The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-08-13
Mutual Mistakes.

and placed under arrest. upon a charge
preferred by Mr.. Jno. Boward, who lives
about nine miles from town on The Strib-
ling Springs road.
The trial came up before Justice Lick
liter on Monday afternoon. M. f. White,
ESQ.,, Commonwealth Attorney, appear
ing for the prosecution, and Capt. G. M.
Cochran, Jr., representing the accused.
The prosecution introduced four wit
nesses-Mr. Boward, the prosecutor, and
Mrs. Ruebush, Mrs. Lambert and Mrs.
Crum. The story as told by these wit
nesses was substantially as follows =
! On Sunday afternoon, about one o'clock,
| Mr.. Wood drove up to the house of Mr..
Boward and Knocked at the door. He was
met by Mrs. Lambert whom he asked to
get him a drink of water. Mrs. l.. went
to the dining-room to get the water and
Mr.. Wood entered the house and went
into a room which opened into the passage
and in which Mrs. Boward was lying very
| ILL., When Mrs Lambert returned with
| the water, she found Mr.. Wood setting by
| the side of the sick woman talking to her.
| lie told her that he wanted her to take q
little good whiskey, as it would help her.
lie poured about two tablespoonful of
| fluid from a bottle and mixed it with
water, insisting that she should take it,
as it was pure whiskey and would revive
her. She stated that she did not want it,
as it might interfere with the medicine
the doctor was giving her. He still per-
sisted and raised her up in the bed, and
| she swallowed a portion of the drink.
After this, Wood poured a good-sized
drink from the same bottle and swallowed
it,. Mrs. Lambert then left the room to
eat her dinner, thinking, as she stated,
that Wood was an acquaintance of the
invalid. AS she went ont, she met Mrs.
| Cfum who entered the sick room as she
left. Upon reaching the dining-room,
| she remarked TO Mr.. Boward and several
1 ladies present that THAT man referring
/ to Wood) had more i'll his head than he
could well carry.' She did not think him
intoxicated at the time, but supposed the
drink she had seen ham take would pro-
duee an effect. Upon hearing this, Mr..
Doward and Mrs. Ruebush. the latter the
mother Of the invalid, came into the sick
room and found Wood sitting by the side
of the patient talking to her. He seemed
10 have deep sympathy for her, asking
how long she had been sick, of what she
complained, sc. Not an improper word
was spoken by him, and all the witnesses
testified that his manner seemed kind and
sympathetic. After talking some fifteen
minutes. he told Mr. Boward to go to his
buggy and bring bottle of whiskey he
would find there. Mr.. B. said he would
not. Wood repeated his request and
l}oward persisted in his refusal, at the
same time telling the stranger he had bet
ter leave. Wood responded, Very well,
will tell the lady goodbye and CO." He
then took hold Of the invalid s hand and
leaned over, saying, Il will kiss her on
the forehead. y AS he did so, Mrs. Rue
bush, who was nearest him, interposed,
head away from him. and Mr.. i. arose and
told him to go. He then left the room.
a little while afterwards, Mrs. Boward
complained of intense burning in her
throat. and hen went into stupor from
whchShe did not awake for an hour or more.
Meantime the doctor was summoned. Sew
eral of the witnesses stated that the
doctor had been prescribing, among other
medicines, cod liver oil and whlskey.
From the color of the liquid and the effect
| dose administered by Wood was whiskey.
They knew nomotive, however. that would
have impelled the stranger to want to
harm Mrs. Boward, as he was entirely
unknown to the family.
Mr.. Woods statement was that he was
returning from Stribling Springs on Sun
ayafternoon, and stopped at Mr.. Boward's
to get glass of water. Whilst standing
\ in the door waiting until the water was
brought to him, he noticed lady lying in
/ bed just inside Of the room, the door to
which was open. Believing from her APP
! pearance that she was in extremis, and
! having some little knowledge of medicine,
he stepped to the side of the bed and spoke
to her. She talked freely, saying that she
had consumption. He asked her what the
doctor had been giving her, and she replied
| that, among other things. she had been
| taking whiskey, but that it was all gone
now. Thinking stimulant would bene-
| fit her, he told her he had some good
whiskey and asked if she would like to
have it,. She answered that she would be
| very grateful for it. and he poured out a
| tablespoonful and diluted it with water.
She said she was not able to set up to
drink it and he raised her head. She took
a swallow of the whiskey, thanked him
for his kindness, and seemed much re-
| vived by it. In the meantime her husband
and the ladies came into the room, and
the invalid talked cheerfully for moment
or two and then closed her eyes. Think
ing he had done kind deed and feeling
the warmest sympathy for the invalid, he
arose to go and in so doing took hold of
her pulse. 1t being faint, he leaned over
her to hear her respiration, when to his
surprise her husband and one of her female
friends interposed, as if he were going to
harm the patient. He had no idea of
kissing her, as they seemed to think, such
| thought never having entered his head.
He at once assured them that he had no
purpose of doing ought but what a kind
hearted man should do, and left the room
under the impression that he had been the
means of giving temporary relief to a
woman who had not long to live.
Messrs. j. M. Kinney, Chas. Grattan,
and Col. j. III. Skinner testified that they
had known Mr.. Wood for years, and knew
him to be a generous, warm hearted gen.
tleman of irreproachable character.
AT the conclusion of the testimony. the
attorney for the Commonwealth asked
that the case be dismissed, as he was sat-
isiied that Mr.. Wood had simply done
what he conceived to be kindness to
those in distress, and that his action had
been Inexperienced by the parties he
had intended to benefit. The Justice dis
missed the case without a word.
A HOME FERTILIZERS We direct special
of on IN bo or,