Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-02-12
a POisOSTsG CASE.
A Girl Charged with Attem pftsg TO
Kfii Her Hest Friend.

Lucy Jane Tyler, a sixteen -year-old mu-
a'to girl, was arraigued in the Hastings
Court Yesterday, charged With administering
poison to Mary Jane Robinson.
The prisoner was defended by Edgar Al
lon. Esq. and Colonel spotswoOd repre-
scnted the Commonwealth.
The offence l' alleged 10 have beeH CON-
miited on tho 2S'h OF last Decem ber.
Mary Jane Robinson was the first witness
examined. She testified that she reared the
prisoner. and looked upon her almost as her
own child. Lucy cooked breakfast on the
morning of December 2Sth. and when wit
ness and her son sal down 10 eat something
like black powder on the cabbage attracted
her attention, and she refused 10 psFiske oi
this dish. she then took taste Of the tea.
wbIch made her sick. Her son aIsO drank
OF tea with the same result. She (witnessl
tuen pouted the tea into a basin and ds-
covered some white powder In the bottom
Of the can. This powder was taken
20 Or. Taylor, state Chemist, who
made an analysis and found that II contained
arseuicBl poison (ROugh on Rats. Witness
said she was II for several weeks from the
effects Of the poisonous beverage and that
her son had never folly recovered. She did
not know what motive Lucy could have
had in attempting % poison her. They had
always been on good terms. She (witness)
had reproved prisoner for keeping company
With a certain girl. rhis latter person was at
her house Thursday night and wanted Lucy
/ 10 20 out with h r. but witness would mol give
/ her consent. The two girls then went into 2
room, and Lucy soon came ont and sald they
were going ont 10 get some oysters for a
/ neighbOr. The girls were gone about wenty
I minutes. Witness stated that she had visited
/ the prisoner m jail, and the latter said she
/ would not have attempted 10 commit such q
/ crime II she had not been urged to do so by a
/ friend.
/ DR.. Ray. druggist, testified that the prison
/ or came 10 his slOre on the night Of December
/ 27ih and bought box OF Rough on Rats"
/ She was accompanied by another girl.
Dr. Taylor testified tha. he had analyzed
+ the white power found in the cup aud ascer-
/ tained that ii contained arsenical poison,
aud was the same poison as that contained
/ i'm the box labelled Rough on Rats found
/ in Mary RnbinsOn's house.
/ Policeman Walton, who made the arrest,
testified that the prisoner told him she
would not have attempted to administer the
poison # she had not been encouraged 10 DO
so by another person.
The prisoner was put upon the stand Ov
! The defence. She declared thai the confession
made bv her 10 Policeman Walton was eX-
tortpd from her atthe stat.on-hOuse, and that
when she was called upon by Mary Robin
son at the city jail she did not confess 10 her
(R0binsOu) tDat the reason she attempted the
crime was because she was urged % do so by
another person. Witness testified that she
did buy the "ROugh on Rats " from the
drugstore hut bat The money was given her
by Lizzie Robinson lhe girl whom Mary
Robinson objected TO her associttng WITH
and that the poison was delivered 10 Lizzie,
and she (witness) did not know what use
was made Of IT,
The case was argued at length by Mr.. Al
Ian aud Colonel spol-woOd, and the jury re-
turned a yardlct OF guilty and fixed The pun
ishmcnt at three years in the pcnitcniiary.