Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-05-20
Circuln stantial Evidence.

WV Nfo't u CNCt uatbttthttl
more melanch oily INSTANCES Of what is
termed 'judic,sl murder" than the
famous 'cxseof Eliza Fenring. The
tragic history of that unhappy
young woman, though well remem.
bered by old Londoners, is probably
forgotten, or at least hut littlt
known, in the United States. Eliza
Fenning was fair girl of twenty.
two, Of more than usual intelligence
for one of her class, bright, coquet.
fish, but well-disposed -and amiable
The daughter of poor couple who
dwelt in High Holborn, on the very
spot where Day s. Martins backing
establishment now stands, she was
employed AS cook in the family of Il
Mr.. furner law statimer at Chan
Gerry Lane. That family consisted II
the Turner's, man and wife, two ap-
prentices named Gadsden and King,
Sarah Peer, Il housemaid, and Eliza
Fenning, the cook. One day the
father of Mr.. Turner went to his
sons house TO dinner, and Mrs. Tur-
ner ordered Eliza to make some
yeast dumphngs. When dinner time
came. tile three Turner's sat down al
the table, and began to discuss the
savory dish. The dumplings had
hardly been tasted. however, wnen
all three were seized with sharp and
agonizing pains. The dish was taken
out intp the kitchen, and there Gads-
den. one of the apprentices, partook
of it, and also fell violently i'll. Eli
"a herself next ate of the dish
and was attacked by the same
strange symptoms. The spprenticc
King, and Sarah the maid, who had
dined earlier, did not taste the
dumplingS, and we're not i'll.
The physician who was called de.
clared the symptoms of the sufferers
to be those uf poisoning by arsenic
Then every component part Of the
dish of dumplings was examined. 1t
was clear that the poison was not in
the sauce, of which the elder Turner
had not partakcn. Neither was i, in
the tiour, for pie-crust made of tae
same -four had been eaten by King
and Peer with impunity. Somt
dough of which the dumplings were
made Was examined. and poison dis.
covered therein. 1t appears tina,
Turler used arsenic tor killing rats
aud Was in the habit OF leaving il
carelessly in an open drawer.
Su-plciun fell at once upon Elizs
Fcnning, and she WAS arrested and
arraigned on charge Of attempting
t. poison the Turner's. From the
frs, she earnestly protested her in
nncence. 1t was proved that she and
she alone had mixed and made the
dumplings; the .circumstan,iAi evi-
dence went to show that no one else
could have had access to them until
they were served upon the table. Sac
had been in the Kitchen ali the time
alone. Here. then, Was proved op-
portunity. Ii was shown thst when
the apprentice G ,dsdcn WIS on the
point OF eating some If the dump
liags, Eliza urged him not to do I,
saying they We're cold aud hetvy. Ii
was in evidence thst Eliza had
not taken the poisoned food
until she had observed its
effect upon Others, and it was
thence inferred that she either took
it to conceal her crime, or with & sui
cidal design. 1t moreover appeared
that ELIAS statements abuut the
matters were Inconsistent contrsdic-
tory, aud in some instances untrue
She declared that the poison must he
in the milk and not in the dump
lings. Now the milk had beea
fetched by Sarah Peer. 1t was thence
inferred that Eliza was trying 10
divert suspicion from herself to her
fellow servant. The analysis proved
conclusively that the arsenic Was in
the dampin.s and not in the milk
10 further disprove the presumption
OF innocence raised by her eating
herself of the poisoned food, it was
shown that she had shortly before
had hearty meal off u beefsteak pie,
and therefore was not likely to have
eaten the "cold and and heavy
.Sumplings, IS she described them
to Gadsden, because sho was hungry
Having tried in vain topersuade pe"-
'pe that the poison was in the milk
she turned around and declared thai
it wasiu the yeast, The yeast wa,
proved by analysis to be perfectly
spure.
. Here, then, was group of i'm
portant circumstantial elements. Or
sportunity was proved, SO was an in
strument (the arsenic) at hand in ,
drawer to which she had free access
and desire betrayed to conceal tn,
crime by diyerting suspicion to. an
other, and by telling un.ruths. Upor
the evidence as we have sketched it
Eliza Fenning was convicted by tn,
jury, and sentenced to. death, Tn,
case, however, created SO widespread
an, agitation in the public mind tha
justice hesitatsd to execute its fats