The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-03
GRaHEsENn,s POISONING.
A Corcner's Jury Accuses Samuel Hubbard
Of having Caused his vines Death.

The farmers who gathered in the Graves
end Town Hall yesterday afternoon to attend
the continuation OF the Coroner's inquest in the
case OF the mysterious poisoning oil Mrs Mnria
l.. Hubbard were MS solemn rs though they had
been mt prayer meeting The jurymen were
all dressed in their Sunday clothes. There was
knot OF village maidcns and mothers in one
corner. Cabe Stryker. the shoemaker from the
beach whom the dying woman accused Of poi
sonng her. wns a quiet spectator. The pretty
roadside home OF the Hubbnrds. which is
directly opposite the Town Hall. WINS darkened.
and no one was to be seen about the house.
string OF farmers sat on the soop OF the little
church across the street. and solemnly discussed
the arrest and the sudden apparent insanity Of
Samuel Hubbard. There Is n feeling OF sympa-
thy for the accused farmer. and scarcely n rcsi-
dent Of Gravesrnd now believes that he Ia guilty
II was an outrage TO arrest him. said one
hronzed farmer. as he turned stray hat OYER
and over IN his hand, sam Hubbard couldn't
rest Of his life. There want any more against
him last Saturday thnn there was the day after
his wife died 1t would make any old man
crazy to be taken from his house. whore he had
slept in ono bed for fifty years. and put him in n
DR.. Charles Corey. the insanity expert. had
visited Farmer Hubbard in his cell in the
Washington. street police station Yesterday
and he reported to Coroner Simms that the Hsy-
um was the best place for him. On account Of
MS FnnUltlpn Hf tflnln not De unkPn lDhTHNfS-
end to the inquest in the afternoon. When the
news Of his arrangement was cnrried to his old
neiehhors many were ysibly affected.
DR.. shepard. who made the post-mortem eN-
animation. testified Mt the inquest that In the
absence ot pathological conditions suflicientto
account for death. together with the result OF
Prof Eatons chemical analysis and expert
ments. he WIS led To the opinion that death re-
suited from poisoning by strychnne. The
taste Of strychnia i excessively bitter. and
person who took II must associnte that taste
with poison, else he could not tell thutt was
h.tgs lint h.Il fnl.
Mrs. Cornelin Hicks. who bad known Mira.
Hubbard for i've years, testified that she was
casionallv spoke Ia the witness about her do
nestle affairs. saying TINT She and Mr.. Hub
bard could live wei enough together Il II w"re
Johnson, Mrs. Hubbard said that whenever
Mr.. Hubbard went to his sisters he would come
home low spirited. having little or nothing. To
say to her The last time the witness saw Mrs.
Hubbard alive wns nt her Mrs Huhlmrd'sl
Mrs, Hubbard said TINT She ID did not ' Know what
allied Mr.. Hubbard. He was getting so cross
that she did not know what 20 do. And then She
says now ?" Just M she said this the door WIS
opened aud her daughter came in and the sub
lcct was dropped. When the witness saw Mrs.
Hubbard lying dead on juno ~. Mr.. Hubbard
approached his dead wife, looked ut all Of the
company. and asked whether she had said any.
thing in his absence. Douglass replied that
the don't Woman had requested in her dying
breath TO he buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
the beer that remained in the bottle that Mrs
Hubbard drank from and the contents OF the
stomach. testified that he found three ilnhs ~ a
| grain Of strychnin" In the beer He injected
! some Of the beer under the skin ~ three frogs
| In every ease the treatment was followed by
| the SYMPTOMS that charncterize poisoning 10y
| strychnine. The liquid contents OF the stomach
were also found TO contain strychninc. both by
| the chemical and physiological tnsts. A small
| portion 81 the contents III the stomach was in
| jectcd beneath the skin Of frogs. In short
| time they were thrown into the commissions
| characteristic Of the presence vi strychnne
| About one-twelth ~ a grain Of strychnine was
| obtained from the stomach. and distinct charac
| trristic crystals Of strychnine Were obtained
| from the stomach and the beer. There were
slight traces Of strychnine in the tumblcr and
empty bottle. The full bottles Of lager beer
were free from strychninc.
| Miss Lizzie Iusk. on being recalled, swore
that Mr.. Hubbard arose before she did on the
| day Of the poisoning, and went down stairs.
| When she got the beer for Mrs. Hubbard she
| shook II up intentionally to see II foam. Mrs.
Hubbard offered II 70 her after she had tasted
It. but She declined % drink 1t because she did
not ike beer Mr.. Hubbard took taste Of II.
but he spit II out, saying that he had tobacco in
| his mouth and could not tell the taste. Mrs.
| Hubbard said To the witness that her husband ;
| relations had put the devil in him,
| The jury returned verdict that Mrs Hub
bard came to her death by being poisoned with
strychnine. administered by her husband, Sam
uel Hubbard.
Steps are to be taken to-day toward sending
Hubbard TO an asylum for the insane.