Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-02-26
Mrs. Sarah Huffman Held
to Await the Action Of
the Grand Jury.
THE EVIDENCE INTRODUCED AL
THOUGH NOT MEETING THE
EXPECTATIONS OF THE
PROSECUTION
Is Sufficiently Damaging to Warrant
Squire TressIer in Making
His Decision.

vi AhNIOW Aoob 1aAA Wy ilo cbCp-
mother, Sarah Huffman, brought to focus
the feeling that has been steadily increasing
since the boys suspicious demise. Thurs
dey, Daniel Huffman, father of the dead boy,
swore out warrant for the woman's appre-
hension, and Sheriff Decker secured her ar
rest the same day in Defiance. Bringing
her to Napoleon she was lodged in Jail to
await a preliminary hearing set for Monday
at 10 o'clock, before Squire Tressler. When
the time arrived it was deemed advisable to
hold the trial in the court room on account
of inconvenience to both spectators and
prime actors.
The first witness placed on the stand was
Henry Huffman. His testimony was lengthy
consuming the morning and part of the
afternoon. Limited space prevents verba-
tim report of the examination. The follow
ing is resume
Is Is years old; father, Daniel Huffman,
with brothers Charles and George; brother
Andrew Huffman was well, up to dinner on
the 26th of August; after dinner was taken
very ill and when next saw him he was in
stall in the barn lying on his side with legs
drawn up to his, face and arms cramped, in
great agony; he was also vomiting yellow
ish vomit; after some time got up and walk
ed away but was so weak that he staggered;
this was on Tuesday; kept getting worse un-
til Sunday when he went to bed; had doc
tor on Wednesday; suffered much pain in
bowels and stomach, describing it as piece
of tin cutting him open; Sarah Huffman
gave all the medicine; the patient continued
growing worse until Saturday, Sept. 9Th, when
he died and was buried Monday, Sept. Sth.
About two weeks afterward he was taken
sick after eating some mush and milk, but
whisky he had hid in the hay-his father hav-
ing bought jug full and told him to hide it
in the barn, and that if ever he took sick to
drink some; kept on taking little each day,
gradually decreasing the doseuntil two weeks
later, when he got well; was taken sick the
way his brother Andrew was; his youngest
brother was also taken sick but not so Sc
verely as himself; Mrs. Huffman said that
they had better be careful as she had some
poison in a seed sack in the old house; the
dog was also poisoned and came near dying.
His brother was buried in the Reform church
graveyard near New Bavaria; was at the
cemetery when the body was exhumed but
did not remain to see the stomach taken out.
Cross-examined, he said substantially
Lives two miles from Pleasant Pend; Mrs.
Huffman came to live with them April 18th,
1889, but left in May, returning in June;
his father would not let her in and she went
away coming again, however, on July 31st,
when she was permitted to remain; she left
again in December; DR.. Ziegler was the de-
ceased's doctor; Mrs. Huffman took sole
charge of the patient until Friday when
claimed she was sick; knew his brother was
taken sick on August 26th, died Sept. 9Th and
was buried on the Sth-because his father
marked it on the almanac 'in case" he said,
| ''if Andrew died we would know what to put
on the monument;" did not know vomiting
was sign of poisoning and no one told him
what to say in court; never had told his faith
er what he had just told the court, but had
told his attorneys; did not like Mrs. Huffman
and wanted to see her 60 to Jail; had drank
whisky before, getting it from the cupboard;
( did it just for fun; when both father and
mother were away from home gained access
to his mothers trunk by taking of the hing
es and found white powder which he gave to
DR.. Becker.
Chas. Marshouse testified that he was at
Huffman's on the day Andrew died, and the
gre ater part of the testimony was in describ-
ing the condition of the boy Immediately pre-
ceding and following death, which seems to
point toward arsenical poisoning. The un-
dertakers we're from Defiance, and did not
embalm the body.
The testimony of Charles Huffman, the
brother next to Henry, was about the same as
his brothers. Mrs. Huffman gave Andrew
his medicine in waters of dough which con-
tanned about teaspoonful of whitish powder
which she said was quinine; his brother kept
getting worse from the start: his brother, his
father and himself had talked the whole mat
ter all over many times, and what they would
testify; the last time they did this was on
Saturday; did not like Mrs.. Huffman because
( she whipped him and drove him from the
house; but would not tell lie in order to get
her punished; had told his father what he
knew about the case but his father had not
told him what to testify; after Andrews
death, one day their milk was all poured out
when they came to dinner; they refused to
drink theirs but her boy drank his; he wanted
some more and Daniel Huffman pushed
Charley's towards him; Mrs. Huffman shook
her head and got him some other; the milk
which they refused to drink was thrown in
the slop-pail and the dog drank it, becoming
shortly afterward very sick.
Doctor Shoemaker took the stand. Was
called to assist at post mortem examina-
ton in Pleasant township, about three weeks
ago; the body of Andrew Huffman was taken
up and he removed the stomach and part of
the liver and spleen; the eyes were sunken;
stomach very much contracted; for medici-
nal pu, poses from 32nd to Doth part of a
grain Of arsenic is dose; described the