The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-12


darkness from the moment of the murder
10 the discovery Is it reasonable to
suppose she would have sat around
in her nightgown In the cold, is it con-
ceiyable that she would have gone to bed
with the corpse2 When did she lie down
on the floor, so that her cheek was red
dened from contact with the carpets If
the murder was the result Of the con-
spiracy, why were not better prepara-
tons made TO back up the burglary
theory Why was not some valuable
article destroyed or secreted2 Why did
not the conspirators alIege that some sum
OF money had been stolen from the cash
drawer?
OR IS THIss
Now let us look at the other theory.
Let us suppose that two or three burglars
1 break into the won1en's room. Miss
Pursel screams and runs into another
room. One man follows her and clasps a
chloroformed napkin over her face. She
does not succurnb to the drug, she swoons
away and lies in a comatose state four or
five hours. She Is just reviyfng when
she is found
The second marauaer tackles Mrs.
Knifin. He claps pistol to her head and
tells her to lie still He will not hurt her
if she does SO. but viii blow her BRAINS
out if she moves. She suecumbs. as any
woman would, and hes still. Now, = the
ruffian says, ''we have a little business
here. and we don't want You TO disturb
us by giving the alarm, SO we'u give you
a little dose of chloroform Take it
quietly, and you'll be all right by the
time we're through" Then he admins
ters the dose, but he does it ignorantly,
cuts of the entire air supply, and, with
ont knowing it or intending it, kills the
woman.
Then the thieves ransack the house.
But it had been visited by other burglars
month before, and no yaluables are
kept in it. After a vain search the bur-
glars retreat, neither knowing nor caring
what would befall the women.
The contrast between these two theo-
ries impresses me as being that between
wild impossibility and ordinary everyday
experience.
The conspiracy theory depends on the
alleged illicit love between Dr.. Knifhn
and Miss Pursel, aud lack of harmony
between the doctor and his wife. Both
points are fully covered in the evidence,
and we give the main points bearing on
the subject
Druggist Patterson's evidence
n l.
lions between DIR. knffdn and his wifes
a. l never saw anything out Of the road;
he always treated his wife right.
q DID you ever hear any quarrellingy
A. don't know; don't recollect that
have heard any.
Q. Did you ever hear any unpleasant
wordss A. Well, | could not distinguish.
Q. You told Us you could distinguish
every word in the house. | ask you If you
ever heard any quarrelling- A. / have
heard II. Yes, sir.
Q. Dc you know whobys A. Well. one
time between Mrs. Knifiin and Miss Pur-
sci; it was not quarrelIing. / couldn't
distinguish what 1t was.
@ Did you ever hear any unpleasant
words between DIR. kniffin and his wife
that You might call quarrellings a.
don't know that did.
O. Did any one of them ever make any
remark to you IN reference TO the otherg
A. No.
O. The relation between Dr. Knifin
and his wife, so far as you know, seemed
TO be pleasant around the house A. It
was always 'Myra" and Arthur
@. Would they go out together; would
he take her out ridingy A. Yes, sir.
O. Has he taken anybody else? A
Yes, taken the whole business.
O. Did yon ever see him take Miss Pur-
sci alone? A. Yes, several times, they
used to meet every once in while: per
haps two mornings a week.
@. Were they naturally of an affection
ate disposition to one another? A. Well,
DR.. Kniffin did not make any demonstra-
ton of his affection.
Q. Did he kiss his wife that morning?
A. No, sir, not in my presence.
Q. Well, when he walked out in the
street with Miss Pnrsel, did he show
affection then? A. No, sir.
Q. Did you see anything around the
house to make you think it, A. No. sir
Never saw him touch Miss Pursel, unless
in passing or something like that.
"Gus" Reds version
BY Juror Pierson-W Were YOU personally
acquainted with Mrs. Kniffins A have
1 known her for eight or ten years. ever
since have lived in Trenton.
@. Do you know anything about the
family relations, as to whether they were
! pleasant or not? A. Always pleasant as
far as know.
z. Old you ever see any Undue intimacy
between DR.. Kniffin and Miss Pursels A.
No. sir.
@. BY Juror I.awshe-Did You know
| thar Dr. Kuifiin was quite intimate with
Miss Pursel. and they We're frequently on
the street togetherf A. ! have seen him
walk with her at noon when she was go
ing to her work and he was going to the
stable.
Q. Did that occur Irequentlys A l
never saw that very frequently.
O. BY Juror Corneli-Did you ever see
him on the street with his wife? A Yes.
sir.
Q. How often2 A / have, frequently.
yes, sir, have seen him out in the car
riage with her frequently.
O. By the Coroner-Did ycu ever see
him and Miss Pursel out carriage riding
together? A. Not alone.
William Fl. Van Horn
O. You are personally acquainted with
the doctor and his wife, are you notY A.
| am.
O. Intimately acquainted A I am
O. Did you visit the house frequentlys
A. Not of late, not for some months.
O. Before that you had been in the
habit of visiting the hOuses A ! have.
O. AS far as you could see, what We're
the relations between Dr.. KHiffin ard his
1 x,-ffa- 4rare fhey Dleasenf or n0fs