Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-13

TRIAL OF A YOUNG GIRL
FOR POISONING.
JEALOUSY THE ALLEGED CAUSE.

MARGARET GrEEvER ON TRIAL FOR
FELoNY-THE PROGRESS OF THE CASE
SOME FORTY WITNESSES ALREADY EX-
AMtNED-THE EVIDENCE NOT DONE
YET
&C.. &C., &C.
Reported for the STAUNToN VINDIcAToR.I
The trial which has taken up the week
in the Hastings Court. has been quite a
remarkable one in many respects. The
central figures in it are two young girls.
One is Florence Meredith, girl Of nine
teen. whose record for scholarship in the
Staunton public schools was so good that
she won the Cnllege Scholarship. In
Mathematics she is said to be remarkable.
She is rather full grown girl with brown
hair, hazel eyes, regular features and
high color. She took the witness stand
arrayed in a dead gold merino dress, white
hat trimmed with old gold ribbon, and
light gloves. Her manner Is very self
possessed, even under the most trying
questions The other is Maggie Greever,
a girl of about twenty four. She sat in the
prisoners seat charged with attempting
the life Of the other girl by sending her
poisoned candy through the post-office.
She is of medium height slender figure,
arrayed in black, and of exceedingly gen.
teel appearance. She has straight features.
bright black eyes and dark brown hair.
Her manner is calm with perfect command
of her nerves. None of tie evidence
against her seemed to give her any grave
concern and her behavior through the try
ing scene has been quiet and undemon-
strative.
The theory Of the prosecution Is that the
prisoner, moved by jealousy, and after
threats procured candy, inserted strych-
nine 10 it and after directing the package
to Florence Meredith carried it to the
Postoffice on Monday, 9th of April, be-
tween the hours of 2 CLOCK and 4 o'clock.
To support this they proved the jealousy,
the threats, the buying of candy and ask
ing the seller if the box would go through
the Postoffice, the presence Of the prison.
er at the postofice between those hours,
and the finding of an envelope in prisoner g
trunk, directed In the same writing as the
label on the poisoned box. which she ad-
mitted she had written. This theory the
defense combatted with tha theory that
Florence Meredith herself sent the pois-
oned box to her father whom she disiked,
that he might eat and be poisoned. To sup
port this theory they produced evidence to
show that the girl had often threatened
her father, that the envelope in prisoners
trunk was not written by prisoner hut by
her sister; that no poison had been traced
to prisoners possession, that when she
went to the postoffice the bundle she car
ried was not the poisoned box but little
hat; that there was conspiracy abroad
TO force the prisoner to leave Staunton
that the officers who supposed they
heard the prisoner admit writing the en-
velope. were mistaken; that Florence
Meredith had asked negro to buy poison
box to the postoffice.
The trial, for one so long continued has
attracted and retained the public atten-
dance in an unusual degree. Judge Smith
has enforced the strictest order, and has
from the bench issued an order breaking
up the bad habit of boys attending crimi-
nal trials, by excluding them altogether.
We resume the publication of the evidence
from Friday morning last. It is completely
pruned of all matters aot directly bearing
on the guilt or innocence of the prisoner
at the bar:
Fridays Proceedings.
The court met promptly at O'Clock
Friday morning, Judge Smith presiding
At the adjournment the evening before
the witness Florence Meredith, witness
for the prosecution, was under cross-ex-
animation, the tendency of the questions
by the defense being to elicit the fact that
she herself had either threatened her step
fathers death or that she had expressed
desire for its occurrence. Her cross-ex-
animation was continued
Florence Meredith was at Mrs. Valen-
tines ip February. Had never said Of her
step-fatter to Mrs. V. II have often wish
ed the old devil was dead and out of the
way. so as to stop bothering me" or II wish
some one would poison him so as to stop
his botheripg me-" Remembered talking
to Mrs. V. about her fathers quarrelllnc
with her and had said she didn't like his
coming home and quarrelIing with her
about reports made to him by prisoner,
about her. I know Susan Curry. Never
told her my father had become ;ntolerahle
and wished he was dead. am nineteen
years old and have lived in Stauntop three
or four years, and have attended the pub
lie schools for five years; part of the time
I walked in from the country.
Mrs. W. l.. Meredith mother of the last
witness took the stand. She repeated the
narrative of her husband having received
box from the post-office. addressed to
Florence Meredith, and that Miss Mari a
Hulvey and Mr.. Meredith we're badly
poisoned directly after eating some of the
candy the box contained. Some of the
candy-a little. was eaten by herself and
little boy but did not poison them. Had
been married eight or nine years to Mr..
Meredith; had never been married before.
Mss Maria Hulyey-sworn. She corro-
borated the statement of the other wit
nesses about the candy. She herself ate two
pieces of it, one of them quite bitter She
was taken i'll and told Mrs. Meredith she
believed the candy had poisoned her. Wit
ness described her symptoms which wero
those of strychnine poisoning. Had heard
Miss Florence Meredith say that she had
not spoken to her father for long time.
Florence expressed great pleasure and sur
prise at the receipt of the box of candy