Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-08-05

The Preliminary Examination
of the Case,
Under Charge of Having Committed
Murder by Poisoning.

Under a Charge of Having Committed
Murder by Poisoning.
The Marilla A. Pease case was called yes
terday in Justice Thomas court for prelim-
mary hearing She was represented by
counsel Dale & Dale and the state was rep
resented by County Attorney Balderston,
assisted by j. F. Major, EGG.
THE PRISONER.
At 1870 q. m, Mrs. Pease, the prisoner,
came into court and took her seat beside
her counsel. She was unattended by any of
her sex, and besides her counsel she appar-
emily appeared alone TO confront the awful
charge and battle alone through the trying
ordeal of an investigation that is to deter
mine whether she is to be arraigned by q
Jury of her countrymen under charge
involving her life. This old woman, with
hairs whitened by si1ty-odd years of life's
stormy trials under many chimes and among
strange people, even to the far-of Oregon.
when that was an unknown country. stands
alone, forsaken by her sex, without kith or
kin, to meet the gravest of all ordeals-a
trial Of the highest crime known to the law.
Behold frail old womaD, marked by venera-
bic signs of age, with form spare and
small. countenanee once delicaiely model
Ell, with traces of departed beauty and be-
meath the well formed head the brilliant eye
Ienoting keen and sensitive susceptibility,
! glowing with an undimmed spark
Of intelligence, at once bespcsking
a person of more than Or
binary keenness and intelligence. The hand
Of time might have rested lightly on this
woman but trouble Of life time has left its
mark On her and during married life of AZ
years. an uncongenial marriage was her
Nemesis. No voice of children were heard
in her home to soften her yearly troubles
and year by year sped on and as the rocks
harden by age so this womsn's trouble by
day and night hardened her very soul.
What mattered it that she had worldly goods
and wealth beyond what her simple living
required. 1t was no recompense to the
ashes of her life, childless and unloved.
The defendant was born in Ohio, where
she married Alexander c. Pease, and thirty
six years ago moved to Oregon. They made
a home in Hillsboro, that state, and resided
there eighteen years. They returned to the
states and after few years residence in Hi
nois moved to Kansas and for the last twelve
years have resided in this county.
They had valuable farms and city prop
erty, and were in independent circumstan-
ces. 1t is said by all who know them that
they were quarresome. The old man WAS
dissipated and kept bad company, gamblcd
and did other things that followed in the
wake of these. The old woman scolded,
threatened fought and fretted until life was
a burthen. At last death-a violent death
took one from the scene. a deadly poi
son was administered by the hand of the
other that forever separated the i'll matched
pair after the turmoils of more than forty |
years. In vain does the survivor protest |
that she gave the carbolic acid in mistake |
for whisky. She is arrested after a coroner's |
jury returned verdict that the deceased |
came to his death at her hands Intentionally, |
wilfully and feloniously.
THE INVESTIGATION.
After the case was called the court, coun- |
sci and stenogrspher and the prisoner took |
the places allotted to them Mi d the first wit
ness called.
w. S. Brown testified in substance that |
he lived near deceased and knew him and |
defendant six years. Was at deceased's |
house day previous TO his death; substance
of conversation was about property in Wich- |
ita and Oregon. There was much dissention
between them and the defendant remarked |
that the deceased was always getting drunk
and that she hoped he would drink himself
to death, and that she hoped his next drink
would be his last; heard her
quarrel and make threats toward
him often before; l was there after
his death Sabbath morning. This witness
was very dull and rigid cross examination
failed to add more 10 the facts than that the
qu,rrels were of the usual occurrences.
Mrs.. NJ. l.. Doyle was the next witness and
she testified TO the facts that the defendant
lad frequently complained of her husbands
drinking and that it was the burden of her
complaint; that she was at the house a few
minutes after he died Sunday morning hav-
ing been called by the boy who
was sent by the defendant to
bring the neighbors, saying that
he had died from dose of carbolic acid.
She went at once and when she got there
Mas tod by the defendant that she, the de-
'n'lsnt had given him the fatal dose of car
bolic acid but said she did not intend to do
it. She related to witness how deceased had
got up with the asthma and put on his
clothes. She had asked him if she should
build a fire and smoke him NJ she had been
called for whisky, when she said she went
where she supposed the whisky was and
poured out of the bottle the
carbolic acid. Witness saw the
bottle of carbolic acid it looked like three
had been taken out of it.
When witness went into the house Pease
was dead; his mouth WAS blistered and red
streak ran down his mouth. The bottle
was setting on the sewing machine at the
foot of his bed; large number of bottles
were in the room in many places on shelves
and in closets; bottle of whisky with lit
tie whisky in it. Defendant had showed
he witness where she got the whisky off the
shelf in the pantry. She said some
me had removed the bottle. Wit |,
less heard her say that she
would call him back if she could, that he |.
night tell who changed the bottles. She
,ept talking to him, notwithstanding his
icing dead, and said to him, 'are you hap
Wy She did not hear her say she was glad /,
lie was dead. The label had been torn off
he bottle and witness looked for it. The
witness was put to q DISCRIMINATION, but
10 additional facts were elected. but a ret- !.
ration of the large number of bottles in the
Dom and closets, some of the same size as
he fatal vial.
j. \. Dotey, next witness, testified in sub /,
lance TO the preceding witness, only sddi- !,
ionally stating that the defendant stated TO