal COM
pound beaten out OF its former shape could do duty
n suggestion n teetimOnv 90 izad unon