The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-24
THE EMMA BETHEL CASE.

SUMMING UP AND GOING TO THE JUGY
CAMDEN, May %, 1873
When tho Court OF Quarter sessions hearing the
case Of Mrs Bethel opened this morning the court
and gallery wore crowded to excess
SUMMING UP THE STATE
The Com wealtn,s case summed up by Prose
culor jenkins, VINO commenced by rccitng the law
under which the defendant was tried, explaining that
If she were convicted the penalty would be for
murder in tho nrst degree. Two points no dwell
upon-was Hannah Bishop poisoncd2 and who ad-
ninstercd the posonf He commended that there were
no recent discoveries that would rebut Professor
Stephens testimony and that the defence had aban-
doued the plea that Mrs. Bishop died from natural
causes. Mr. jenkins read the testimony showing
the various tests aud the results, all proving
the existence OF arsenic Taking tho average weight
oil The liver 10 be- orty ounces, the proportion OF
arsenic ioand in the liver alone was J. 30 grams OF
white arsenic, and besides this arsenic was found
more or less all the organs OF the body Tho his
tory OF tho examination was gone through from the
burial OF The body Of Mira Bishop to the exhumaton,
tho removal OF the organs and their delivery TO
Professor stephens, aud tho attorney for the Com
monwealth claimed that there was not Ink wanting
the chain OF evidence.
WHO ADMINISTERED THE poIsoS'
The counsel then proceeded TO argue the second
question, who administered the posonY" In his
address he followed the defendant IRON Berlin which
vile, TO Philadelphia, where she remained three
days. When arrested she told hor story 20 Mr..
Clark. not until after the bodies were cx-
numed; but she did not thcn tell al.
Counsel laid great stress upon the facts
that ndant said at first that Frank Willetts
had got her to do II, and then when she found II
necessary herself she says that Frank Wetts
did il. What motive had Frank Wilietts to commit
the decd? He not financially embarrassed,
and the property was oEly worth In all
probably 81, 0O0 But Frank was not there dur
Ing the last sickness Of Mr.. Bishop, and how
ala he poison bimf Emma Bethel cooked tho
drank alone and sho was immediately taken SICK.
1.-The urder,' said the counsel s'was well planned
ana beautifully executed. aud no one could DO
il better than she. ! never IN my iife saw a woman
IN this co urt roomn The counsel closed with the
words that the defendant was woman ana mad the
sympathy oil all men, but the law knows no sex
when crime Ia investigated. What doubt you may
have OF the evidence must not be anciiu one, but
q real, substantial one
UP POR THE DEFENCE.
The plea Tor tho defence was opened by II. L. Shape.
Complimcnting the Jury on their close attention he
adverted 10 the preudices that are tanned into io
by the publicity OF Tue case he proceeded TO scan
the evidence and gave q history OF tho
life OF The defendant, and also OF the affcc-
tionate relations between hor and the BishopA
attacked the testimony OF Professor Stephens and
said ho astonished that nan Of his age and ex-
perence should DO SO crminaly careless In making
up opin ION, especially case OF life and death.
The counsel cited cases wherein experts were mis-
taken. and rested strongly on Tho value OF
chemical tests. He went through the several
by asserting That blundsr had been made
somewhere between the grave and Professor
Stephens' laboratory 1t was sug gested that the re-
quiste had not been exercised from tho time VI
tue examination unti the tests were made Adverting
to tue evidence counsel criticised tho testimony OF
the several witnesses Tor the Commonwealth.