St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-04-14

until they We're served upon the table.
She had been in the kitchen all the
time they were there and most of the
time alone. Here, then, was proved
opportunity. 1t was shown that when
the apprentice GadSden was on the
point of eating some of the dumplings,
Eliza urged him not to do so, saying
they were cold and heavy.
1t was in evidence that Eliza had not
taken the poisoned food until she had
observed its effect upon others, and it
was thence inferred that she either took
il to conceal her crime, or with suicid
al design. 1t moreover appeared that
Eliza statement about the matter were
Inconsistent, contradictory. and in some
instances untrue. She declared that
the poison must he in the milk and not
in the dumplings. Now the milk had
been fetched 10y Sarah Peer. 1t was
thehce inferred that Eliza was trying to
divert suspicion from herself to her fell
low servant. The analysis proved con
clusiVelN that the arsenic was in the
dumplings and not in the milk. To
further dispIove the presumption of
innocence raised by her eating herself
of the poisoned food, it was shows that
she had shortly before had Il hearty meal
off ii beefsteak pie. and therefore was
not likely to have eaten the ''cold and
heavy" dumplings, as she described
them to Gadsden, because she was hun
CRY. Having tried in vain to persuade
people that the poison was in the milk
she turned around and declared it was
in the Yeast. The Yeast was proved 10y
analysis to he perfectly pure.
HcIe then. was group of important
circumStantial elements. Opportunity
was proved, so was an instrument (the
arsenic) at hand il drawer to which
she had free access, and desire be-
traNed to conceal the crime by divert
ing suspicion to another, and by telling
untruths. Upon the evidence as We
have sketched it, Eliza Fenning was
convicted by the jury and sentenced to
death. The case, however. created 50
widespread an agitation in the public
mind that justice heSitated to execute
its fatal decree. The utter absence OF
IL conceivable motive was Il serious blow
in the east. WHY should this light
hearted, amiahle young girl, whose
worst known fault was her eoquetry
with the apprentices, poison Il whole
family ? The great Irish advocate Cur
ran, then in the height of his fame. eX.
claimed in burning eloquence against
the horrible cruelty of her fate. She
was reprieved for three months, in tn,
| hope that new evidence would tranSpir,
to save her. None WAS forthcoming
She was executed amid the greatest eX-
citemcnt throughout the metropolis
and on Il warm July day she was borne
amid the s"rrowing faces of ten thou.
sand spectators. and her pail upheld 10y
six young girls rohed in white from hel
humble home to the graveyard of tn,
founding hospital. One who LIVED
amid those scenes wrote, long after
poor Eliza Fenning! So Young. =,
fair. 81 innocent, Cut down even il
thy morning, with I'LL lifc's brightness.
only at its dawn, Little did it prof
thee that Il city mourned over thy earl,
gave. and that the most eloquent o
men did justice t" thy memory
For more than half Il century tn,
guilt or innocence of Eliza Fenning wa:
Il disputed point. Then the confession
of the real murderer came ont. and he
innocence WAS established beyond ;
doubt.