Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-18
THE DEFENSE BEGUN.
Captain Hunt, the Chemist, Found
Arsenic and CrOtOn Oil.
J. 0. HANDY SUBSTANTIATES HIM.
Evidence to Show the Similarity
of Arsenical Poisoning Symp-
toms and Observation-Disclosures
Of the National Guard Who
Were Affected Similarly to
Those Supposed to Have Been
Poisoned.

PITTsBURG, Pa, January 17.-Interest
in the Homestead poison case is increasing,
and when court opened to-day the attend
ance was larger than any previous day.
The greater portion Of those present
seemed TO be of the labOring class, ana
that their sympathies were largely with
thedefeudant was evidenced oy the factthat
ANYTHING favorable 10 him was greeted oy
hum OF approval. Several times the
court had to warn the crowd to preserve
order The defendant, Dempsey, appeared
nervous and intently listened 10 all the tes-
tlmony.
Chemist A. T. Hunt gave the most i'm
portant evidence at the morning session
and caused something Of sensation by
stating that he found croton oil and arsenic
iu the excrement of Homestead work
man named Hebron, which Was given 10
him for ANALYSIS Hebron was taken III on
September 10th, and died five weeks later
In his testimony, Capt. Hunt said: VI
the analysis and found the stool contained
about nine drops of oil, which contained
large proportion of croton oil. 1
also found that they contained about
half grain OF arsenic. BY
arsenic l mean the white powder COM
monty called arsenic acid. Inc analysis
was made by me and under my supervi-
Il
the proportions Of arsenic and croton oil.
have no hesitation in saying the excre-
ment contained the proportions OF arsenic
and croton OIL"
Cross examination-"Does not brown
paper contain arsenic"
"This paper does not. | made an anal
ysis of the paper for this very purpose and
it contained no acid"
The witness was sharply cross exam
ined, but his evidence remained unsnaken.
j. o. Handy, chief chemist OF Hunt &
Clapp, was called. He had been seven
wears in the profession. H9 told OF the
analysis made OF the excrement, ana the
result showed the presence Of croton oil
and arsenic in the proportions mentioned
by Capt Hunt They made four tests for
arsenic, which demonstrated beyond
doubt the presence OF arsenic.
He never had made test for croton oil
before He weighed the arsenic de made
an analysis Of the paper in which the ex'
crement was wrapped and found it free
from arsenic. Part of the paper around
the excrement was newspaper. but this also
was analyzed and found 10 contain no arse
mic.
AT the afternoon session, after some IN
important evidence, the prosecution rested
and Thos. Marshall opened for the de-
fense. The first witness called for the de-
fense was DR.. Richard Il. McCord. OF
Pittsburg, who described the effects OF ar
senic and croton oil on the human system
and showed the similarity between symp-
toms caused by those poisons and those
brought on By the ordinary causes OF dis
ease.
DR.. Purman, of Homestead, being called,
said that he bad two patients now under
his care who became affiisted with diarr-
huea last July. and whose cases had not yet
yielded to treatment
J. NJ. Little, a member of battery B, OF
the national guard, and nine Of his COM
rades testified that snostly after arriving at
Homestead on July 18th they became Ill,
vomiting and being seized with diarrhea.
Court here adjourned until tomorrow.