Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-02-12

room after the event. 1t is true that the
prosecuting attorney, in his closing argu-
ment, sought to make the latter circum-
stance tell against the prisoner. He
argued that the disappearance of any
vessel containing or having contained
laudanum, In view of the positive evil
dence that laudanum had been employed,
served to establish deliberate intention
of murder and to demolish any theory of
accidental poisoning that the defence
might attempt to build; and he pro-
pounded half a dozen hypothetical
methods by which Mrs. Ratcliff might
have disposed, in advance, OF this evil
dence of her crime. The court, of
course, in summing up, cautioned the
jury against attaching weight to these
hypothesis of the prosecuting attorney.
The court, however, put much en-
phasis on the medical testimony for the
prosecution, and ON the calm declaration
of Mrs. Radcliffe to DIR. Culbert, Il
suppose that / have killed him"
Having conducted the autopsy, and
afterward made a qualitative analysis of
the contents of the dead mans stomach,
l was put upon the stand as q witness
for the defence.
Then / saw the prisoner for the first
time in more than five years. When |
had taken the oath and answered the pre-
hminary questions, Mrs. Ratclitf raised
the veil which she had worn since the
trial began, and looked me in the face
with the aforementioned eyes of Miss
Borgier
l confess that my behavior during the
first few moments of surprise afforded
some ground for the reports that were
afterwards current concerning my rela-
tons with the prisoner. Her eyes
chained not only mine, but my tongue
also. l saw Jerusalem again, and the
face framed in blue sky peering down in
to the amphitheatre of the old medical
college. 1t was only after struggle
which attracted the attention of Judge,
jury, bar, and spectators that | was
able to proceed with my testimony.
That testimony was strong tor the
accused Ny knowledge of the case was
wholly post norton. It began with the
autopsy. Nothing had been found that
indicated poisoning by ladunum or any
any other agent There was no morbid
appearance of the intestinal canal; no
fullness of the cerebral vessels, no
serious effusion. Every appearance that
would have resulted IRON death by
poison was wanting in the subject. That,
OF course, was merely negative evidence.
But, furthermore, my chemical analysis
had proved the absence of the poison in
the system The opium odor could not
be detected. l had tested for morphine
with nitric acid, permuriate of iron,
chromate of potash, and, most important
iodic acid. | had tested again for
meconic acid with permuriate of iron. l
had tested by Lassaigne's process, by
Dubiane's, and by Flandin's AS far as
the resources of organic chemistry could
avail, l had proved that, Notwithstanding
the symptoms of Mr.. Ratcliff' case be-
fore death, death had not resulted from
science.
The questions by the prosecuting
counsel as to my previous acquaintance
with the prisoner, / was able to answer
truthfully in manner that did not
shake the force of my medical testimony.
Aud it was chiefly on the strength of this
testimony that the jury, after short de-
liberation, returned verdict of not
guilty.
Did swear falsely? No: for scien'
bore me out In every assertion. kneN,
that not drop of laudanum or grain of
morphine had passed Ratcliff's bps
Ought | to have declared my belief re-
garding the true cause of mans death,
and told the story of my previous obser-
vations of Miss Borgier's case? No; for
no court of justice would have listened
to that story for a single moment. I
knew that the woman did not murder her
husband Yet | believed and knew-as
surely as we can know anything where
the basis of ascertained act is slender
and the laws obscure--tb i she poisoned
him, poisoned hiln to depth aCith her
eyes.
| think that it Will be generally con-
coded by the profession that | am neither
a sensationalist nor prone to lose my
self-command in the mazes of physico-
psychologist speculation. | make the
foregoing assertion deliberately, fully
conscious to all that it implies
What was the mystery of the noxlous
influence which this woman exerted
through her eyes? What was the record
of her ancestry, the secret Of predisposi-
ton in her case? BY what occult pro-
cess of evolution did her glance drive the
toxical effect of the paparer sonllJ-
e,uas /? How did she come to be g Wom-
an-Poppy? l cannot yet answer these
questions. Perhaps I shall never be
able to answer them.
But if there is need of further proof of
the sincerity of my denial OF any senti-
ment on my part which might have led
mo To shinll Mrs Rntcliff Ivy nerinrY