Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-06-06
MlscE@Mg9.
A POISONED WIFE.
A Murder Trial at Dixon, Ill.
Likely to Become a Cause
Celebre.
Special Dispatch to the Chicago Tribune


DIXON, ILL, June 2.-This pretty
little town Is all of a termcnt over q
trial for murder. The case is that of
the Rev. Samuel II. McGhee, indict-
cd for the murder of his wife, and,
should the facts attending the crime
be proved to be as claimed by the
prosecution, the case will not be with
out striking melodramatic features.
ABorT A YEAR AGO
the congregation of the Christian
Church at Ashton, q town about fif-
teen miles from Dixon, and contain
ing some 1900 inhabitants, listened
to the "tcst" scrmons-thatis, sermons
delivered as sample of what he
could preach-delivered by McGhee.
He was natty little man, scrupu-
lousy neat, and more than a trifle
dandyish in his attire, had smooth
voice, did not advance any dangerous
heresies, and, all in all, made Q favor
able impression,
ESPECIALLY UPON THE FEMALE PoR-
TON OF THE CONGREGATION.
The result was that he received q call,
and shortly removed from Hunting
ton, Ind, to Ashton, and entered up
on the ministry at the Christian
Church. McGhee, who is about 40
years of age-he looks younger--was
accompanied by his wife and a
daughter about 16 years of age. The
latter was introduced in the neigh
borhood as Mrs. Jenny Morris. She
had an infant child, and her husband,
never seen at Ashton, was understood
to be somewhere East.
During the few days of his stay at
Ashton, while doing the "test" preach
ing, McGhee stopped at the house of
well-to-do farmer named Paddock,
PApDoCK's DAUGHTER RILLA,
fresh, handsome girl of about Is,
and member of the church, it was
observed, seemed deeply impressed
with the new minister, with his little
clerical dandyisms, and more dan
gerous clerical sentimentalism. And
McGhee, it was noted, seemed espe-
cially impressed with the farmers
handsome daughter. When, soon
after, McGhee returned to Ashton,
there sprang mp
1
that was rapidly developing into a
scandal of the first magnitude. The
girl, everybody in the congregation
could see, was madly in love with
the minister. And the minister, with
his pastoral prerogatiyes and priyi-
leges used to that end, was making
love to Isilla in q way that tho old
folks all said must sooner or later
lead to mischief. But, after the man
ner of churches, the more tho matter
was talked about, the moro jealous
were the partisans Of the parson in
sustaining him, and, as a prosecuted
individual, he endeared himself the
more to the female portion of the
flock, and, of course, was more than
ever an object of interest 10 Miss
Rilla.
THE MISCHIEF DID COME
soon enough. On the 7th of Februa-
ry last McGhee's wife was seized with
violent spasms, attended with terrible
pains and vomiting. In about forty
eight hours she recovered. On the
10Th she was again seized by fright
full convulsions, lasting about three
days. The third week she began to
convalesce. But on the evening of
Feb. 26th the spasms required with
unusual violence. McGhee at the
time was at church
CONDUCTING REVIVAL SERVICES
his forte seemed to be as a revivalist.
He was sent for, as also was the Doc
tor. The latter compounded sim
pie prescription-calomel and bis
muth-which he divided into four
doses, administering ono himself and
leaving directions that one of the
powders should be given every two
hours. Two hours passed, and a
neighbour woman who had come
in to sit up with Mrs. McGhce-gave
the second powder. The patient,
though suffering extreme pain, COM
planned of the bitter taste of the pow
der. Another two hours passed. The
third powder was given her. "Why,
this is like the one the Doctor gave,
said Mrs. McGhee, as she swallowed
it. The exclamation leads to the in
ference that
TIE POOR WOMAN HALF-sUsPEcTED
she was being foullY dealt with. An
| other couple of hours passed. The
last of the four powders was given
by another Of the neighbor women
who was attending her, and Mrs. Nc
Chez, with her worst suspicious ev-
identity returning, said, "That is like
the second" A few hours after she
expired in great agony, her symp-
toms being those Of poisoning by
strychnine.
THE stalk" HAD NOW MAGNIFIED
to such proportions that people no
longer spoke in whispers about it.
The charge was at once made that
McGhee had poisoned his wife In or
der that he might marry Rilla Pad
dock. This Ia some modified form
even invaded McGhee's own house
while he stood there befope the life
less remaiDs Of his wife, and he re.
sponded something to the effect that
the dead woman had not been with
ont cause for jealousy.
The matter could not now be hush
! ed pp.