The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-07-13

bad wife, who had left him, and expect
ed that he would soon be free. Was she
well informed as TO his hablts2 Perfect
". They boarded In the same house on
West Washington place and he very
seldom went out in thu evening, Did
he 90 out the night before last2 Noi
they parted on the stairs going 10 their
respective rooms at $40 O'Clock, their
usual hour for retiring. He could have
gone out afterward without her knowing
~ Yes, but OF course he didn't,
"When / got back 10 the inquest the
coroner's Jury had Just returned a YER
dict that the deceased had come to her
death by violence at the hand or hands
otsome person unknown. ! had made
up my mind TO arrest John Wardrop on
suspicion, but was in no hurry about 1t,
AsI had not been on the stand | did not
have 10 tell anything Of my suspicious
and the potato could not give anything
away, for had 1t safely in my pocket,
wrapped In tissue'paper, The reporters
went away to write the case up as 3 pro-
founder mystery than before, John
WRFdrop went 10 draw some money
from his employers to give his wife q de-
cent burial, And ], having taken time
to get q warrant for his arrest, followed
him,
"He paled slightly and showed some
embarrassment when l entered the dye
room where he was doing some work
that had to DO done by him and could
not wait until the morrow, Still he con-
trolled himself and sought to cover his
nervousness by talking. Isaid little and
let HIM talk on, which was the. worst
thing he could have done, for thinking
up so many words led him away now aud
then from the straightstory he had made
up, At last, when ! deemed the time
ripe for 1t. ! slipped the potato out OF my
pocket and suddenly holding 1t up be-
fore him said;
"You should have washed your hands
before you grabbed this potato out oil
the dishpan on the table,"
"He threw up his hands with a shrek
and sank down or a bench, all limp and
up. Before no could recover
himself he confessed. He and Harriet
had quarreled for years and finally sepa.
rated. Then after a time she had made
up her mind 10 get possession OF him
again, found where he was, and sent him
word that he must meet her late at night,
when she would be alone, 10 discuss the
situation. He went, but the sight OF
her and thoughts OF Jane Blair, with
whom he had fallen in love in the mean.
time since parting with his wife, made
him desperate.
81 asked him how he had managed to
strange her so quietly and without any
struggle, when she seemed to have
double his strength. He explained that
he possessed sufficient mesmeriC force to
render her passive and had employed 1t
upon that occasion. Having rendered
her completely unconscious by mesmer.
Izlng her the rest was easy. Icould not
help feeling some sympathy for him
when he said she was q tartar still
business wa business and when / had
heard him through | told him.
"'Now, John, get your coat and come
"'1n a moment, sir. Let me wash OFT
some Of this dye first
~ assented. He washed, poured some
stuff over his hands from q bottle 10 take
,he color out as l supposed. Suddenly he
the bottle up to his lips and took
big swallow Of It's contents before
could jump to him and grab him. As
Ieized him the bottle dropped to the
ioor and smashed, while he dropped
.nto my arms as dead as a maui. Cyanide
Or potassium, as l subsequently learned,
vas his final nip, but II was the fatal po'
alto that killed him."