The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-06-08
TRIAL OF MRS. SARAH NJ. ALLEN
VERDICT OF mot GUILTY.
fReported for the Dispatch.J
cr .1,,,ro>- Tuna 4 19TA

SrAUsToN, June s. 1874.
At haIfpast 10 o'clock this morning the
case of the Commonwealth us. Mrs. Sarah u
Allen was resumed.
DR.. j. Newton McChesney testified that be
was present at the exhumation of the body
of Charles NJ. Allen. That the stomach was
| afterwards put in his charge to be carried to
Professor Maet ut the University Of Vir
cinia. That he kept 1t under lock and key
while in his possession, and took it TO the
University that Professor Mafet refused to
toke il. and lie brought it back to Staunton
and delivered it to DR.. Fauntleroy and DR.
Hamilton, at the Western Lunatic Asylum
| That it was not tempered with while in his
possession.
Edward Gushing was present at the coro'
ner's inquest. Purchased the jars in which
the stomach was placed from Byers % Sum
merson, and washed them out with clean
cold water. Took them 10 Mount Sidney
and delivered them to Drs. Fauntleroy and
| McCheSney.
DR.. w. S. McChesney was present ut The
post.moriem examination at Mount Sidney
Went by summons from coroner. When he
got there, found the body on the outside Of
| the grave. Assisted in removing the stom'
ach and placed it, with part of the liver, in
the lars and brought them to Saunton. EX'
amined the stomach and made very slight
examination Of the intestines. The body
was too much decomposed to allow very
minute or satisfactory examination, and on
this account he could give no opinion as to
the cause of death. Was present but for a
short while at the analysis which was after
wards made Arsenic bastens the decay OF
the stomach. The stomach and contents
were between half pint and pint in size.
| The exterior of the stomach presenteda very
! decayed appearance.
Cross-eyaminatiOn Made no examination
of the spinal column, kidneys. or throat.
Have been attending upon Mrs. Allen since
her arrest; regard her as in very delicate
| health, being subject to hemorrhageS OF the
! lungs. of which she has had several since my
attendance upon her. Her lungs are I'M
doubleday affected.
c, A. Roller testified to the Identification Of
the body as that OF Charles Allen. Knew
Allen. Was at his funeral, and was present
when he was buried, and saw the body after
rxbumatien. Am satisfied that the body eX.
humed was that of Charles Allen.
DR.. Crawford, being recalled, said that he
had purchased bislnuth from Trout, Strib-
ling & Berkeley. Got itabout the end of July.
=. II. Trout sold it to him.
Cross. examined: Had never seen case
of poisoning during his practice. Had seen
dogs die from poisoning with strychnlne
Observed nearly the same symptoms In the
case Of Charles Allen, though with differ
ences which | could not understand. Have
seen dog die in thirty minutes from strych-
nine.
DR.. William Bell: Had a conversation
with Mrs. Allen few day after the death of
Mr.. Allen, She met me on the road. Asked
me if her husband had been poisoned could
it be detected by poSt-mortem examination
| told her thought it could. When told
her that had heard it reported that she de-
MED having purchased any arsenic, she said
she had not purchased any, but had
gotten some from Mr.. Parkins with
which to poison rats. She was
very indignant at the reports circulated
about her. Seemed anxious to have post
norton examination made, and said she was
going to get her father to have the body eX-
humed and examined. Was present at the
coroner's inquest and saw the body dlSln-
TERED, and knew it TO be that of Charles
Allen. Had known him about twelve years.
He was Il very kind and amiablc man. As
far rs he knew, Mr.. Allen and his wife lived
together pleasantly aud happily. Had heard
Allen frequently complain Of his sore ankle,
and that pieces of bone were sometimes dis
charged from it. 1t caused him to limp. Mr.
Allen had no means of support besides his
daily labor, and none Of his FAMILY had any
other means of support.
DR.. \. ". Fauntleroy: Was present at
the inquest The body was eXhumcd in
the presence of Dr.. William S. McCheSncy
and myself. We secured q part of the liver
and stomach, which we brought with us to
Staunton. At the preliminary examination
OF the contents of the stomach | only made
= sufficiently close test to justify me in enter,
tanning ii suspicion of the probability OF the
presence of arsenic.
Here, in answer to questions from the
CONFERENCE.-The Attorney, he gave the
general symptoms which attend poisoning
with arsenic, and said that all the symptoms
Us described by DR.. Crawford were consist
ent with poisoning by arsenic; that Spasnls
are rather secondary effects growing out OF
the Initiative and nervous membrane OF the
stomach.
After stating that he had not in the first
place expected to make the final analysis IN
this case, and that he was not present rs an
analytic chemist, but that us he was com
PEELED, in connection with DR.. Hamilton, OF
the Western Lunatic Asylum, to make this
analysis, they had done so, and had reached
certain results, which he would describe.
He then proceeded to give the following
statement Of the manner in which the analy-
sis was made:
To make final analysis the stomach was
carried to the Western Lunatic Asylum, and
the examination and analysis made by DR..
William Hamilton, of the Western Lunatic
ASYLUM, and myself. We minced troy
ounce Of the liver and put it into saucer,
adding to it hydrochloric acid water. As
soon as the liquid became hot, chlolate OF
potassa was added from time to time until
the liquid assumed yellow color. The So
luton was then filtered, the residue washed
with hot water, and the waShings allowed to
fall in the tiltrate. 1t was put on the water
bath and somewhat concentrated by heat.
1t was then put in bottle and washed,
sulphuretted hydrogen passing through
it, which secured a precipitate of a
| brownish color. The precipitate was washed
until free from chlorine, its absence being
| attested by the failure to produce precipi-
tate on the addition of nitrate of silver. The
precipitate was then placed in Water-bath
and dried. Then some water and nitric acid
| were added, and il was again dried. Snlphu-
rio acid was then added, and it was heated
for some hours on sand-bath until it be-
came charred mass. To the charred mass
some water and hydrochlorate acid were adj
ded, and placed for short time upon the
water-buth. 1t was then filtered, and We
secured brownish precipitate by passing
sulphuretted hydrogen through the tiltrate.
Over the precipitate in the filter was
passed warm carbonate Of ammonia.
| The fltrate thus obtained was treated with