The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-13

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deathbed. He was present when Mr.. Will
son made his will. and that he willed the
bulk of his fortune to his niece. MIR. Will
son knew the cause of his death, but said he
forgave his wife.
The physicians who conducted the post
morten examination testified that they had
found the esophaRus and stomach of the de-
ceased highly infamed and covered with
little pustules. always present in cases of
arsenical poisoning. They had assisted in
the analysis made of portions of the viscera
ana had discovered arsenic in large quanti-
ties. They were positive Mr.. Wilson had
como to his death from arsenical poisoning.
The counsel for defense showed great
skill in his c.oss-examination of witnesses
for the prosecution and in the examination
of witnesses for the defense. He proved
that John Wilson had suffered from ply
mosis from youth and forced the physicians
to admit that that disease would produce
ent in cases of arsenical poisoning. He
made DR.. Hulett admit that he had pre-
scribed arsenicum for Mr.. Wilson, though
the worthy physician protested that it was
in such infiniteslmal doses that trace of it
could not be found in a human system
proved that when the autopsy was held
that the viscera was put in an unglazed
earthen jar and stored in an unlocked cell
lar for one night. He also proved that the
earthen jar had contained embalming fluid
previous to its being nsed to hold the
timacy had existed between John Wilson
and his niece, Hattie Wilson, which was the
cause of Mrs. Wilson not living as wife
with her husband. He did not disprove the
testimony of the druggist, nor of the nurse,
but clouded it with his eloquence, and the
dict of not guilty.
The case was given to the jury ats O'Clock
in che evening. Mrs. Wilson sat in the
court room for the first time during the
trial with her veil thrown back. She looked
fair and fat, placid and calm. Her female
friends surrounded her and she conversed
with them, her features occasionally light
ing up with smile. I was seated ut a
table near her, and several times her gaze
wandered in my direction, always with a
CLEAN of malignancy.
The court room was crowded, and when
the verdict of the jury was announced q
veil went up from the women that would
charge. Everyone seemed to be frantic.
Women jumped over benches and jOstled
each other in their eagerness to congratu-
late the poor lamb for her escape from her
prosecutors. Nor were the men behind
hand They crowded o,;ttaa around and shook
icated priest, Peter Moran, who had
watched the trial closely, was the first to
offer congratulations. As he passed my
chair he said:
''she is a charming widow, charmingr'
The charming widow was conveyed to her
carriage by her admirers, the horses un-
hitched and the carriage hauled home by
men and women together.
When the prosecuting attorney, another
reporter and myself left the court house to
take a cab, we were greeted with groans.
A word in explanation as to the book
spoken of in the beginning of this article.
When I noticed Mrs. Wilson became SO
agitated when she saw the book in my pos
session determined to possess it. Look
ing it over when l reached the Office found
it the translation of a very scarce work by
Able de Wise entitled, the Confessions of
Madame Guili.'' The madame was 8
notorious woman who when she grew tired
of her lovers poisoned them. One chapter
describes the effects of arsenic on the
human system, and she relates how she
murdered lover by giving him arsenic in
went into decline and died and how she
wept over his bier. She described exactly
the case of John Wilson.
I gave the little volume to the prosecuting
attorney, and told him how it came into my
possession. He was going to spring me as
a witness at an oppOrtune time, and had an
interview with Mrs. Metten to see what she
would say in confederation of my story.
She denied all knowledge of the affair. She
declared positively that she had never seen
me at Mrs. Wilson'S, and that she had
never taken book from fire where Mrs.
Wilson threw it. The prosecuting attorney
wisely concluded not to introduce the book
as evidence.