The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-25
MEYERS MEDICINE.
Testimony in the Chicago Wife.Poi-
soning Case.
One OF the Witnesses Unf0ids q
Terrible Tale of Pure
Deviltry-- Other
Evidence.

CHICAGO, Oct. IS The trial of DR. Henry
Meyer on the charge of attempt to poison his
wife has been begun before jury. The evil
dence of Peter Brett, who is the principal
witness of the state, discloses enough devilish-
ness to make half-dozen sensations, but in
opposition to it is the doctors offer to drink
all the alleged poison in the presence of the
court. The following is Bretz' testimony:
Il have known DR.. Meyer about seven
years, he said. "About one year ago got
into his confidence, and he asked me to come
and see him every day or two, and frequently
took me out riding Early in December,
1882, we went to saloon together, and he
said he had thing for me to do. He
said no would like me to visit his
proach his WIFE, He told me just
how to do it. l attempted to carry out his
plan, and Mrs. Meyer slapped me in the
face. When l returned and told the doctor,
he said: We'll, you ID foolf A day or
two afterward he came to my office and re-
quested me to try the same thing over. L,
said all right. Then went and told Mrs
Meyer again what the doctor had told me.
next met him at a saloon under Miller's
hall, and told him l would not
try it over. On March 81, the
doctor and | rode to Lake View together
and he said: My wife, the id, b-h,
knows too much for me- and we've got to do
her up After hearing this l went to the
Central police station and told my story.
whereupon Detective Burdick was sent to my
coal Office to investigate. l took Mr.. Bur-
dick to Dr. Meyers office, and introduced
him as Mr.. Long, burglar. The doctor had
told me to get burglar. Then the doctor
took Mr.. Long into his confidence and told
him he had a couple of jobs. One, he said,
was to crack Geldermann's grocery, and
the other a butcher-sbop next door. There
were valuable papers and money to be had.
When these were done, he told Mr.. Long, he
had another job OF getting woman out OF
the way. Mr.. Long appeared to enter into
these plans, asked the doctor to take impress
sions of the locks on the stores, and said he
would do the jobs on some dark, rainy night.
Mr. Burdick and | then went home A few
days afterward on the oath think, l took
another ride with the doctor, and he
sad to me: Well, by golly, wen have to
get my wife ont If the way. She wants to
go to Europe, but l won't let her 60 will
have her 90 with you to Colorado, and give
you medicines to kill her. After this ride
Detective Burdick and went to DIR. Meyers
Office, at Sedgwick and Eugenie streets.
Burdicl, who had examined me, remained
at the door down stairs and | went up into
the office The doctor gave me two bottles
of medicine and a little envelope of pow
der. Then he asked me if | had any
money. l answered that had SIS, but
had not, as the officer had found only Is cents
on my person before went up The doctor
gave me S75, and told me how to use the
medicine Wheu we got to Colorado was
to give Mrs. Meyer the medicine in champagne
wine three times day. This, the doctor
said, would kill her, as her stomach was
already rotten. Ttook the medicine down
stairs and gave it to Mr.. Burdick, and we
went together to the Office of c. C. Kohlsaat,
Mrs. Meyers lawyer, and sealed the bottles
up and put our initials on them.
always gone and told her every
thing the doctor confide to me. The same even
ing saw Dr. Meyer at his house and he said
his wife had refused to go. The next day we
met at Matt. Young's saloon, and again he said
she would not go, answered that she would
if he would let her. The next afternoon he
came to my Office and said she was now ready
to CO. and that would have to look sharp.
If the medicine failed, he was to send me
some medicine that would do the work.
Shortly after this went to the doctor to col
lect coal bill which he owed me. This
was after he had discovered that his
plans were known to the police. He said
he would pay the bill if l would sign a
paper saying that everything had told was
lie. Then sent John Wagner, a lawyer,
to collect the bill, and the doctor paid it He
urged the condition, however, that l should
go away and work on a railroad When
would not agree to this, he said he had been
deceived in mo The next saw of him he
had me arrested for blackmail"
Other testimony corroborated the above.
The substance of the physicians testimony
was that the medicine in the bottles was sugar
of lead, and would undermine any ones
health if taken continually, though a physi-
clan who attended Mrs. Meyer saw no signs
of the effects of sugar of lead.