The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-17
THE NORUTOH POISONING.
a. .inicient Arscnic Found In MIR. Cobb's vitais
TO Produce Death.


woman. with n piercing black eyo. leaning on
tho arm Of hor counsel. Congressman Wait.
glded quietly into tho City Court at 10 o'clock
yesterday morning and took her seat. II was Mrs.
Cobb. who is on trial for her life for tho murder
OF her husband Chas. II. Cobb. by arsencnl pois-
oning on JunoG Amoment later tall. angular.
grayish .fnced man. with dull blue eyes and
sharp features. walked slowly to n sent near the
woman. This man was Wesley W. Bishop. who
In Jointly Indicted for tho same murder and
that Of his wife by the same means. The court
was suiIpcatlngly heated by the suriest Of July
mornings and was crowded from front rail to
hall doors hya motley throng Of mon and wOm-
on. Inside sat half score Of fashionably dress
ed women. who had deceived Capt Whacy into
an admission by tclling him that they werc wit
nesscs. Outside the rail. sandwiched in with
the throng Of roughs were ns many moro fash
innahly attircd women. Mrs Cobb to tho
charge Of murder in the first degree answered
In faint voice Not guilty Bishop respond
ed 70 tho same charge in n loud. clear voice.
lie looked cooly. hall dcnantly. at the specta-
n,ged " am aenn9in,ancc' @ Mrs. CoR6 nftdr sic
had answered not guilty. laid her head on her
m.,hcrs shoulder II ,E TEnich p"7t"n snf 81
VI. Her mother WIS almost nv'rpower"d by
her emotions. IT. wns decided that tho cases 10
triod separately Bishops Nrsi.
MIR. Cobb. futher of the murdered man. gave q
clear history Of the illness of his SON He said his
n CUP II ten handed to him hv hts wlfc, Thou
he told Of three subsequent attacks all Of the
sam, nature. the last oi whi' reauied IN
death. When he rnmc 20 toll how no
found Charlie diving on the sofa nj.
tor TIE last attack. IN con'psions nnd.,
the old man was completely nrOkcn down. and
his eyes filed with tears. Every one was nf-
t"''cl. Tho uutrurun 'o oi IN" n-ed man. his
| upright countenancc and silvcred lo ks and
his earnest air OF conyi"tion that his son died
the spectators. Mr.. Cohh said that although his
daUsht.r-in- law wns IN the room with her dy-
ing husband. sh" dlnot go near him.
Thre" physicians testified 10 tho examination
| Of the dead mHn'S body. Il was unusually rigid
after death. AMI though they mal" n thorough
| except a slight degeneration Of one kidney.
| They snw nothing To- show that death was pro-
| du ed 10y natural causes.
The C,v Cont WAS again throRgcd this morn
| Ing, ~ 10 O'Clock Bishop came quickly hut
with his accustomed uuabashci d"m'nnor.
! his brother. nnl. gs ON the day before. looked
carelrssly around TIE room. .,noid,ns At th"
| nnluaiuiNncrs that he saw. Then u" fell into
! his seemingly listl"ss position. l'obiu: nut
/ under hls eyebrows koouly and half clntcmp'u-
| ously VIII 'royer he fan"ic! any one WIZ lo)kiul.
| nt him. The air o. the room was ,r'iln cooler
| than on the preceding day. but noiwit th-'and ng
nwNnd.ring hreeze now and then iluitsrcd the
| lawyers papers ON the long table. the tempcra-
| ture whs not mu IL below 90'.
Promptly nj ~ o'clock court was opened. and
! pr. Carleton, whose testimony hnd Dot boon
finished On the previous day. took 49, stand.
. lie testified ~ 10 the effects Of mod gniN and
| immodcrate doses OF arsenic ON the human
system.
lie said that from the symptoms Of Mr. Cobb
| and the general history of tho casc as be heard
| it, he believed thut Cobb came tp his death 10y
| arsrnical poisoning, but he differed with th'
| physr rians who had preceded him. and who
| Thought il WIS a case of acute poisoning. In
| ms judgment. death resulted from q succession
~ acut. p9!,onuEsi thoi Is. p 9'spns in heavy
periods with greater or Joss Intervals. ami that
these do-rs l9l 50 weakened th" con~titu'ien
81 the man that he Lad finally yi"ld at tu tho
last dose. He Thought that denth was not in
the cup of tea That he drank immediately pre-
been put in food that lac had taken AN hour.
or Il day. or perhaps several days previous.
