The morning call., 1893-05-04
HELD FOR MURDER.
Startling Points Against
Mrs. Laphane.
WHAT LOTTIE WATSON SAW.
Babies Preserved in Alcohol in Jars.
Conflicting Testimony and Contra
dictions of Witnesses.


Attorney Ferral recalled Mrs. Mary Ann
Watson, mother of Lottie Watson. who gave
birth to the murdered babe.
In answer to questions she said she never
saw Mrs. Laphame give medicine to the
child, but saw her give it to her daughter
out Of the bottle handed in in evidence. The
medicine was only given her daughter once
while she was suffering pain and the bottle
was left on a small table in the daughters
room.
Judge Conlan, at this stage. said to At
torney Ferral: 81 wish you would endeavor
to control your client. Her unseemly levity
will only hurt her case" The rebuke had
the desired effect.
Mrs. Watson continued her evidence.
She saw the child alive over an hour and
half before it died in the kitchen. She
was not sure if any grown-up person was
there at the time. She advised her daughter
to get the baby adopted, as she did not
wish to take it to Brentwood.
L0ttie Watson was recalled by the prose-
cutiop, and gave some startling testimony
When the Coroner called at the house."
she said, Mrs. Laphame came 10 my room
and she had three or four babies from four
to five months old in her bosom which were
preserved in alcohol in jars, and which she
said she had taken out OF the Jars as she
was afraid the Coroner might in his search
discover them. She said she wanted to
shield herself for fear Of the detectives"
why did you not testify to this before?"
asked Judge Conan.
~ didn't remember at the time. young
lady had n baby on the Wednesday / was
there, and II was also preserved in alcohol"
This testimony created a profound sensa-
ton IN court, and the defendant glared saw
agely at the witness
Attorney Ferral commenced his cross
examination by asking:
DO you thiek you could recollect any
thing else II you had more timeT"
81 don't know"
"Have you talked with any one about the
case ?"
81 might have spoken to my own people.
l spoke with Mrs. Burmeister, my brother
ana mother about it"
Did any one speak to you about it?"
"1e s. Mrs. Maynard asked NE why | had
no. told about the babies"
when did You first see the babies in the
Iars?"
The first day my brother and 1 went to
the house on April s. We had been talking
for little. and then she showed them
to me-"
Attorney Ferrsl asked her to draw upon
paper the size and shape of the babies, but
as an artist Lottia was a signal failure.
Now said MI Ferral. why did she
show you the babies in the jar ?'
'She said why did not come sooner, and
she could have attended me, and she then
showed me the babies in the jars as an
Illustration Of her process with other girls.
l never asked DR.. Pepper or any one else if
that could be done. The ba bies in the Jars
were in a closet in the dning-room down
stairs where she kept her medicine bottles,
and she told me if | had taken some Of the
medicine / wouldn't have had any trouble
at all. ! told Detective Rogers about tn
babies to-day"
Attorney Ferral pressed her hard with
questions as to why she had not told the
detective or others about the babies before,
to all OF which Lottie answered, II didn't
like TO tell
Continuing she said:
Il think it right 10 tell it now to save
others from the same trouble. Mrs. lap
hame showed them TO me wrapped up 10 a
clotn the day the Coroner was at the house,
and she said she was going to burn them
that night. She was crying and nervous at
the time and afraid OF being arrested"
VINO was the nrSt person you spoke to
about the babies in the jars?'
Mrs. Williams. the other patient in the
house, as she had also seen them.
ION the Wednesday before had my baby
Mrs. Laphame showed me a baby which
had been prematurely born that day."
This elnsed the case for the prosecution.
{. l.. Darlington, chemist, who made the
analysis OF the babes stomach, was the first
witness for the defense. but he simplv re-
peated the testimony he had already given,
Mrs. Amanda NJ. Brnnkall, a dressmaker.
testified TO having known the defendant for
the past three months. She saw her last on
April is at her house. Mrs. Hogan and
Mrs. Watson were there In the kitchaD
Il went there" said the witness. sat n
quarter to IN the afternoon, stayed till a
quarter to I, left and came back at a quar-
ter past and stayed till s. A few minutes
after | first entered Mrs. Laphame asked
me 10 look at the Two babies and said Size
fhgnQbt of than ltfpu
Don't they (meauing the mother and grand
motheD feel bad about iii? and she said
No. don't think they care; they won't
look al it, The grandmother came in and
| spoke to her about it dying, and she said.
We'll, II will be better off, The baby died
shortly before o'clock that night"
Mrs. Annie Hogan. 13l Turk street, said
size had known Mrs. Laphame several
years.
81 was in her house." she said, ION April
IS. | went about p. NJ and remained till
6. Mrs Laphame told me to look at the
two babies. One was very sick and in
spasms. l helped her to battle the sick baby
IN warm water.
Mrs. Laphame said to me. What will 1
do il it dies? and / said to send to an un-
dertaker's and get 1t buried | then left,
and Immediately sent my boy to the United
Undertakers on Fifth street. 1t seemed to
be n nice healthy looking baby"
In answer to Prosecuting Attorney
dead when left and l Immediately sent to
the undertaker's."
ado you mean to say" said the Judge.
that you sent to the undertaker's before the
babe was dead ?"
Yes, l saw 1t was going TO die It was
getting black and blue"
rs your husband Pete Hogan. who was
in my court to-day on a charge of
vagrancy?"
Yes, sir replied the witness
NJ Drtn
the result OF the autopsy on the chlld's
body.
Mrs. Lag Same then took the stand and
she proved most unsatisfactory and in
tractable witness. She was cautioned again
and again by her counsel to only answer the
questions put to her, but she branched off
always and kept r;n in hot water all the
time.
She said Lottle Watson told her the
father OF the child was dead, and subse-
quen,ly said she was to be married in the
end OF May TO the son OF Baptist clergy
man. The man, who proved to be Lottie's
brother, told her to be very careful of his
wife. meaning Lottie.
Defendant denied that she had ever
shown Lottie any dead babies and never
showed her the closet in the dining-room.
She denied giving Lottie any medicine out
of the bottle produced in evidence, and never
made the remark, whats good for the
mother is good for the child" She would
not give tlncture Oh opium TO any child or,
in fact anybody.
She denied taking the babies to Lo.tie's
room the day tho Coroner was there, and
never told her 10 say nothing about the
babies or how her own baby died. All she
told Lottie was that she needn't give her
true name, as she and her mother were
afraid Of publicity.
AT the time he told Mrs. Hogan to go to
the undertaker's she thought the baby was
dead, but it did not die for ten minutes
after she left She told Mrs. Hogan to 90
to the city undertaker's SO that the baby
could be buried at the city's expense.
She talked about knowing an undertaken
named OC0nnor on Mission street who
buried her own child, but was stopped by
her counsel.
There was no DISCRIMINATION.
Mrs. Hogan vas recalled by Judge Con-
Ian. and said she called at 8 p. NJ. on April
IS. and left at 6. The baby was then not
dead, but had spasIns.
Me-