Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-06-12

Allen, pro OIL con, until about the time o
this affair. The night after Allen wa
buried DR.. Crawford was sent for to Sc
Mrs. Allen, and as he was going away HI
told me Allen had been poisoned. TIL
day before Aliens death DR.. G. told MI
he was suffering from inflammation Of tn,
stomach and gall bladder. and the day hi
died DR.. c. told me if he didn't get relic
soon he would die. Mrs. Allen was very
attentive, and whenever she left his bed
side Allen would call her to his side again
She was much affected at his death, ant
had fainting spell. She went to the flu
neral. Witness did not see her for several
days after that. Witness told DR.. Craw-
ford that if it was his opinion Allen had
been poisoned, the body ought to be take1
up and examined. DR.. G. said it would
hardly be of any use after the antidotes he
had given him. Allen had told witness
that he had suffered from gangreen in his
wound while prisoner OF war.
When witness talked with DR.. Crawford
he asked witness why he didn't s'get gun
and load it with buck shot, and get some
body to put it into Napier" The Monday
after Allen was buried, | was in the barn
with Captain Webb, who told me Napier
had just gone up to Aliens house. Wit
ness said to Clay Allen, half brother to de-
ceased, who came in shortly afterwards,
why don't you go up to Aliens, and take
u stick and whale Napier off the place ~
Said that because Napier was trifling
fellow, which witness knew from having
had him in their employment on the rail
road; also because Napier had started the
report that he (Napier) had been intimate
with Miss Eliza Allen OF Mrs. Allen, wit
ness was not certain which, but thought it
was Mrs. Allen. Napier was not a man to
be believed. Never saw Napier and Mrs.
Allen together, and had only seen him and
Miss Eliza Allen together once, sitting
talking near brick yard. Napier boarded
at Aliens while he worked for witness.
MISS MARIA ALLEN,
the aunt of the deceased, a lady some sixty
years of age, who had raised him as an
orphan child, testified that he and his wife
always lived peaceably, the only cause of
variance she ever saw being that some
times he would wish her to chastise the chill
dren to which she objected. Miss Eliza
Allen killed the chicken and cooked the
soup herself. Allen said it didn't look
nice, and witness tasted two OF three
spoonsful of it, and the children ate the
balance. Never saw any conduct of Mrs.
Allen unbecoming an affectionate wife,
Mrs. Allen had been the mother Of seven
children, of whom three were living. The
deceased himself suggested making the
soup He had been complaining all that
day. He was taken sick at supper.
MISS ELIZA ALLEN;
the sister of the deceased, testified to hav-
ing killed the chicken, prepared the soup
and taken the chicken out and buttered it.
1t was all eaten-a part by him and the
rest by the children Witness had not re-
membered at the coroner's inquest that the
children ate it. but did remember it
now. 1t made none of them sick
In dplcl UOdIuOu Ill UllO uOuoO llOA1 olO
Sd Of April to December, and in that
time she saw nothing more than res
pect from him to Mrs. Allen. Witness
(blushingly) didn't know that Napier was
paying particular attention to herself.
Sometimes they were friendly and some
times they quarreled. When he was away
he wrote to witness. Allen was very
friendly to Napier, and it was not him but
herself (witness) that objected to Napier's
going to camp-meeting that Sunday men
toned by DR.. Crawford. Allen and Ma
pier conversed very pleasantly all the way
to camp-meeting. Allen in his last sick
ness did not commence vomiting till We'd
nesday morning. There were rats about
the house, and one particularly large. AL
len wanted his wife to poison them, fear
ing they would kill the turkies and chick
ems. Knew of no arsenic in the house.
Witness once had some strychnine, which
she prepared and used herself for killing
rats.
Mrs. Allen told witness that her husband
had told her when to burn up the arsenic,
and that she raised the lid and he threw
the paper in. Witness saw her raise the
lid, but did not know what it was for. Did
not notice any odor when aqlantity of al
senic was afterwards burned in the same
stove by way of experiment. MI. Parkins
and Mr.. Charles Grattan were present and
made the experiment.
,1,o 1,+
Staunton. Her husband gave her the mo-
ney to buy the arsenic at DR.. Eichelber-
gers. The first witness heard of Allen
being poisoned was Clay Allen coming
home from Mount Sidney, and saying, " it
was all over town thereo that Allen was
poisoned. He didn't say who it was re-
ported had poisoned him. Witness then
asked Mr.. Parkins about the report.
CLAY ALLEN.
half brother of the deceased, a young man
of "a testified that he was raised in Page
county, and had never known his half
brother and his wife until 1866, when he
went to live with them. They lived very
happily together.
SAMUEL WEBB,
a youth, living in the neighborhood, testi-
fed to Allen having complained to him
very strongly of his bad health, and say
ING that he intended to end his life unless
he got better. Witness told his father of
Aliens remark. That was the last time
he saw deceased.
MRS. KLINE,
sister of the prisoner, a good looking, black
eyed young woman, Hastily dressed, testi-
fed that abont three weeks before his
death he had called at her house, saying
his wife had sent him to ask how witness
was. In reply to questions, he said he
novnr aynected to get we'll He tasted