Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-06
END OF THE MAVERICK CASE
The Defendant Makes a Statement
to the Court.
NOT ADMITTED AS TESTIMONY.
The Fair Prisoner Makes an Expla.
nation of How Her Husband
Got the Arsenic-Many
Moved to Tears.
Tho Great Poisoning Case Closed.

Tho Great Poisoning Case Closed.
fCopyytobt 1859 bp James GorCicn Bcnnett.l
LIVERPOOL, August 5.-fNew York Herald
Cablc--Special to The BEE. Florence
Maybrick will learn tomorrow, probably,
the jury's opinion of her guilt or innocence
Of her husbands murder The case termi-
na'ed suddenly to-day.
The days session opened with some un-
important testimony. Then came Mrs.
Maybricls's statement, which the court said
on Saturday she might make, though not as
sworn testimony. Her face was wan and
drawn when she rose to speak. Her knees
bent under hcr and she seemed about to
faint. A glass of water revived her. Sew
eral times she hesitated in speech and cried
bitterly. Some of her emotion may have
been forced, but it did not seem so. Fear
of the result could account for
1t. In spite of the flimsy
character Of her defense her statement had
much effect on the crowd in the court rooms
Her statement was as follows:
'My lord, wish to make q statement as
well as can about few facts in connection
with this terrible ana crushing charge that
Is made against me--namely, willfully and
deliberately poisoning my husband, father of
my dear children. wish principally to refer
to the use of fly paper and beef arsenic.
The fly papers / bought with the in
tention of using it as a cosmetic. Before my
marriage and since for many years l have
been in the habit OF using u face wash pre-
scribed for me by DIR. Griggs, of Brooklyn.
1t consisted. believe, principally of arsenic,
tincture of benzine, elder flower, water and
some other indigrents, applied by handker-
chief we'll soaked in the solution beforehand.
used the fly papers in the same manner, but
to avoid evaporation of the scent it was
necessary to put a plate over the fly papers
and then towel over it. My mother has
been aware for q great many years that |
have used arsenic cosmetics in solution
My lord now wish to refer to the bottle of
beef essence. One Thursday night, IN the
month Of May, after the nurse had given my
husband beef juice, went and sat on the
bed beside him. He complained TO me OF
being very SICK, very weak and very de-
pressed. He then implored me to give him
this powder, which he had referred to earlier
in the evening, and which 1 had
declined to give him. I was overwrought
terribly anxious, miserably unhappy and his
evident distress unnerved me. As he told
me that the powder wolid not harm him.
and could put it in his food, consented
My lord, l had not one true or honest
friend in the house. had no one to consult
no one to advise. 1 was deposed from my
position as mistress Of my own house, de-
posed from my position as attendant on my
husband, and Notwithstanding that, by the
evidence of the nurses and servants, he
wished them to leave me with him; that he
missed me when / went out of the room.
-Four days before he died, my lord was
not allowed to give him anything without It's
being taken out of my hand When | found
powder took it into the inner room with the
beef juice. Pushing in the door.
upset the bottle, and in order to make up the
quantity of food spilled, added considera
Bile water. returned to the room and found
my husband asleep, and l placed the bottle
on the table by the window. When he woke
he had q choking sensation in the throat and
vomited. Aftcr that he appeared a little
better, and, as he did not ask for the powder
again, and was not anxious to give it tc
him, removed the bottle from the small
table, where it would have attracted his at
IGNITION, to the washstand, where he coulG
not see it. There / left it, my lord, unit
Michael Maybrck took possession of it. I'm
til Tuesday, the l4th of May, the Tuesda,
after my husbands death. until
few moments before this terrible
charge was made against me, no on,
had told me that a post-morten
examination had taken place or that ther,
was any reason to believe my husband ha
died from other than natural cause. l
was not until Mrs Briggs alluded to tn
presence Of the arsenic in the beef tea that
was made aware of the nature of the pow
der that my husband had asked me to give
him. then attempted to make an explana
tion to Mrs Briggs, such as I have statet
to your lordship, when the police interrupted
the conversation and stopped it. In conclu
sion, my lord, wish to add that
for the sake Of our children
and for their future, perfect reconciliation
had taken place between us ana that on tn
day before my husbands death l made him
full and free confession and received his en-
tire forgiveness for the wilful wrong
done.n
There were a number Of wet eyes amon
the women when Mrs, Maybrick concluded
and dropped in her chair
Sir Charles Russell then attempted I
prove that his client had made the abov
statement to several witnesses before sh
was put on trial. This he was not permitted
and he at once went to the jury with hi
final argument, Counsel for the crown fol
lowed. The judge will charge the jury il
the morning.