Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-09-24
HER SOLEMN OATH.


The crime charged against my client
vas one of shocking atrocitY. Arthur
Berkeley. the prisoner, had married
Edith Granger, a wealthy heiress, whose
father had died, leaving her his whole
fortune, to the exclusion of a prehigate
son, whom he had disinherited and driv-
en- from home.
Mrs. Berkeley died within year after
her marriage, leaving an infant a few
weeks old, feeble little creature requi-
ring constant and assiduous care. H.
deed, DIR. Baldwin almost took up his
quarters in the house, often passing the
night there, that he might be at hand in
case of need.
One of these nights the doctor, as he
afterward stated in his evidence, after
retiring to bed, feeling solicitous about
his little chage, got up and stole softly
to the nursery to see if everything was
all right.
He found the door sjar and dim light
burning within. As he advanced he
distinctly saw Arthur Berkeley standing
over the cradle, holding to the child's
mouth the bottle from which it was ac-
customed to receive its food. At the
sound of the doctors footsteps be put
down the bottle and stealthily left the
apartment.
Not little surprised at these move4
ments, the doctor approached and laid
his hand upon the child's face, which he
found in violent convulsions, which
were followed in few seconds by the
stiffness of death.
A post mortem examination placed it
beyond doubt that prussic acid had been
administered. and an examination of the
bottle proved that the milk in it con-
tained large quantity of the same dead
ly poison.
On this evidence Berkeley was arrest
ed and indicted for murder. An incen-
tive to the crime was found in that as
heir to his child he would inherit the
fortune which had descended to the lat
ter through the death of its mother.
Berkeley's previous character had
been good. He had always appeared
gentle and kind; had been a devoted
husband. and during the brief period of
it's life had shown the tenderest attach
ment to his child.
Inmy conferences with him he SEEM
ed overwhelmed with grief, but strenu-
ously denied all imputatiOns of guilt, as
serting that he had not gone into the
nursery after retiring that night till
called by the alarm of the child's death.
DR.. Bald win was the first and chief
witness. He told his story clearly and
methodically. and it was easy to see it
carried conviction to the jury. Ny rig
id cross examination only served to
bring out the evidence with more dis
tinctly of detail. l elected the fact, for
instance, that the childis nurse lay in the
same room; that she was asleep when
the doctor entered, and that 1t was
to her he first attributed the child's
death.
The evinedence of the chemis who
made the analysis was next put in, and
the States attorney rested
al have brought the nurse here he
said, ..but as she was asleep when the
prisoner entered her evidence is unim+
portant. thought it my duty to have
her here. howeser to affording the 9TH
er side the opportunity to call her If
they desire.
Nothing could render the prisoners
case more hopeless than it was already,
while something might come out to the
prisoners advantage.
81 will call the witness" said.
She was middle-aged woman Of
not unprepossessing appearance. Her
agitation was visible, and l noticed that