Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-12-12
a LAsCrvIoUs DEACON

erest in the case of the trial Of Dea- !
ON Ezra p. Smith and Mrs. Mary e.
,hamplin, Of Vergennes, Vermont
or the murder, by poisoning, Of
smiths wife. Smith was an old, pi-
JUS, wealthy and respectable citizen,
With grown up and married children.
Mrs. Champlin was q buxom neigh
DOT, thirty-One years old, whose hus-
oand worked most Of the time in
New York. Mr.. Champlin left his
wife some five years ago, on aocount
of an intimacy which was found to
have existed between her and = North
Adams lawyer, but the trouble WAS
patched up, and the family moved to
Vergennes. Although the Champlins
have lived for nearly two years near
the Smiths, the deacon seems not to
have become acquainted with Mrs.
Champlin until January last. The |
acquaintance was brought about q . |
church social held ct the dsacOn,s. |
While old and young were playing |
an old fashioned game, the deacon, a. |
q forfeit was sentenced to kiss Mrs.
G. He lays all his troubles TO that |
kiss. Since his arrest he has stated
that, up to this time, he had been true
in thought as well IS in deed, to his
wife. He fell in hot love with Mrs.
G. and visited her altogether too
much. Last summer Mrs.. Smith,
who was in good health, was sudden
" taken sick and died in great agony.
At her first attack Mrs. Champlin
was sent for, and she nursed Mrs.
Smith until her death. During the
week that Mrs. Champlin lived 6 the
house of the Smiths many little things
were noticed by the neighbors which
caused gossip, and finally eliminated
in scandal. This caused Mr.. Champ
lin to determine on removing with
his family to Essex, but Mrs. Champ
lin refused to go, and he left with his
children. This seemed to fan the
flame, and things became 30 warm
that Mrs. Champlin left town. In .
few days Smith left also, and, In his
absence, which lasted about two
weeks, the circumstances Of the death
of his wife were canvassed, and sus-
picion that all was not right gained
ground.
The father OF Mrs. Smith secured
the services Of Detective Burroughs,
and q number Of letters between Dea.
Smith and Mrs. Champlin and other
evidences were secured which LETT NO
doubt that . criminal intimacy had
existed between the parties for
months. Evidence was also secured
which made 1t extremely probable
that MIRA. Smith had been poisoned.
Smith in the meantime had returned ;
the body of his wife had been taken
up, and Prof. Collier, Of Bennington,
who had examined 1t, with view ia
10 more critical examination, If the
appearance of the stomach warrant
ed 1t, had reported that 1.-THE stomach
had been subject to the action Of On
1irritant poison" and advised thor.
ough chemical analysis. Smith got 4
motion he could stop Prof. G. from
going ON with the Investigation and
sent him the Following note:
BURLINGTON, VT, Oct. 16, II.
4 Mr.. Colyer: Sir-If you will stoI
the analysis of my wife's body I will
pay you $3.50, as we talked.
Il Yours truly, E. P. SMITH.
At the same time he sent this mote
, to Mrs. Champlin:
"Mary Keep up your courage
think I can buy of Mr.. Colyer.-
. Shall try hard. EzRAP."
The chemical analysis of Prof. Col
lier revealed q large quantity Of ar
senic. He will testify that it hai
been administered some days previ
GUS to the death, and, in his opinion
: at different times. Wilbur Champlin
brother of Mrs. C.'s husband, had
, practiced taxidermy, on q limited
scale, and had in his possession
quantity Of arsenic. Mrs. Cbamplil
knew where it was kept, had Access
to 1t and had repeatedly spoken of 1t
Deacon Smith bought strychnine o
, Sprague's drug store, and after the
, rumor Of poison had been started
the record book tall sales of poison
which has to be kept in conf0rmit,
to Vermont law, was surreptitiously
taken from the store. The three ply
sicians who visited the woman dur
: ing her sickness will all testify tina
the synspteas-were Poison. Th.
|. neighbor women who watched with
Mrs. s. in her last illness will al tax,
!. great pleasure in seeing both the
Deacon and Mrs. C. hung, because o
their goings-on while his wife wa
dying.
i Mrs. Fisher will testify that, on thu
J evening of the death Of Mrs. Smith
|, while she and Mrs. Champlin wer'
watching with the corpse, and Will
Mrs. Champlin supposed she wa
asleep, Ezra came into the room, tool
Mrs. q. into his lap, kissed and hug
ged her, and that they both reclinet
} on the lounge together.
Mrs. Stewart will testify that Ab0u
midnight the night before Mrl
J Smith died, while she was watching
the sick woman, fearing that she wa
dying, she went up to Mrs. Champlin'
room and undertook to awaken her
but the door being locked she cOult
not do it; then going to Ezra's room
. she with much trouble gained . re
Spouse, although she was satisfies
from the noise in the room that b
was awake. Her impression was tina
he was not alone in the room. Err
refused to come down, saying thu
, che did not want to see C0rdeli
again" We condense from tn
Springfield Republican. The case
. now being tried at Middlebury, Yer
mont. And each of the accused seen
. to be in mortal terror lest the othe
should turn States evidence.