New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-19
FOR POISONING HIS WIVES
STRONG EVIDENCE AGAINST A POLE.


| HIS FORMER SERVANTS TEsTIMONY-Two WIVES
| DYING WITHIN FEW MONTHS
The most important trial for poisoning which
has occurred in Brooklyn for years begun yester-
day In the Court OF Sessions The prisoner Joseph Gro
bewski, Is Polish lIquor-seer who understands little
German and less English. His frat wife died last winter
and was buried without any suspicion being aroused.
He soon married again. aud last his second wife
died after Illness of several weeks Her sister called
the attention of the police the matter as he had
| fused TO have physician for his wife, but evi-
| dence of crime was discovered until the funeral
| stopped. Then O Dost-mortem examination and
chemical analysis were made and arsenic was found In
| the woman's stomach. GrOblewsh and a servant,
Winifred Hanley, arrested, but no evidence
Meeting them with the crime coud be obtained The case
about to be dropped VIII On GrObewslu lot fall some
thing which led to suspicion that he had poisoned his
first wife asO and hor body dsintered and ars MO
found In But the links connecting the husband with
the double crime wanting until analysis Of the
the shelf of closet where he had formerly been
in business showed traces of arsenic Efforts
then made to secure evidence against
him from the servant girl, who had been
jointly indicted with him. She turned States evidence
yesterday, giving startling testimony against her
former employer.
The Indictment charged the prisoner with administer
ing poison to his second wife July s. from which sha
died five days later. After two hours jury was So
cured and Polish Interpreter was called In to trans
late the evidence the accused District Attorney
Ridgway opened the for the prosecution, with
brief recital OF the crime and its circumstances and
asked the jury for verdict OF murder In the first de-
gree County Physician Shepard, who said he had made
fully 5000 posmorten examinations, testified that he
found traces Of arsencal poisoning in Mrs. Clara
Grobewski. and that chemical analysis had
to be made. In his cross-examination
1t was shown that tho theory Of
tho defence will be that the was habitual
arsenic eater
nttoH afnft tla ma Dt vava
the result of chemical analysis Of the contents of the
stomach OF the dead woman showing concusvey that
there enough arsenic there to have killed three per-
sons and administered in the form OF solu-
ton. The poison the same that in +" Rough on
Rats" Dr. Grothe started to testify regarding tho
auylysis OF the The shelf of closet in the shop
where Groblewski formerly did business but his evil
dence this point was stopped In order to show how
the poison was connected with this.
A sensation pervaded the crowded courtroom when
Winred Haney, the servant In the Grobewski family
called to the stand She goodlooking girl OF an
chair. She well but plainly dressed
ns in the i'e empoy nTl Of Grobsws since Jay She
lived in MS house until the death oi MS nrs & wlie , IN
death OF his second wife, whom he married four months
5iewsk appeared 70 be in good health when shO was
married but soon fell sick she and her husba ne
marry as did Eot want sick wife. On the Wednes-
day before his wros death he mxed for his wife drink
liquor that he got in the grog:hop and white sugar
and into IL he put white powder from package In his
pocket The witness gave IL TO the sick woman, VINO
after taking it was faint ana yomltci Ine
1t made sick at the stomach and her throat was
parched. When she told GrOblewski OF this he said
l. was good for them The following night snd
Mrs Groblewski told her that ne threw her agalnst
tho wall bat the husband denied doing this. Before
his wfc's death he predicted that she would aie he
ecodcd the witness for gong after doctor and said he
didn't care whether his wife ded or rot as he conld
be married again in two or thsee weeks: The night
after fnnera Groblewsk asked the witness II sho
because his wife dead When she started out OF the
| house 10 20 TO the one next door TO sleep Gro
| bewsk ran after her with knife aud said
| "I have put an end to two wives ana VIII XIII
ON tho crosse Examination letter read which tho
witness wrote after her in t she said II was e
that Mrs GrOblew si had died from foul play and that
when the inquest over IL would be known whather
GrOblew ski poisoned the attes wife The letter
| also said have a good ch with the boss uow."
! In order TO show tho quantity thit Mrs:
! Groblowsk drank OF the dose her husband
until ony one.thrd remained and his she said was what
| the drank.
Upon the redirect examination the witness strength
cued her testimony by telling that after she and Gro
he gave fixed his wife, and that II tho witness HAD
taken as much she would have been dead also He also
asked her 10 nothing about the case but she would
promise.
L. Grodjiusk engineer who knew tho prisoner, re-
lated how the latter told him, when demonstrated with
for marrying so soon after the death or MS nrst wlie,
that had quick OF getting rid OF her II she
didn't suit him. When Groblcwskl lived at No. lI0
Myrtle-ave he told the witness that he had Rough on
Rats" and showed II. Ii was backish IN color anu
GrOblewsk said II was arsenic.
Police Sergeant Mcnamara gave evidence as %
the obtaining II the dust from the
closet shelf in GrOblewski- former lQu0rShOp about
month after the crime which Dr. GrOthe dHayLea ana
found 10 contain arsenic.
The trial was dourned until to-day