Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-06
CHARGED WITH POISONING.
s1xrY.rwo wrrNrssEs ro rEsr1rY

sIxTY.Tw0 WITNESSES TO TESTIFY.
Yesterday the trial of Margaret Greaver,
postponed from last term was commenced
in the Hastings Court. The charge against
the prisoner is attempting to poison
Florence Meredith, by sending candy pois-
oned with strychnine, and, in the attempt,
poisoning W. L. Meredith the young girls
step-father, ana Maria Hulvey who ate
some of the candy. The offense is charged
with having been committed on April 9th.
The public interest Gin the trial was not
80 great as at the last term when the court
room was densely crowded. There are
sixty-two witnesses on the roll who are ex-
pected to testify before the case is finished.
On the reading of the indictment the
pr isoner, who had been standing. respond
ed in clear tone the usual Mot Guilty"
The venire was then called. Col. w. d.
Anderson, had formed an opinion, excused;
Jno. T. Beard, had expressed an opinion
but thought he could give fair trial, ex-
cased w. D. Barbour, had heard much
outside and had formed an opinion. ex-
cused: A. j. Butts. had no definite opln-
lon. accepted Jno. D. Crowle, had made
up his opinion, excused; A. A. Cone, had
made up an opinion, excused; Geo. W.
Eyler. thought his opinion had been form
ed ny what he had heard but could give a
fair trial, accepted; Geo. F. Flick, had
formed no opinion, accepted; J. S. Gill
liam, had formed no opinion, accepted; r.
+. Hosey had formed an opinion from what
lie had heard, excused: Robt. o. Holiday,
had formed no opinion. accepted; D..
B. Hamaker. had decided opinion,
excused John lesser. had no fixed opin-
ion and could give a fair hearing, accept
ed r. ESnssay. had made up an opinion
TO Sons ey teat, but not "a fxed one, &C
cepsed = W. e.. Lushbaugh, had expressed
an opinion sbut had no prejudice for or
against the prisoner that would prevent
his giving q far verdict, but he did not
feel exactly clear about it, excused; W..
l.. Olivier. had made up no fixed opinion.
accepted; P. N. Powell, had no fixed
opinion could render fair verdict, &C.
cepted;.J. H. Picker, had made up no
opinion, accepted /; s. M. Wilkes, had
made upa fixed opinion, excused; F. M.
Young, had fixed opinion, excused. AT
this point the panel was exhausted and
only eleven jurors being secured, new We
niremen were summoned. There must be
sixteen accepted jurors before the twelve
constituting the jury are picked from
among them.
r. W.. Stevenson, was over jury age, ex-
cused; r. W Hardy, had decided opin-
ion, excused !. Henry Hyer. had made ny
and expressed fixed opinion. excused; g,
S. Baker, didn t think he had fixed opin-
ion. accepted; Andrew Woods. thought
he could give the prisoner fair trial,
accepted; Chas. l.. Weller, had not made
up orsexpressed an opinion, accepted; Vim.
Il. Weller. had expressed an opinion but
thought he could try the case without
prejudice, accepted +; Isaac Hoover, had
made up an opinion to a certain degree,
but degree 80 strong as to make it pref
erabi8 TO him not to serve. excused.
After getting sixteen veniremen the
e0ufEaaJourned until
! 1 AFTERNOON.
E The names of Messrs. Olivier, Picker,
RaMeH and W. H. Weller were then
stricken off.
Fhe names of the jury are as follows
A. J. Butts. q. =. Baker, Geo. W.
Eyler, G.F. Flick. j. S. Gillian, R. O.
Holiday John lesser, r. Kinsley,
Leonidas Poyntz, j. l.. Timberlake. An
drew G. Woods and G. l.. Weller.
The counsel conducting the case are Ed.
Echols for the State. and James Bumgard
ner, Jr., Judge John H. McCue and VIM.
n Craig ssiss s6s f,faseasf
". +. MEREDITH
the step-father of Florence Meredith
being sworn, testified that he was en-
gagged at S. T. Thornburg's stable, and
also to, deliver mail at the trains.
A little after P. NJ, April 9Th, he went
to the Postofice and box was delivered
to him that had come through the mai
addressed to miss Florence Meredith,
Staunton." He took it home when open
ed it was candy. He took couple OF
of pieces of the candy, ate them on the
way back to the stable. Was made very il.
with all the symptoms of strychnine poison.
Went home and found that Miss Maria
Hulvey, who lives in the same house, had
also eaten some of the candy and been
made sick. The peculiar bitter taste of
che candy had already made him think of
that asthe cause of the symptoms. Some
time before that the prisoner had told him
that Florence was going to gentleman S
office very often and said she thought she
would be ruined. On one occasion she
came to him and said she is in the office
now. Witness Immediately went to the
office, found door locked and nobody there;
went en- straight home and found his
daughter there studying her lesson. On
another occasion prisoner came to him
and said his daughter was in the gentle.
mans Office; this also, upon investigation,
only proved that she was there with her
mother and another lady. This was tie
Thu sday before the poisoning. The pris-
oner's watching of his daughter had been
going on for two years. Prisoner had told
witness that d young man in a drug store
was helping her to get up for the ''Police
Gazette piece to expose the man that
! his daughter was going to see. The box
7 of poisoned candy was shown to him and
identified.
MIssFLoRENCE MEREDITH
| being sworn, testified that she is now liv-
| ing in Maryland. but in April last was
going to school in Staunton. On the
evening Of Monday, April 9th, her step
father bropght home the box Of candy
from the post-office, directed to her.
| identified the box ia court). There was
also a valentino ir. tho hoy The hOx was