Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-26
THE POISONED BABE.
Lena Marsh and william Ellersick
Held on the Charge Of Murder.

arraigned before Judge Berka yesterday
afternoon for trial on the charge of having
murdered the illegitimate child of the for
mer, which died at the "Open Door" on June
II from poison by carbolc acid. When Lena
was led into court she gave little evidence of
having suffered bereavement or of feeling
any manner the responsibility of the
charge resting upon her. She was attired in
q neat fitting suit of black and wore white
shawl around her shoulders. Her head was
adorned by black velvet turban. in which
was a gaily colored feather. She bore an air
of uncoucern during the entire proceedings.
Ellersick sat near her on the prisoners
bench, but scarcely glanced at her. Mrs,
Ellersck with young babe in her arms,
was among the spectators.
DR.. e. l., Alexander was the first witness
Ellersick called upon the witness and Sc
cured his attendance upon Lena Marsh
when she was confined in childbirth, and
continued TO treat the patient until she was
removed TO the "Open Door" He described
the location of the rooms occupied by the
Ellersick family over the saloon at the cor
ner of Charles and Saunders streets.
"DId you prescribe any medicine for the
child born OF Lena Marshi' asked Mr.. Ma
honey.
81 did not"
Did you prescribe any caroolic acid for
81 did: 1t was to be used by her alone in
diluted form" l,
as carbollc acid poison and violentp
'It is. There Is but one more violent, of
the common poisons. Its action is chiefly
corrosive"
Witness stated further that the bottle con-
tanning the carbolic acid was kept in a cup
board in room separate from the one occu-
pied by Lena Marsh, and could only be
reached by going thr ough two rooms from
Lena Marsh's bed. The acid was kept in
two-ounce bottle. No other medicine was
prescribed by the witness and he did not
know that any other medicine was kept in
the cupboard with the. carbolic acid.
"When were you called to see the child
after its birth?'
s'Ellersick came on the 10th Of June and
told me the child was very sick and some
thing wrong withit. went to Ellersick's
place about O'Clock. found the child with
a badly burned mouth and throat and with a
burn on the right side Of the face extending
from the mouth to the ear. The burn was
such as would have been caused by carbolic
acid, and there was strong odor Of the acid
The child was IN a stupor with very feeble
actiAn of the heart. The child was perfectly
healthy when left the house in the morn
ing"
HDid you ask how the accident happenedl"
81 did. l asked how it mad happened and
if they had given it carbolic acid. Mrs.
Ellersick said that Lena had not given the
child the acid, but that the acid had been
kept in another room all of the time"
did Lena Marsh say anything at that
time about how the baby became so burned"
''She did not"
"At the Open Door on the llth Of June, q
short time before it died"
''Who prepared the carbolic acid for Lena
| Marsh's usei"
"Where was the bottle Of acid when YOU
called after the child had been polsoned2"
SIN the cupboard where first saw it,"
"Was Lena Marsh strong enongh to walk
| to the room where it was kept"
II don't think 80. l should say not"
Charles b. Gurney, druggist at 1924
] Saunders street, filled q prescription made
| by DR.. Alexander. The prescription called
! for diluted acid, but as he did not know for
| what purpose it was to be used he put up
| two ounces of pure carbolic acid, and told the
| purchaser that it was pure, and not diluted.
| He labelled the bottle, ''carbolic acid" but
| did not put ''poison" label on the bottle.
| He could not identify Ellersick as the man
| who purchased the acid.
| Coroner Drexel testified to his official acts
| in connection with the death of Lena Marsh's
| child. He told of his conversation with Ell
lersick concerning the poisoning of the child.
| Ellersck reported to him the finding of q
| spoon under the womans bed, but as it had
been replaced with the others it could not be
| identified.
Mrs. Ellersick, wife of William Ellersick,
and sister of Lena Marsh, was called. She
| was in the house, she said, all day on June
| TO- the day the child was poisoned, except
| few minutes in the forenoon and short
| time in the afternoon, and was not absent
more than ten m inutes either time. Lena
| sat up for an hour on that day. The bottie
of carbolic acid was kept in cupboard and
along side OF bottle of paregoric.
"Have you those bottles nowl" asked the
| county attorney.
81 have the paregoric. ] threw tine car
bolc acid into the slop bucket two or three
| days after Lena's child was born"
did you use the acid wash for Lena that
| II did not She used it herself that day.
| got the acid for herr
| "Did Lena call you when the child was
first poisoned, and when and how it was,n
| "It was o'clock or half past when she
| told me that something was wrong with
the baby. She said The baby is vomiting.
milky substanceDwat running out of the
child's mouth. took the child and wiped
| its face, which was worry red, looked like IL
| was burned. I called Ellersick and sent
him for the doctor.n;0u
'Was the bottle Of aoia ever left in Lena's
| roomln ;ta&
| ut never wasn s.iy;'
''Did you ask your sister how 1t hap
| penedw lm tl
II asked her IL SHE poisoned the baby and
she said, oh no, sos.g The bottle was in the
| same place whore il always was kept when
l fourd IL after the baby was poisoned"
WAS your sisterdn ihe kitchen at any
| times" n SOC
"She was in the kitchen for dinner on
Sunday, but was not IN there at any other
timer ss,iei
Mr.. Ellersick's ayes almost started from
their sockets at the, first question OF the
| cross-examination, which was:
Did you see your husband poison the
| childn
"oh, no. He didn't do it." said Mrs. Ell
| lersck
Ibid you see Lena poison Iti"
"No, / did not"
| "Did you poison iti"
Mrs. Ellersick laughed contemptuously
and replied that she did not, and no further
facts were secured from her.
Miss Minnie Montana, a nurse at the
"Open Door," testified that she had over
heard Ellerslck say to Lena Marsh:
"Keep your mouth shut aud if they ask
you any questions say that you wanted To
wash yourself and that you spilled carbolic
acid on the babys face.n
A severe and tlresome cross examination
failed TO alter Miss Montana's evidence in the
least.
Judge Berka held both Eilorsick aud Lens