Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-04-13
MOST INTERESTING TRIAL FOR YEARS

y
of William r. Evans, who was indicted by |
the grand jury Of this county at the last |
October term 0f court for the poisoning of |
Il well of water at the ROsser home, near |
Oak Grove, a small village few miles |
from SGatord from the drinking OF the
water Of which well Raymond Rosser tile
1Sn9nths old sou of John ltosser. died,
and the whole family were seriously III Tor
several weeks. The well was poisoned Oh
the night of Thursday the ith day of Au-
gust last, and Raymond ROsser died the
Following Tuesday night,
Evans resided at rNcOny, in the Twenty.
third ward Of Philadelphia and histhfeals,
coupled with the fact Gf his absence from
Tacony at the time Of the well being
poisoned. directed suspicion toward HIM.
In September last he was arrested and on
reqlIistion brought to Georgetown by
State Detectives Witsil and McNey aud
lodged i'll the Georgetown jail. His trial at
the last October term Of court was
impossible because OF the short time for
The defence to- collect testimony and the
| fact OF the short time given for holding
| court in this county and was postponed
until January when again postpnnee'
nent was neccssitated by the fact OF his
counsel, the late Chief Justice Robinson,
| having been appointed Chiet JustiC, anu
! new counsel having not been obtained.
| However, this morning, with the iull
| bench--Chicf Justice Lore, Judges Grubb,
| Cullen and Mnrvel-the case came up for
trial. Although the court only assigned
| Charles Il. Richards AS counsel for the
| prisoner this morning, the defence was
! ready for trial Mr.. Richards having been
! spoken to by Evans.
| After a half hours work empanelling
\ the Jury, it looked as if the panel woul'i be
| exhausted but such was not the case, but
nearly so, only few being left uncalled.
The following jury was empaanell,Gsd on the
case: Curtis H. Davis, John y. Lank,
1 S.ansbury G. Matthews. Edward L, Hearn,
Peter Gray, Edgar Gray, Peter Bennett,
Joseph w, Ellis, George Il. West. John II,
Aydelotte, Thomas Pritchett, Elijah J.
Hearn.
Encouragement Nicholson opened for
the State, after which the court took re-
cess until 3 o'clock, p. in,
At O'clock court met again. Emma
Russer, wife of John ROsser aud mother
Of Raymond Rosser, was the first witness
called
Attorney. general Nicholson asked Mrs.
Rosser when and how she discovered any
thing wrong with the water in the well.
Mrs, Rosser answered that She and her
husband had been to d campmeeting at
Concord, Md, and being thirsty when
they arrived home, she went To the well
and drew up bucket of water. 1t was
light enough TO see some whitlSh sub
stance on the water and sides Of the
bucket. NhNlu llOt uTlllh luG NFllGIg ~
looked so bad, so poured it i'll the trough,
and the horse, after putting his nose 10 it,
refused to drink it, They then went in
the house aud drank cold coffee Ray
Inond was rs well AS usual that Thursday
night and the next morning. Friday. The
water was perfectly clear the next morn
ing, and they all drank it. After drink
ing it Raymond became sick vomiting
and troubled with what he supposed was
diarrhoea Was sick until Tuesday nigh
following, when he died
Mr. Richards, for the defence, then cross
examined Mrs. Rosser and elected from
her that she had been accustomed TO put
ting cream aud butter down the well ailC
; that MIR. Rosser, her husband, put lime II
, the well to purify the water, which nigh
, | account for the white floating substance
on the water end bucket.
Them witness was John Rosser, hus
band of the last witness and father o
: Raymond Rosser, whose testimony wa
, materially the same rs Mrs, Russ1rs. lit
G said that he mad put lime in the well abou
f. two weeks previous to the poisoning. Ina
. Evans married his sister about II or |
g wears ago, but did not live very happil,
4 and thai there was difficulty between thu
RoSsers and Evans.
. Catharine Rosser was next called an
e her testimony related entirely TO the con
, 4 dition of the health Of Raymond the da
/ Of the night the well was poisoned
. BENJAMIN ltusser was called next, an
= his testimony principally related 70 I'll
II troubles between Evans and John Rcssel
y lie SAID that Evans in the spring Of ls0t
!, had said that he would get square wit
= John and Isaac Rosser if lie had to XII
u them both"
DIR. William +. Haines, the attendin
physician and one of the physicians VIII
d made the autopsy, was next called. ii
r. said he was called to attend Raymon
re Rosser on the sth Of August last. Thi
le the family had said to him they suspecte
If they were poisoned from the fact of a
e. being sick. That the symptoms of RIA!
ID mond Rosser were those attending irrital
" posons, that at the autopsy upon exam
nation the stomach of Raymond Rosst
IN showed plainly that he came to his deaf
.. from arsenical poisoning
I'd undertaker Adams, Deputy Coront
ID Phillips and William d. Fleetwood We
re then called and testified respectively as
II the matter Of burial and exhumlng Il
Id body; the jur in WHICH the stomach WI
g. placed, and the water drawn from the we
IL Tor analysis.
Y AT this juncture court took a recess unit
Pe 10 o'cl0ck tomorrow morning.
"a GEoRGETowN April 6.-lhe trial Of w
az liam f. Evans for the poisoning Of Ra
mond Rosscr in August last, was resum,
at 10 o'clock this morning
~ DR.. Everett Shipley of Seaford, the fir
II, witness called was one Of the physical
ur who held the autopsy on the body Of Ia
IL monl RosSer, which autopsy was held
ire the Daley farm. The stomach, heart al
of liver were taken from the body and plac
in Tin can and carried 10 Seaford in /
m lIaine's carriage, and placed in DR.. Haint
in drug store. There was very little fatty I
nut generation Of heart and liver; in fact,
did not think it probable that fatty dege
so Grafton, one of the symptoms Of arsenic
~ poisoning, would have taken place in su
lie d short time that the boy was sick t
no symptoms of arscnical poisoning q
vomiting, purging and paralysis OF her
Sc centres,
nd Isaac Rosser was next called. He was
the house Of John Rosser the day a
err night after Raymond Rosser death; we
to the stable at John Rosser's Wednesd
afternoon to hitch mp the horse to go al
ice for John and his wife, who were 81
suffering from the poison The COW y
rat down as was also the horse, both sic
J. After being htched up, the horse tcll Il
,ed frothed at the mouth, Two cows died q
ma, the hogs would not eat or drink. All u
mic stock had drunk the water from the pc
the oned we'll
ted State Detective Bernard j. McNev stat
lgs that August nth last he went to Lau
ent and procured from Deputy Coroner Geo
ian +. Phillips the jar containing the stomt
18th of Raymond Rosserand carried i to
mington the same day, keeping it nm,
We. lock and key in his office until septcmN
10 Sd, when he carried it to Doctor W.
test state chemist and professor Of chemis
to ut Delaware College, at Newark, for chel
, if cal examination
an Walter Witsil, state detective, said he
ion the request Of Deputy Attorney gene
for Giles, went to the Rosser farm, Aug
ms. 23d or 2ith last and procured three fla
A IL Of yvo,ar which bn nffprWarH rnrripC