St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-20
THE BURNER CASE.
Sensational Derelopmenis-T7t Thompson
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Pioneer Press jury Disagree
The trial of Harriet Burner, indicted for
administering poison to the child Lottie
Burner, or Lille j. Headley, as she calls her
self, was resumed yesterday morning. Flor
ence Nation, the girl who lived at Mrs. Bur
ner's at the time of the alleged poisoning,
was the first witness put upon the
stand by the state. She testified
that in September, 1888, she lived with
Mrs Burner at 2O29 Three and One-half
avenue, and later when she moved to Stew
ems avenue, had noticed the peculiar ap-
pearance of the girl Lottie, or ''Pet," as she
was called there. She had attacks when she
became unconscious, and looked very pale,
eyes sunken, etc. Mrs Burner said this
WAS caused by heart disease. She had
known the child to remain in this condition
nearly twenty-four hours at a time, and had
bought morphine at the drug store for Mrs.
Burner. July II, Mrs. Burner came to the
house with some morphine which she put in
a piece of orange and gave to Pet.
Heard her tell Pet that if she
found a man near her when
she woke up that she must put her arms
around his neck, kiss him and tell him she
loved him. She then undressed the child,
and when she was unconscious put her on
couch in a room alone. Some time after Mr..
Lovejoy came to the house and was shown to
the room where Pet was. He stayed there
about half-hour. 1t was the afternoon of
the next day when she saw the child again.
She seemed to have just awakened. Mr..
Marion and Mr.. Boswell, men at work on the
house, saw the child at the same time. Upon
cross-examination witness said she went
tn live txifl Rnr her nor re
were poor and she had been promiseda home
and education.
Upon being asked if she was at that time
leading life of prostitution the witness
burst into tears, but admitted that she was
because there was no way out of it.
Mrs. Olive Roice, living at the corner Of
Hennepin avenue and Seventeenth street,
testified Us to having seen Lille under the
influence of a drug which she supposed to
have been morphine.
THE VICTIMS EVIDENCE.
Lille Headley, or "Lottie Burner" as she
was called, was next put upon the stand,
and testified substantially as follows:
The morphine which Mrs. Burner gave me
always made me drowsy. Once when she
had given me morphine l was undressed,
and laid down on bed lounge in a room
alone. Mrs. Burner said if any one should
come to my room l must put my arms
around his neck, kiss him, and tell him that
l loved him. / don't know how long / had
been asleep when l awoke up and saw Mr..
Lovejoy. l put my arms around his
neck and kissed him. l think
told him loved him; l think staid in the
room almost a half-hour; l then went to
sleep again and remember seeing Florence
Nation, Mr.. Boswell nd Mr.. Marion; when
/ woke up afteraw lille l saw Chief West.
Cross examination-Mrs. Burner got nae
from farm near Milv aukee about eight or
nine years ago; we went afterwards to Dav-
export, st. Paul, Fergus Falls, Fargo and
Pueblo; Mrs. Burner called me Lottie Bur-
ner The witness was next asked concern
ing certain letters, one OF which
was TO George Robinson, the
attorney, in which she expressed her love for
Mrs. Burner and belief in her Innocence of
the charges made against her. The other
letter was addressed 10 Mrs. Burner while in
Jail, in which she said her mother (Mrs. Bur-
ner) was not bad or wicked; that she loved
her, etc. These letters the witness said were
written by her, but ut the nstance of Mrs.
Gaffney, (Mrs. Burners sister,, vino COM
PEELED her TO copy them. Witness said she
had told Mr.. and Mrs. Hauser that Mrs. Bur-
ner was a good woman who had done moth
ing wrong, but said so because
Mrs. Burner had told her she
might make that answer. Another
was produced which the witness testified was
in Mrs. Burners handwriting, and which
was given her by Mrs. Gaffney with directions
for her TO copy, but which she did not copy.
The letter was dated at Pueblo and began
''My dear darling MAJ
Officer O'Donuel, the policeman who ar
rested Mrs. Burner, and Chief West, testified
that the girl, Lottie, looked as If she had just
come ont of a stupor.
Mrs. T. B. Walker testified that she had had
charge of Lotte since the time of the arrest.
The child has steadily improved in health
aud has become strong and well, whereas she
was weakly and sickly when she first came.
The child has never been subject to frances
or sleeping spells.
Or. Wells. DR.. Mary Wood and DR.. Hill
were called by the state to give expert test-
mony as to the condition of the child, show
ing that she had been suffering from NOR
phine poisoning.
THE STATE RESTS.
The testimony Of the medical experts oc-
cupied good portion of the afternoon. At
O'Clock John c. Bullitt, the st. Paul at
torney, made the statement to the jury of
what the defense expected to prove. He was
quite melodramatic in his denunciation of
what he termed a conspiracy to place Harriet
3. Burner behind the bars of the
state prison. He said Frank B. Smith
was the arch conspirator, the arch villain who
by his plots and schemes has been for
months straniug every nerve to land Harriet
B. Burner in dungeon cell. He very sar
castic4lly alluded to his eloquent and
learned brother" the prosecuting attorn cy,
and said the defendants innocence would
be established by showing the perjury of the
principal witnesses for the state. He also
attempted TO impeach the testimony of Flor
euce Nation by pointing out inconsistencies
in her evidence.
The first witness was Mrs. Van Dyne Of
Fond du Lac, a sister of Mrs. Burner, who
testified that the girl Flora Nation had had
opportunities TO leave Mrs. Burner If she
wanted to. At this point the court ad-
journed.
THE INTEREST
IN the trial BY the public is CREST, and the
case attracts almost as much attention rs did
the trial Of C2ntieuy. The court room was
crowded with people, who listened eagerly to
the unssvory details. Inside the railing sat
Mrs T. 5. Walke-, Mrs. Van CleA and other
lsdies who have taken an interest in having
Mrs. Burner brought to trial When Flor
euee Nation was relating the story of her
downfall \ portion of the audience were Wis
iblY affected. and tears came into the ewes of
many. When the attorney for the defense
opened and pictured Mrs. Burner as an in
noeent woman whose own child had been
made IN turn against her, and As the victim
of an infamous conspiracy, that lady was re-
duced TO tears, but it was noticeable that no
one went With her. The case will probably