The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-15
FAMOUS POISON CASES.
Brought 10 Mind by tho Recent Elk
ecution Of Young Carlyle
Harris.
H5 RI ssfsfQt8Ns "a i aH .s4si T. &s&
The Very Celebrated Cnse Of Capt.
Donnellan, Hanged lea
Years Ago.
Convicted on CircumstnntIai Evidence
Protested HIS Innocence TO tho Last
-ElixM Flaming's Case.

Puzzles in poisoning nrs to be found In
great number in she criminal annals Of all
countries. The casa OF Carlyle w. Harris
il the lineal successor of q long catalogue
of celebrated cases in which the terrible
questions: 'Is he innocsnt?" rs no
auilty?" perplexed and tormented the
minds OF the generations to which thoy be-
lonRed. and still walk like uneasy ghosts
among tho dusty alcoves Of the law liorar-
los, haunting all aftertims with the horri'
bio suggestion Of judicial murder
No one. for example. will ever lay the
specter Of Captain Doneilau, which from
the sine OF his trial, in 1881, to tho present
day has persistently shaken his CORY locks
at every Judge and jury in C~hristendom be-
fore whom anybody has been tried for muir.
der by poisoning on citcumstantial evil
dsncpe. says the Philadelphia Press. Inn
panel a jury Of the best lawyers in the
United States to-day. read over oil the owl
dence in the case just as II was recorded l62
wears ago. and there is not the slightest
earthly chance that they will be able to
az 90 u, on n verdict. Yet Captain Donel-
len was choked to death by an English
haneman- over a century ago on the veFdlot
OF a jury Of his fellow-men and a most s1-
cellent Judge (Buller). none OF whom had
the slightest doubt of his guilt.
There ia nm aristocrntio aroma about this
case. sSir Theodosius Boughton was .
young man possessed of y large landed o.
tate. Capt. Donellan was his brother-in-
law, and heir apparent to . large estate.
At the time Sir Theodosius died, Capt.
Donellan was living with him in his coun-
try house, and occupied adjoining apart"
uenta. The young man sent to sn apoths-
cary shop for a drauRht OF medicine, WHOM
was presumed to be a composition OF rhu-
barb, ialnp and lavender water. no swal-
lowed the draught, WAS seized with violent
pains in the stomach. and was soon in con-
Wilson's and expired shortly afterwaro
without making any stntement.
. Suspicion of poisoning Was immediately
awakened in the mind Of the young mans
mother, and she Immediately ordered eve,y-
thing in the room. including the medicine
walls, TO be left untouched. Captain, Don
elan persisted, however. in going into the
death chamber. and. against the express
wishes and etronQ %proteSts OF the mo1nef'
rinsed out the vial from which Sir Thso-
dosius had taken his last drink. Lady
Bouehton Immediately took up the rinssa
vial and held It to her nose. At the trial
she testified that its odor was like thar OF
bitter almonds. SIEVE al physicians had tes-
rel water. which is a deadly. poison, would
after rinsinR give an odor like that OF bitter
almonds. i.
Sir John Hunter was tho most eminent
English physician OF the time. and he swors
most positively that there was nothing In
the cir circumstances attending tia death Of
Sir I heodosius. az were dsscribed BY the
physicians who were called in at tho time.
TO warrant the assertion that death was
caused BY poisoning. All the symptoms
described were, DR.. Hunter said entirely
consistent with the belief that the, young
man dice of apoplsxy. The autopsy made
on the body by the four physicians who tes.
titled for the prosecution, was denounced
by Sir John Hunter 10 have been SO irrsRu-
larly conducted that it's result should net be
trusted.
How, then, was Capt. Donellan oonyieted7
In tho first place it was shown that he had
in-law In the fact that he was the next heir
to a fine and valuable estate. Next 1T was
shown that in his own apartments, care
fully guarded under look and key. he had
a private distillery. with all the appliances
necessary for the distillation OF laurel
water. An abundance Of laurel leaves were
growing in the garden surrounding the
house. The private still In which 1t is be-
lieved the deadly poison was prepared was
found soon after tho death OF Slf Theodo,
sius covered with thick lime, which would
have effeotually removed all traces OF laurel
wate-, assuming that any had bssn left In
II. Further. it was proved that Capt. Don
ellan had thrown every possible object tn
tl0 way OF an EXAMINATION OF WIG OO0ys 0uO
that 1t was not until foroible means were
taken to overcome his objection that thu
body was exhumed and disssctsd.
1t was claimed also that for many week
before the death of his brother-in-law ha
had taken great pains to tell every one II
tho neighborhood that he feared the youni
man would not live long, that he ~sxpeetee
his death at any moment, while no one sls'
in the family had entertained such fears
II was claimed by. the government tha
&c.. E.rA - l>.A Nank a 1Nnr ma ANN{cy
was thoroughly inconsistent with his limo
oence, and so, upon this tissue of presamp
tons, he was convicted and sent to tn
scaffold.
just before he WAS taken out 70 be h.nee
Capt. Donellan. in the presence of tn
chaplain, who had given him tho lest con
solations, Of religion, solsmnly declare
that. as he was shortly to mset his God. an
MS no hoped for forgiveness. he was nbor
TO die entirely innocent OF the crime fe
as he affirmed under these awful ciroum
stances, or was he guilty? The world vi
never know. The highest authorities Q
evidence from that day to this have bee
arguing, some that II was and others thi
IL was not a righteous conviction.
Another spocter that will not be laid, b.
walks forever up and down the gloomy hal
of English justice. 10 the pathetic wrath
the young and beautiful Eliza .Fsnnin
She was but q years of age when size v,
suddenly taken from the house in Ohsns
lane, London, where she was living -
domestic servant. and arraianed at the o
Bailey court house on the charge Of admin
istering poison to the family. No ono hs
died from the attempt at poisoning, but
that time (1815) it was . capital felony
administer poison with intent TO kill. II
family had undoubtedly been poisoned |
eating Of dumplinRs made by this hspls
girl, but she had herself eaten of the san
dish ind suffered in the Same degree a. 81
ether members of the household. She b,
not made the slightest attempt to reno
tho evidence of her guilt, II Guilty she wa
She had left the poison-bearing dish III
washed. 1t is hardly conceivable this
such being the evidence. she should ha'
been convicted.
But the recorder Of London, who DR.
sided at the trial. seemed to be very pref
diced against her. and charged The in
strongly for conviction. The sAly mott
ascribed 10 her was that she had had
slight quarrel With her mistress. After col
viotion petitions signed BY thousands pray
the mercy of the king. but the record
~fercsly fought the movement for pardo
New evidence Was discovered after The tEit
and before the execution, which made
all but certain that she was innocent. E.
The vast multitude who witnessed h
death all but unanimously believed her l
nocent, and the mir WAS filled with sobbin
and groans AS tho drop fell. Thu people
London we're furious after hsr death. q
- A-1