St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-26
TWICE IN JEOPARDY.
Beginning Of the Second Trial
of Mason City's Alleged
Borgia.
Mrs. Brown Appears to Be
Anxious as to the
Outcome.
Story of the Atrocious Crime
With Which She Is
Charged.
Damaging Evidence Against
Her DnvelOned hV a Twin
Damaging Evidence Against
Her Developed by a Twin
City Detective.
Sneeial TO the Globe.

MASON CITY, To-, Jan. 25.- The Brown
family poisoning case, which has elici-
ted much notority. was called this aft
ernoM. Mrs. Brown appeared in court
while the judge was giving instructions
to the sheriff to call the jury. A special
venire for forty jurymen was issued sew
| eral days ago, and the opinion is that
the forty will be exhausted and another
venire issued before a jury is selected.
Mrs. Brown does not possess charms
that would excite the sympathy of the
jury, but shows modest demeanor that
! makes favorable impression upon the
| spectator.
STORY OF THE CRIME.
One of the saddest and most mys-
! terious affairs ever transpiring in this
state was the poisoning OF the Brown
| family on March z. 1888. Mr.. and Mrs.
| Hiram Brown, the principal figures in
affair, were both prominent i'm educa-
| tional circles, and prior to their mar
| riage in 1876, both had followed teach
| ing as a profession. They met at
| teachers institute which was being
| held in this city, and it seemed case
of love at first sight, for after brief
| acquaintance they were married. Mr..
! Brown purchased farm near this city
| on which they moved to lay the founda-
| tions of what proved to be anything but
| a happy home. Both were of a peculiar
| temperament, and their life soon
grew to be hardly worth living.
| Two children were born to them
but instead of it drawing them closer to
each other, discord reigned supreme and
soon paved the way for an atrOciOuS
nrr
| had been teaching school in neighbOr-
| ing district and being unable to reach
home in time to do his own chores hired
| Carl Peterson to do them for him for his
board. On the I'd of March Browns
| school closed and not needing help any
| longer Peterson left and went to Forest
| CITY. On the day of the tragic event
| Mr.. and Mrs. Brown went to Fertile,
| leaving at home their two sons. Jesse
| and Henry, and Hiram L. Brown, father
of III. E. They returned about dusk
and Mrs. Brown went into the house to
prepare supper while Mr.. Brown re-
| mained at the barn to do his chores. In
| about thirty minutes Mrs. Brown
called him. He went into the house
| Immediately seating himself at the
table around Which were gathered his
wife, two children and his father.
| Nothing but the ordinary food and
| drink was served. They had been seat
| ed at the table not to exceed five min
| uteS when the youngest son, Jesse, be-
| gan to vomit and went to the door. Not
returning at once the father went to the
door, apparently to see what was wrong,
but before he could speak to his son he
was similarly taken with violent purg-
ing and vomiting. Henry, the oldest
son. was next taken, and as the old
gentleman was going to the barn to
| finish the chores he was taken as the
rest. Mrs. Brown was the last to be-
come i'll, and seemed, at first, to be the
neighbors and had them 60 for a doctor.
DR.. Phillips soon arrived, and upon
| first examination pronounced his pa
tients suffering from the effects of pois-
on. They were given ice freely. the
younger child eating it as if it were
| bread. The doctor stayed with the
| family all night, and did all in his
| power to alleviate their suffering, but
| the pains were eXcrutiating and at times
| it seemed as if none could live. About
| dawn the aged father died. Amid the
| dead and dying the scene was most
heartrending. Near the corpse lay the
| two sons, both in dying condition,
while near them was the father and
| mother, unable to speak word of pity
or extend helping hand. On Sunday
morning Jesse, the idol Of the family,
succumbed to the inevitable. Owing
to the high standing of the family and
their condition an autopsy was not
| held, and their remains were inferred in
the cemetery. The three remaining
members of the family soon showed
signs of improvement and after several
days recovered. The matter dropped,
meanwhile the neighbors were all
anxious and eager IN their Inquiries to
| find out how it happened. No satiSfac-
tory explanation could be given. At
last the coroner was urged to look into
| the affair, and with considerable reluct-
ance empaneled jury, caused the body
of Hiram L. Brown to be eXhumed and
the stomach was sent to Chicago for
chemical analysis. AS soon as the
chemist was able to make his report the
| jury reconvened and upon finding that
found in the stomach, they
at once instituted thorough exam
nation. The only witness to thrOwany
light upon the affair was Mrs. FL. E.
Brown, the one accused of the crime.
At this time she said that she had no
suspicion of any one outside of the
family, and she thought it possible that
some member of the family would have
a motive in trying to make away with
the whole family. One was financial
difficulties, another sensitive and sus-
picious disposition, and the third. as
she said, "veiled as well as direct
threats made by Mr.. Brown" She
thea related the following to the jury:
"On March Henry fell through the
ice. II. E. and Carl went down to
the creek to help him out. l re-
mained at home to have good fire
and dry clothes ready for them
when they got back. When they got
to the house Hiram said He hoped
to God I'd get into the creek and he'd
never lift finger to help me OUT re-
piled, You need not worry, shall not
ask you to help me if I ever
get into the creek On Wednesday
of the same week, Brown having eX-
pressed wish that see Mr.. Carr con-
cerning some school election. Invent to
his house without telling the family
where / was going, expecting to return
by or o'clock p. m. H. E. was ex-
pected home by or 10 O'Clock p. m. 1t
becoming dark and rainy, waited for
prospective ride home. Fl. E. arrived
at home and Immediately came after
me. He
SHOWED NO VIOLENT ANGER
while at Mr.. Carr's house, but immedi-
ately upon coming out of doors began to
scold, finally telling me if l did not
stop running around to the neighborS
he would expose me, and if that did not
stop me he would put us both where we
would trouble no one. MIR. B. asked
mo fo oOrtUapa INV eighty 9prpQ Of