New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-22
WLEL-POLSONERS.

POISONING IL ii'hi OthNi Ni''NN'
bv the peculiar fact that it tends to repetition
Within the past ten years considerable num-
her of cases have occurred, in France, in Eng
land, and the United States, i'll which the crime
for which the defendant was tried was but the
last of a series. Recently the trial OF GrobeW-
ski has suggested the strong probability OF an
anterior poisoning by the same hand, and at tins
moment. in San Francisco, man Is awaiting
trial Oh a charge of wife-posoning under cir
cumstanccs which cast suspicion on the death
of a former wife. There seems to be III TINS
most fearful and treacherous mode Of murder a
fascination like that of opium-eatlng. The
wretch who has once yielded to it ia incapable
thcnccforth of abstainins from it. lie yearns to
watch the effects of the poison on the system Oh
his victim, TO trace the gradual decline ana
very probably 10 laugh in his sleeve at the ms
taken diagnosis Of the doctors. When the
prisoner il himself physician the strength OF
the homic.dal impulse seems also to be- IN
creased.
DR.. Milton Bowers was a San Francisco ply
sician Of rather shady antccedcnts His wife
fell i'll. and for some time he refused to allow any
ether doctor 20 bc called in. Her mother was
alarmed and persistent, and finally succeeded
obtaining MS tOlHtnl ~ ~ AbuN'il'i'l'H' D"'
if wa. too late. and in a few days Mrs Bowers
died. Before the funeral the Coroner received
an anonymous note warning HIM that there was
something suspicious about the death. There
upon ne gave orders that the inlcrmcnt should
be postponed. but owing To some real or pre-
/ tended misunderstanding the body was buried.
! The Coroner caused il 10 be cXhumed, ana an
autopsy was held. At first nothing appeared
10 Justify suspicion, but the stomach and other
organs were subjected to analysis, aud the re-
! suit was the discovery of traces of phosphorus.
/ The report of the analytical chemist guided the
+ Coroncr's Jury, which was To the effect that the
/ deceased "came to her death 10y poison the
| same being phosphorus, which We believe TO
| have been administered 10y her husband DIR.
/ Bowers Was arrested, and il now held for tial
without bail.
He protests his innocence. and argues, with
an appearance of reason. that if he had
wished TO poison his wife he had at
his disposal plenty of drugs which would
have left no trace and that tho theory
of his guilt involves the assumption that lac has
committed an incredible folly a. well a
crime. On his behalf il is also alleged that he
lived tremendously with his wife, and that she
| had not the least uOuDt OF HIS 10Y ATTY anu
affection 10 the last moment of her life. IL IL
also said that professional nurse was with her
for several days before her death, and that all
the food and medicine she took passed through
this womau's hands. The gravcncss Of the
charge preferred against the doctor consists in
the facts that phosphorus was found in the dead
wife. stomach that her life was insured for n
large amonnt and that former wife of the
defendant died apparently Jf precisely the same
disease that killed her. Tho defendant will
claim that the phosphorus was administered
incidentally and in safe quantities. The ugly
looking insurance fact he attempts TO meet by
cxplnining that he and his wife were each in
sured for the benefit of tho other. As DR..
| Bowers was before the courts some time ago on
a charge of stealing books from Il bookstore his
reputation is not high, and possibly public
opinion darkeus the testimony against him UNI
duly
Hut the case is interesting, and affords
ground for conjectures and suspicious extend
inc beyond tho present charge, and this no
doubt tends to siren CITIZEN the prevailing senti-
ment against the accused. Wifc-pois0ning by
n doctor is so aggravated form of the bascst
crime on the calendar that every fragment OF
evidence for the prosecution is accorded all,
and perhaps sometimes more than, its lcgIti-
mate weight.