The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-21


guilty" pcrpleXcd and tormcuted the
minds Of the generations to which they
belonged, and still walk like uneasy
ghosts among the dusty alcovcs of the
law libraries, haunting all aftcrtimc
with the horrible suggestion of judi
cial murder
No ono, for example, will ever lay the
specter OF Captain Doncllan. which
from tho time of his trial in ISL to the
present day has persistcntly revisited
the siiinpscs of the moon and shaken
ms CORY locks at every Judge and Jury
IN chilstcndom before whom any body
has been tried for murder by POISONING:
on circuinstantial evidences. Impanel Il
jury OF the best lawyers in the United
States to-day, read over all the evidence
in the case just as it was recorded 1Oa
years ago, and there is not the slight
est earthly chance that they will be
able to agree upon Il verdict Yet Capt.
Donel!an was cholicd ia death by an
English hangman over Il century ago
on the verdict of Il jury of his follow
men and most able judge U;ullcr).
none Of whom had the slightest
doubt Of his guilt There is an
nristocratic aroma about this case
Hur.c, the author of the famous book
OF the pccrage. included it in his book
OF famous trials connected with the
British aristocracy. 1t was family
tragedy in high life. Sir Thcodosius
boughton was IL young man possessed
OF large landed estate. Captain Do
ncllan WAS his brother-in-law and heir
apparent to the large estate. At the
time Sir TheodosiuS died Captain Do
nclan was living with him i'm his com.
try house and occupied adjoining apart
mcnts. The young man. who was in
delicate health, had sent to an apothe-
cary shop for drnught Of medicine.
which was sent back to him i'm an or
binary vial. This draught was pre-
Humed TO he Il composition of rhuburb.
jalap and lavender water At the
time lie took the tlraught other
walls OF similar size appeared to have
been in his chamber. lie had ONLY
swallowed the draught Il few minutes
when lie was seized with violent pains
in the stomach, and was soon in con-
vuisions and foanling at the mouth.
He expired shortly aftcrward without
making any statmcnt. Suspicion of
poisoning was Immediately awakened
IN the mind OF the young mans mother.
who WAS present at the death scene.
and she Immediately ordered every
thing in the room. including the mcdi-
cine walls 10 bc left untouched. Can
tain Doncllar pcrsis ted, however. in
going into the death chamber. and.
against The express wishes and stronr
protests Of the another, rinscd ont the
vial from which Sir Theodosius had
taken has last drink. Lady Boughton
Immediately took up the rinsed vial
and hello it to Ter nose. At the trial
she testified That its odor was like that
OF bitter almonds. Several physicians
had testified that glass which had
contained laurel water, which is
II deadly poison, would, after rinsing.
give an odor like that of bitter al
monds. This was the nearest approach
to evidence that was offered to the Jury
to show that Sir Theodosius had in fact
taken drink of the deadly laurel
water. Sir John Hunter was the most
eminent English physician Of the time,
and he was Il witness at the trial. He
'swore most positively that there was
nothing in the circumstances attending
the death of Sir Theodosius, as de-
Scribed by The physicians who were
called in AT The time, 10 warrant the
assertion that his death was caused by
poisoning. All the symptoms described
were, Or Hunter said, entirely consis-
tent with The belief that the younp
man died of apoplexy. The autopsv
made on The BODY by the four physi-
clans who testified for the prosecution
was pronounced by Sir John Hunter to
have been so irrcgularly conducted
that rpcIIlt L.,
How, then was Capt Donclan con
victcd? In The first place it was shown
that he had strong motive for poison
ing his brother-in- law in the fact thot
he was the next heir to fine and vain
able estate. Next it was shown that
in his own apartments, carefully
guarded under lock and key, he had a
private distjllery with all the appliances
necessary Tor the distillation of laurel
water. An abundance of laurel leaves
were growing in the garden surround
ing the house. The private still in
which il was believed the deadly poison
was prepared was found after the death
of Sir Theodosius covered with quick
lime, which would have effectively re-
moved all traces of laurel water, assum-
ing that any had been left in it.
Further, IL was proved that Capt. Do
neiian had thrown every possible OBJ
stacle IN the way of an examination of
the body, ana tliat it was not until for
chile means were taken to overcome his
objections THAI the body was exhumed
and dissectcd. II was proved also
that for many weeks before the death
of his hrotker-in-law he had taken
great pains TO tell every one in the
neiGhborhood that he feared the young
man MoNld not live long. that he az