Aesenic rarely operated - auirky. Somei mes
ton of poison and m" fatal result. Arsenic is
not a cumulative poison Ike lead, remaining in
the system Tor years. but il speedily eliminated
unless 1t Is given in doses that prove fa:h nj
ut once. Al the same time /. may b" given In So
frequent doses that the system is not competent
to wholly eliminate ii. and the excess may re-
pr Charles A. noremus took the staul at a
| lttir past noon. Ha said that he received tho
day following his death They wcro enclosed
With strings AMI tape. and seaied and re.
sealed On the top ot the cork wnS the seal ol
d%5 65 FrE"s ISr isS M t?HG gGH %HeR@f %l. m5 a" e %
Impression of the physicians seal ring. Dr
Doremus at once went TO work on he
Illustrated hy experiments IN the court room
aud In conclusion hc snid: " will swear that
nrsenic had been absorbed into the tissues o
Mr. Cohh's body. and was deposited in such
amount in tho liver and kidney as 10 indicate tc
my mind the prcs"nce OF poisonous quantity
In the al sence of all other poison, 10 produce 4
a A. he Doetornoarcd tho end of this summing
M Mr. bishop. who had sat not far away. an,
whose cOlorcss blue eyes had been wander nl
ahstractcdly, though always with n watchtu
glcam around the court rOom-flrst nj tn,
Judge then AZ his attorneys and again NJ tn,
spectators. were suddenly turned sideways
with cold, sarf4aistis and critical eNpressiior
whola body and his face. lit up 10y q cold, con
temptuous haif smile. might have been the face
OF stone statue. AS the witness ceased Il
spenk he leaned cnrcesey back in his chair
and hls CLAN 90 continued It's restless journey
Tho trial occupies tho almost brrathlcss at
tontion 81 ihe whole r,ty nnl as lew are ahle t'
g,t inHine fh1 uoors 3Y Hs he rom WI EIs
am any 9th other M TOP topic Is dIscusod in houschoid o
shop and nearly all tho citizons aro Of on
} and that they should be punished to tho fun
est extent Of the law. But | is the gen
i' eircumstantiai evidence viii not be str6nl
enough to convict them OF murder in the iirs
, Bishop for tho frst time to-day showed evi
doncc oi weakness. and for the first timo hi
cold. immovablo ta,e showed traces ot agitation
Each day many OF his relatives and those ot hi
! dead wife have occupied conspicuous places il
the courtroom. At the close ~ the morninl
J session tho relatives OF Bishops wife tool
! seats in the private room OF Judge Kel
, logg. Bishop. under charge OF Police once
Joseph lathrop, entered the ,apartmen
! and sat down in the circle OF Indies. Ii
I moment toars streamed down the faces Of III
| women. and as they shook his hand he droppe
| nervelessly into seat For several minutes n
, earnest conversation ensued and Bishops fac
} worked convulsyrly. his lips trembled, his eye
: moistened. and he shook from head 10 foot
Thon, by mastery effort. he recovered hi
, control. and when he entered the court In tn
! afternoon lie WAS as cool and careless in de
! meanor As over.
Among tho many rumors thnt noat throuG
: the streets Is ono that the body Of Bishop
I | father who died several years ago. and who's
life was insured in his sons behalf. is 10 be oX
0 humed and subjected 10 chemical analysis
y One Of the strong points which tho proSecu
a tor George c. Ripley, intends 10 produc
Q against Bishop is tic iart. as sworn To by tou
. men Mt the Coroners inquest, that Bishop tol
, | Mr. William X Show. n druggist OF this city {
Q whom he purchased arsenic, that he hougl
I il for Mr.. Cobb. rs tho latter intcndr
3 to use II in killing rnts, Mr., show vi
i testify to the same fact. Bishops health whic
= had failed at first from nervous prostratie
after his Incarceration in the Jail, seems 10 h
. ;G!y recovered, although his coupery yello
o complexion still romans. Mrs, Conn is IN goo
l. health; but the features OF her heart broke
= mother. whose attenunted form is seen daily |
o the court room-neycr speaking but silentl
y listoniDg 10 every word that Ia uttered-an
n | xshnan blaok rpStipSS oyeS gloam likn uull dii