Litchfield enquirer., 1879-12-25
A Tale of Long-hidden Crime.

s II Last Saturday two persons, man and a
 woman, were secretly indicted by the Grand l Jury of Niagara county, New York Upon
 this the District Attorney telegraphed to De-
 trolt, Michigan, to the authorities there and 1 the two persons were immediately afterward
 arrested in Detroit while walking together in 1 the street.
 The charge against Adelne Hotchkiss and 1 Hugh MacGregor Wilson is remarkable one SThe indictment against the former is for mur-
 der in the first degree; and against the latter
 for being an accessory before the fact. They fsare charged with killing two men by poisoE.
 The crimes are said to have been committed respectively twelve and ten years ago i; and
 the alleged victims were the husband and the
 son of Adeline Hotchkiss. { A4 I 8 > @ 1 In December, 1867, George c. Hotchkiss | fell ill and died. He had been married for l some years to his wife, handsome brunette, 1 and they lived at the small hamlet called Youngstown. The ancestors of Hotchklss were the first settlers of the ancient village of
 Lewiston, hard by, and they long held prop 1 erty which extends along the Niagara River, opposite to Queenstown Heights, where the l famous General Brock fell, and where mon-
 ument commemorates his death. Wilson be-
 ing doctor attended Hotchkiss during his
 illness. When Hotchkiss died, after three
 weeks of agony, Wilson said his disease was
 acute gastritis. During this time, and before
 and afterward, intimate relations existed be- tween Adellne Hotchkiss and Ir- Wilson.
 Suspicious were felt and expressed when
 Hotchkiss died that all was net right. But
 nothing was done, and the suspected persons soon after removed to Buffalo.
 At Buffalo sou of the Hotchkisses, named
 Holly, was at this time attending a commer- ciaI college. He had short time before be- came heir to some $40,000, which were left him by an uncle. Mrs. Hotchkiss had some money of her own. She took up her residence in Buffalo, and Dr. Wilson was her frequent visitor On the 18th of January, 1869. the boy Holly, being then about twenty years of age, became suddenly and violently ill. In about three weeks, having made a will in fa- vor of his mother, he died. Not long after Mrs. Hotchkiss returned to Youngstown, and thence went to Lockport. Dr. Wilson then established himself in practice at Lockport, but about fGur years ago the pair, having been the objects of some social censure in the mean time. suddenly disappeared.
 Six months ago there were rumors of inves- tigation. Doubts and surmises, long smothered took a definite and practical shape. Certain friends the dead father and son, who are per sons of means and influence, took the matter actively in hand The body of George c. Hotchkiss, which had mouldered more than eleVen years ID tne grave, was eXnunleQ. An elaborate analysis was made of the remains by Dr. Simeon T. Clark and Dr. A. Walter Ty- ron; and they produced arsenic enough there from to cause death. These physicians testi- fled that in their belief Hotchkiss was killed by arsenic. Then other facts came out. It was proved that for some time before he died no one was permitted to see the elder Hotch- kiss, not even his most intimate friends. Af- ter this, Dr. Lewis of Buffalo testified that Holly, the son, had expired in spaslns pc cisely Such as are produced by strychn.iae. Other evidence was also brought for ward against the accused; and hence has sprung indictment and arrest. - N t-7
 Appearances as they are now set forth are terribly against the suspected persons. But they will doubtless have fair trial and be af- forded every chance to prove their innocence. Should they fail to do so a new and solemn example will be made of the ultimate detec- tion and punishment of long concealed guilt of murder in its most odous form, but of which the traces seemed so effaced and hidden that the perpetrators probably thought that nothing short of a miracle would everbring i. to light such as will be most impressive and saluta- s ry.