The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-16

In conclusion Mr. Thresher made earnest plea
fall upon the one who is really guilty, Wesley
Bishop, and that the woman innocent and proven
SO, suffer no wrong at their hands.
MRS. coBB's TEARS.
During the latter part of the plea Mrs. Cobb, for
the third time during the three weeks OF the trial.
Cobb spoke of his sons death. and again when
she related some of Charities last words
sobbed quietly for some moments. and ex-
hibited really more feeling than on any previous
occasion. Upon the conclusion of Mr. Threshers ad-
dress a recess taken and the time was spent by
the counsel for the State inrrangng preparatory to
the closing argument by State Attorney Waller sew
eral of the little keepsakes that had passed between
Kate and Bishop. Among these the broom case
marked sHope," mustache cup marked Think of
me- which Bishop claims Kate gave MN, r ptd ds ik
the much talked of 81 rs hand mirror and some
minor trinkets.
ARGUMENT OF STATE ATTORNEY WALLER.
Mr. Waller, State Attorney for the county, opened
the last argument for the prosecution shortly after
eleven O'Clock. Thanking the jury in the conven-
onal style for their attention he proceeded to argue
that the questions involved in the had been not
of law, but of evidence. Criminal experience, he
said. divides murder into two classes-murders for
gain and murders inspired by passion. Charlie
Cobb had accumulated but tle for he had spent his
income freely in providing . comfortable home
for his wife and his children. Hence there
was no motive Of avarice, and there was
none of revenge, for Charlie Cobb had no enemies;
his was gentle temperament, and he was universally
popular. Was Charlie Cobb suicide9 1t is darkly
limited that he was, but there was never an element
of suicide in his words or his conduct. Charlie Cobb
chung to life when the best physicians OF the town
were baffied by the diagnosis of his troubles; he
sought every remedy for his malady. Was he an in
voluntary suicide? This chance has been suggested,
but it cannot be shown that any medicines he
took were injurious in their character. Nor is
there anything reasonable in the theory OF
sicknesses he never said one word when lead
poisoning was suggested, nor did he men
arsenic regularly And Kate Cobb never spoke of it,
Would good wife have urged him to discontinue
its or mentioned the practice to his physicians
or to her husbands mother when, during his last ILL
ness the question of poisoning was raised? Even
when postmorterA examination was made she
maintained silence. and never did she betray her
secret until the time of the Coroner's jury. when
parts of her husbands body were in the hands OF
Psychologists for chemical examination and she had
read in the papers that arsenic had been discovered
Then for the first time she speaks, and her mother
corroborates her testimony with the greatest
readiness. We cannot blame the mother Tor
she was laboring to the life of her child.
and her mothers instincts led her to dare everything
to accomplish this end Arsenic eating is put for
ward as an explanation of Cobbs death, but it is
only theory, unsupported by any evidence Of any
such practice in this country whatever may be the
customs of the mountaineers of Syria. Cobbs body
showed no evidences Of disease every organ was in
q healthy condition, but when science intruded its
searching finger into the mystery OF his affct1on we
found full traces OF the agent from which came his
death. Professor Doremus brought into court and
exhibited to the jury the apparatus of scientific re-
Charlie Cobb He showed the stains of the
poison and SO delicate and careful his ties that
he not only found arsenic, Dut 1Ounu Strychn1ne-
that most difficult poison to detect; that poison
which has the property of hiding itself away in the
deepest recesses and almost detying search for it.
This chemical investigation by Professor Doremus
was most careful; its features were teegraphed all
the country, and had there been errors in his
plans scientific men would have come from all over
the country and aided the defence in protect
ing the life of a woman against the result Of
erroneous theories or erroneous practices. The
speaker made brilliant appeal at this point mainly
directed to stiffening the backbones of the jury
and inducing them to discard that prejudice in favor
of woman. that presumption OF innocence which is
the faithfulness Of Kate Cobb to her husband For
many years Mr.. Cobb had bought groceries here and
there until 1871 after Kate had danced with this
Bishop at masquerade balls he the grocery clerk,
begins coming to her house for orders. The
his frequent daily visits in the. absence Of
the husband. until the matter became neigh
borhood scandal. Mrs Cobb. in her testimony
that she told him that she annoyed and that she
would not only tell his employer but her husband.
but she told nobody while decisive word from
woman with her force Of character would have
driven this gocery clerk cringcing from her door, Her
lady friends beginning discard her account
the scandal, but she chung to Bishop through it
all. There were night walks on the dark, quiet
streets of Norwich Presents from one to the other
begun as far back as July 1877 year before Cobbs
DEATH not the little presents of ordinary friendship.
but things significant and which told the story
Of unhallowed love.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The court room WAS literally packed solid with
spectators when the Court met at two o'clock. State
Attorney Waller resumed his closing address for the
State and entered again upon the subject Of the pres
ents, aggregating q dozen. He claimed that it was
ridiculous pretence that these presents meant moth
ing First was the hand mirror, which she need not
have obtained through her grocery clerk when she
visited the main street Of the city five times each
Us such she took it. And the date of this gift was
marked by piece OF poetry. regarding which Kate
Cobb makes the astounding explanation that she had
sent it Bishops wife and not to the To weeks
later the woman is in Troy and sends poem, "Con-
ISOLATION in absence" While there she writes home
that she had found pearl pencil steamer but we
know that within few days Of this Bishop bought
an exactly similar pencil In Norwich Next he sends
her cup marked Pet and she buys gold tooth
At this point Mr. Waller stopped abruptly and COM
planned OF being seriously annoyed by the senior
within few feet engaged in examining mass OF
manuscript. Colonel Wait. with smile. changed his
seat to position sat satisfactory to the states
pleasant compliments. the argument
resumed Diminishing the subject of the
presents Mr. Waller sketched the mpossibilities OF
Mrs. Cobbs explanation regarding the word "Pet"
on the tokens OF affection exchanged between herself
and Bishop; also that she went to Bishops house on
only a simple errand when his mother away,
when in reality she went there to desecrate with
adultery the home from which the dead wife Of
Bishop had been borne but two short months before.
In his testimony Bishop fixed other nights of crimi
nal Intercourse with Kate Cobb by the dates of her
visits to various lady friends and the speaker claimed
that 1t IL senseless to ask any one to believe
her statement that he was enabled to do because
she told him of these visits on the following morn
ings Continuing, Mr.. Waller pointed out that relia-
BILE witnesses had corroborated Bishops statements
that he had purchased aconite arsenic morphine and
strychnine. AND that Bishop had given the only
reasonable explanation why Kate should send him
to return two library books the day following her
husbands death by stating that in one book
note for him. and the poison that remained after
her husband had fallen victim to her crime The
speaker claimed that of the strongest pieces of
testimony against her the sending OF letter TO
Bishop after both had been committed to Jail,
and with admonition therein to be
careful what he wrote. Bishop admits that
in the commission OF the great crime he
counselled and aided her because he infatuated
with the woman. The man stands to-day the
gallows without hope. and no wheel OF the Spanish
1nquistion wrenched from him the confession OF his
guiit, but rather the remembranccs of his early
teachings under pious and God-fearing parents.
In conclusion. Mr.. Waller said. do not, in deciding
who Is guilty OF this crime. regard the
woman a mere thing. but rather az an ntelli-
gent being. and then see to It that your sympathcs
do not defeat the ends OF justice. 1t she is equally
guilty with Bishop let there he double galows and
q Just expiation OF this crime IL this woman be
guilty return q verdict of guilty Of murder ia the
first degree; let maudlin sympathy swerve you
from the line of duty which the Laws down