The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-20
IT COMES TOO LATE
w. Fred Petit, Alleged Wife Poi
sOner, Granted a New Trial.
However, He Has Only a Few Weeks to
Live-Story of the Celebrated
Murder Case.

Fred W. Petit ex-nlinister and alleged
po;soner of his wife. was granted a new
trial by the Supreme Court at noon yester-
day. The prisoner, confined in the northern
penitentiary for life, is dying OF consump-
ton. and it is scarcely possible that he will
live TO receive the benefit Of the amnesty
extended by the higher court. On the 10Th
day OF November. $780, Petit was sentenced
to the northern prison by Judge Snyder, of
the Montgomery Circuit, where the case had
gone from Tippecanoe county on change Of
venue The trial of the celebrated cause
occupied five weeks, and productive of
wide interest throughout the country.
Fred W. Petit was one of the brilliant
young divines Of the Methodist Church, a
Mason Of high degree, and to the world a
polished, cultured gentleman. The crime for
which he is now suffering was the result of
the most cunning and diabolical scheming,
although the evidence was purely circum-
stantial, and. as hundreds of people be-
lieve. should not have convicted him. Petit
was the pastor of the Shawnee Mound
Church, pretty little edifice, situated in
the most picturesque portion of Tippecanoe
county Adjoining the church was the par
sonage, where the minister, with his wife
and little girl, lived in apparent happiness.
absented herself from her home for a week
and visited her aunt a Mrs. Ford, of South
Bend. She returned to Shawnee Mound
about the middle of the month and the day
after her arrival was taken i'll. From the
evidence shown il appeared that her fatal
illness dated from the moment that her hus-
Which m had nr made for her OF The fact tha
witnesses present heard her remark, Fred,
this tea is SO bitter" furnished the prose-
cution with theory that on this occasion
Petit administered his wife the first dose of
strychnia. The physician who was called
siOns She was relieved. but on the follow
ing morning suffered a recurring attack.
For three days her symptoms were strongly
Characteristic of Strychnine poisoning, and
she finally died in horrible agony. During
her illness her husband remained at her bed
side, and the State showed a damaging line
or evidence when II proved that after eacn
dose of medicine administered by Petit his
wife grew alarminely worse. After death
she was taken to the bone of her . mother
3 Three months later the body was taken
up by Chemist Peters, of Lafayette, and
the stomach. In the meantime Petit, leav-
ing his little daughter with his, wife's
mother, returned to Shawnee Mound Then
His name was coupled with that of Mrs.
Elma Whitehead, the wealthieSt widow IN
Tippecanoe county, a member of his flock
and the occupant of a splendid mansion
within half-mile of the little Methodist
parsonage. There were few attractive
shown unquestionably that she and the
minister had been guilty of much indiscreet
conduct, and ii was soon boldly limited
that Petit had killed his wife in order
that he might enjoy the wealth OF Mrs
Whitehead. Petit was arrested and jailed
at Lafayette on the charge of wife murder,
but his case was venued to Montgomery
county, and on Nov. s, 1890. the case was
called to trial before Judge Snyder, one of
the most competent and able jurists OF the
State. The prosecution was conducted by
Prosecutor Haywood, of Lafayette, assisted
by Prosecutor Anderson, of Montgomery
county, and Colonel Wilson, Of Lafayette
The prisoners attorneys, stuart, GAYLORD
& Kumler and Colonel Dehart Of La
fayette, struggled hard against the dam
aging evidence of the State. but without
the prisoner was found guilty. Almost
from the day OF his Incarceration Petit
began to droop and give way TO the dismal
surroundings of the prison. Rapidly he
drifted into lung trouble, and letter a few
DAYS ago received from the prison states
that he will survive but a few weeks He
is frightfuIiy emaciated from disease and
confinement, and IS unable 10 speak above
whisper.
The appeal to the Supreme Court for q
reversal of the decision of the lower court,
refusing a new trial, has been pending for
more than year Judge Hackney In his
committed by Judge Snyder was in the re-
fusal TO grant the defense a continuance
in order that they might produce Mrs.
Ford, the aunt of the dead wife. They
held that this witness could testify TO the
prisoners real affection for his wife, and
also to the fact that she had been subject
TO peculiar symptoms not unlike those
from which she died. Mrs. Ford. it APP
pears, had gone far west, and the lower
court in the refusal to grant continuance
claimed that her evidence was not ma
terial and that Petits attorneys were
dilatory in their efforts to produce her.
The Supreme Bench failed to agree with
with a number of other errors, was con-
sidered of vital Importance to the case.