The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1880-09-22
CIRCUMsrANTI,L EVIDENCE.
A Remarkable story from h Lips q
United states Sen-tOr Dan voorhees,.

United states sen-tor Dan VOORHEES,.
United States Senator VOORHEES, tells
the following interesting story of a re-
markable trial: l remember once de-
Tending, at Charlottesville, lEd a man
named Owen, indicted for the murder oi
bis wife by poison. 1t was twenty-odd
gears ago. Owen was a respect bic
farmer in rood circumstances, and a
consistent church member. He had
bern tRice married. He had several
children by his first wife; his second
was childless, a circumstance which
peculiarly affected her mind and tenn
per. She would not permit his children
to reside with her, and compelled him to
find a home for them elsewhere. She
had frequently threatened suicide in
consequence of these troubles
One night Owen was awakened from
sleep to find her dying. He called in as
sistance and sent for a physician, but
she was dead before. any one arrived.
Her sudden demise excited suspicion
and three days after her burial this was
communicated to him by a friend, who
further informed him that arrangements
had been made to disinter the body and
investigate it.
Owen was greatly agitated at this in
telligence, and, after a short pause, re-
piled: eff this is done, and poison
is found in Kezia's stomach (his de-
ceased wife's Christian name). / will be
accused of her murder, convicted and
hanged. But | am as innocent of it as
that tree" pointing to one near by.
That night he transferred all his prop
erty to a son, disguised himself, and fed
the country. The body of his wife was
exhumed and an autopsy had. Enough
stry chime was found in her stomach to
kill 4 mule. There was a universal ex-
preston of horror at the discovery, and
Il large reward was offered for the ar
rest of the fugitive. After some months
be was found in Canada, where he was
living under an assumed name. He was
brought to Charlottesville in irons, and
it was with difficulty that his execution
by a mob could be prevented.
Joe Mcdonald (now my colleague in
the Senate), Jim Wilson, once a repre-.
sentative in Congress and subsequently
minister to Venezuela, and myself de-
Tended him. There was a formidable
prosecution, Lew Wallace, Judge Gre
cory, and Others appearing against him.
1t was proven that a short time be-
fore Mrs. Owens death her husband
had purchased strychnine at a drug
store in the neighborhood, telling the
druggist that he wanted it for poison
ing rats. But he asked that it should
be charged to him, a fact upon which
we laid great stress in the argument,
insisting that had he entertained a Grim
inal design in buying the drug he
would not have put the evidence of the
fact upon record. A daughter who was
visiting her fathers house when the
poison was brought home, testified that
ne handed it to her stepmother in her
presence, cautioning her to be careful
with it. A brother of his wife, who
was greatly embittered against him,
and was a witness for the State, ad
mitted upon cross-examination that
Owens treatment of his sister was in
variably c~onsiderate and kind.
This was all we had to base a defense
on. The odds were fearful. There was
the remark Of the marked agitation of
Owen when first informed of the sus-
p%icions existing against him, his admis-
sion that. if the post-mortem examina-
ton she wed that poison was the cause
OF his wife's death he would be accused
of administering it and hanged his pur-
chase of the poison; his transfer of his
property and his fight. all combined
nearly irresistibly led to the conviction
OF his guilt. "Mr. Voorhees," he said
to me, however darby things may up.
pear against me, | am not guilty." and
believed him. We fought the cast like
tigers upon the reasonable doubt which
we deemed the evidence had not *
cluded, and won it.
Such an uproar as followed | never
witnessed. Owen was taken to Wilson's
private residence, pursued by a crowC
crazed with disappointment and thirst-
ing for his blood. Wilson, Mcdonald
and | stood at the front gate with pistols
IN u hands, and checked the approach
of the mob until Owen could escape from
the rear of the house in d t~onveyanc,
that had been provided iel him. 1t i
the only time in my life l cver saw Nc.
Donald with a pistol. He showed a
unmistakable purpose to use it if neces
sary.
Owen went to Texas and died there
[ presume, as I have lever seen no
heard of him since. His wife had com
mitted suicide. He knew it, but pre-
ferred to keep the fact to himself to avoi
scandal and exposing her. He was
weak, but an honest man. For his SAT
deliverance he was indebted to a capita
Jury, men who could be neither bough
nor scared. The foreman had served the
county in the State senate, Others ha,
he'd Office, and all were persons OF cor
sideration and influence