Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-17
ABBIE D. HEWEY
On Trial for Poisoning Her Husband.
Strong Evidence that She Put Strych-
nine in His Bread

tAEAISGTUs, Garch 10.
The court room was packed all day by an
audience, largely composed of ladies, the oc-
casion being the trial of the case of State vs..
Abbie d. Hewey, an indictment charging the
respondent with administering strychnine to
/ her husband, Chas. l.. Hewey of Phillips,
with the intent to kill The details of the
affair are these:
On the morning of March st, Hewey left
home with load of hay for Packard's mill,
in No. plantation, distant six miles. He
took his dinner with him. While eating his
lunch at noon he noticed bitter taste in the
biscuit and only ate portion of it. leaving
about half biscuit in the pail. Soon after
ward he was taken violently i'll, and a physi-
clan who was called, said the man had been
poisoned with strychnine. After the treat
ment the man recovered. The remainder of
the biscuit was given to dog and the ami
NAL died half an hour after eating it. This
led to suspicious of attempted poisoning aud
the neighbors took out the stomach of the
dog and sent it to Prof. Frank l.. Bartlett of
Portland for analysis. In the court, this
morning, Prof. Bartlett testified that he found
one-third of grain of strychnine in the por-
ton of the stomach he analysed and that the
whole stomach probably contained over one
grain. The prosecution was ably conducted by
County Attorney Fremont, and F. Timber
lake of Phillips. Fifteen witnesses testi-
( fed.
The main points brought out were that Hew-
eys lunch was prepared by his wife. He
took it from her hands and put it on the sled
with the hay and it'didn't go out of his pos
strychine was found at Hewey's house which
he said he bought to kill foxes with. There
also is evidence tending to show
that the respondent attempted to re-
/ ises before search could be made ;
that upon being Informed of the sickness of
her husband, she exhibited signs of confu-
/ sion. and stated that she had felt nervous all
! day, expecting that something was going to
happen. On the way to the neighbor's house
where her husband had been taken, she
asked her escort if her husband had eaten
his dinner before he was taken sick, and Oh
reaching the house she didn't enter his sick
room for some fifteen minutes. She said if
her husband died she should 90 out West and
spend the remainder of her days and a party
had told her that if her husband died she
should be provided for. Other evidence of
the government showed that the respondent
tried TO throw suspicion on another party by
saving that she didn't see who could have
poisoned her husband unless that party did.
F. A. Sawyer of Phillips and II. h. Whit
comb of Pennington conducted the defense.
The former made touching plea in opening.
Only two witnesses were examined, the re-
spondent and her daughter. The testimony
of another daughter years of age, was tx
clnled by the Court on account of her age.
The substance of their testimony was an en-
tire ignorance of the whole thing. Pleasant
relations has always existed between be-
tween husband and wife and a denial of the
truth of much of the testimony introduced
by the government was made. The test
monv on both sides is all in.
The arguments and Judge Libby's charge
will be presented tomorrow morning.