The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-05
Second Day of the Preliminary Hearing
in the Riddle Case.
POTS ON ED WIN T.
Mrs. Riddle Sick After Drinking
from Family Flask.
CURIOUS DEVELOPMENTS.


continued in the City Court this morning at ten
O'Clock. Long before this hour the small room was
packed with curious spectators The reporters were
Informed that they would probably find plenty OF
work. as twenty witnesses had been summoned in
the case including four doctors. Henry L. Williams
the coiored engineer. who entered the complaint
against Riddle, at half-past nine O'Clock conducted
his wife, q white woman. into the witness box and
ook seat beside her. Williams Is TALL well formed
and muscular man. and shows in his complexion
predominant traces Of Indian blood. He has
pleasant face. adorned with huge blaek mustache.
casual observer would scarcely select him for
fractious person. Williams is about forty years
Did. and his wife, Mrs. Julia Williams is
. well preserved woman of about the same age. She
Is not unprepossessing in appearance and dressed
becomingly in light gray travelling suit heavy
blue veil covered her face. Just before ten o'clock
Mr.. Wait the senior counsel for tho Defence
panied by Mr.. Allen Tenney. came into the court
room. From him it was learned that no visit had
yet been made by Professor Johnson to Yantic Gem
etery for the purpose of exhuming the remaining
portion Of the body of Mrs Riddle. Mr.. Tenney i'm
mediately passed into the Judges room and inter-
viewed his client. who had been brought down from
the Jail nearly hour before. In q few moments
number of ladies' and gentleman. witnesses in the
case were shown into the Judges At ten o'clock
Prosecuting Attorney Ripley took his seat at the bar
ana shortly after Mr.. Wait appeared when the
court convened. Riddle occupied his old posi-
ton In the of his counsel. His face betrayed
no evidence Of anxiety and had the usual preoccu-
pied expression. massive sparkling pn headed
with brlliants, glttered from his dark satin neck
tie aud he sat he twirled his Derby hat between
his fingers.
HOW MRS. RIDDLE INJURED.
Mrs. Augusta A. Haskell, OF this city, was called to
the witness stand. She stated that she was
quainted with the Riddle family, as they at
time her neghbors Laurel Hill and also Cliff
street; had known them for four years. tho sum-
mer OF 1877 she spent at her cottage at Ocean View.
local seaside resort at the mouth Of the Thames:
one afternoon in August. think it was on Tuesday,
Riddle and his wife arrived the steamer
Ella, from Watch Hill. where they had been
recreating since the morning when they left their
residence in Norwich; they had concluded to stop
Tor q time ut the Edgecombe House; saw them when
they came; on the following morning Mr. Riddle
returned to Norwich, intending to come down at
night; during the forenoon Mrs. Riddle. Mrs james
Allan and myself, with several children, rode over
TO Pine Island beach to battle; the way the car
riage overturned and Mrs. Riddle and myself
leaped out; she sustained severe Earring and had
one OF her fingers sprained: the rest of the party
uninjured; Mrs. Riddle sat by the roadside for
half an hour and then We all walked back to my
cottage by the way of the Ocean House, she seemed
only frightened by the occurrence, which was made
the occasion Of merrment between us; she remained
at my house about half an hour and then returned
to her hotel; accompanied her; she invited me to
take wine with her after we had arrived. but
declined shortly afterward I returned home; after
dinner the office boy of tho hotel came down and
said lady at tho house sick and wished me to
call upon her; went up and found her lying
sofa in private parlor; she rational and feared
that she was going to die: complained OF trouble in
The upper region of her stomach and fearful
that her jaws would become set her eyes were
sosed in the course Of the afternoon she seemed to
Improve and by evening was quito smart; she at
trbuted her sickness to something in the inc she
had taken just before dinner.
At this juncture the accused man fixed his eyes on
the Witness nor did he remove them until she lett
SICK AFTER DnINK1NG WINE.
Witness continued about four O'Clock my hus-
pand telegraphed for DR.. Linnell at Norwich tho
aask containing the wine was not produced; my
Mrs. Riddle to her apartment up stairs; after this
she attended by a New Jersey physician who
was stopping at the hotel; went home soon after.
and returning in the evening found Dr. Linnen and
Mr.. Riddle with the sick woman. who abed: in
tho wine she had drunk; Mr. Riddle said the wine
camo from bottle ut home and had during
the previous day been left ON the steamer
In vaise unattended; think Mrs..
Riddle told me that her husband and
herself had drunk from the flask in the fmorning;
Landlord Edgcombe brought the dregs OF the wine
Mrs. Riddle had previously drunk upstairs in tum-
bier from the hotel Office; don't know personally
but understood that Riddle threw the OF the
TASK away after he arrived; DR.. Linnell tasted
the dregs In the tumber and detected the presence
Of laudanum; Itnsted tho wine Also which was very
bitter and not like any had drunk; went
home before Dr. Lnnell left; Riddle stayed at the
Point with his wife nearly week; attended the
same church that they did and called on them fire.
quently; Riddle called me on the I'd Of October,
ihe day no started tor New York.
Mr.. Wait cross-examined her. Witness said that
Mrs. Riddle had always been ailing; she had a weak
hess which prevented her sometimes from walking;
she came to Eastern Point for her health the New
Jersey physician the first doctor who saw Mrs.
Riddle on the "Wednesday in questionable first who
cine; Riddle was not telegraphed for-no one but
the doctor; the conduct OF tho Riddles MS she
and 80 when he arrived on Wednesday evening.
In brief redirect examination witness said she
had never known Mrs. Riddle to before have at
tack like this of Wednesday: her former sick
Judge Kellogg-Dd the physician prescribe for
her when he attended her2
witness-I think Mrs. Riddle told me he did.
Mr.. wat-She has said that he gave her medicine.
DoCToRED WINE?
Mr. Henry L. Haskell next took the stand For
no most part, he simply reiterated the statement
made by his wife He said that when DR.. Lnnell
tasted OF tho dregs of wine he announced that that
was tho cause OF her sickness. and hc did not
how the laudanum could have got into the flask;
Riddle said that the clerk ut hotel at watch Hill
the day previous had charge of the satchel contain
ing the flask and that some of the wine might have
Ncan drunk out OF 1t and replaced with laudanum.
Riddle here coached his counsel.
In the cross-examination by Mr.. Wait the witness
N}u no had no personal knowledge that klude
shptied out the contents of the flask.
Miss Sarah j. Haskell was the next witness called.
''ae lived with her brother the gentleman who had
sist testified. and stopping Mt Ocean View with
Aen during the summer of lS77 the day
Se carriage was overturned she did not learn that
any OF tho parties suffered from the occurrence;
they made II the subject tor jokes and laughter;
she was with Mrs. Riddle during the afternoon of
tnat evcntfui "Wednesday; in that lady's apartment
was small table on which stood black flask Mrs.
Riddle appeared anxious to her husband; at six
o'clock In the evening she AIR. Riadle the
window rushing pcross the field with his coat on his
arm; ~ MRS. Riddles request she passed out into
tho hallway to meet HIM; he entered, and pushing
her aside. fastened to his wife's room and spoke to
her; the witness followed him into the apartment;
soon aferward Riddle took the flask from the table
and attempted TO drink from IL, when his wife
stopped him. saying. Don't drink that, 1t Ia what
took" ut the request of Mrs. Riddle the witness
went down stairs tor fan; she was gone some ten
minutes; when she returned Riddle was shaking the
last drop from the flask out OF the window; didn't
know whether he had rinsed the flask or not; Dr.
Iisaaan a4..a. ...l In nana..u