The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-03
JENNIE CARR FREED
Acquitted, Although Once Sen
fenced to Life Imprisonment.
The Expert Report of DR.. Eisenbeiss
Was Riddled at the Second Trial
A New Morphine Test.

TIL Jennie Carr infanticide case venued
from Marion county, was concluded yestcr-
day afternoon. after a six days trial. and
the able argument both for the prosecution
and the defense. The jury were out but
a short time and returned d verdict of not
guilty. The sympathy of the large number
attending court has been with the defend
ant al along, and upon hearing the verdict
of acquittal they arose enmasse and
cheered heartily.
The acquittal of Jennie Carr is of con-
siderable interest to the medical fraternity
of this city, for it brings out a very i'm
portant feature of expert chemical testi-
mony in poisoning cases. Despite the fact
that the Carr woman was convicted and
sentenced to life Imprisonment by a Marion
county jury, a jury at Greenfield, where
her case was carried after a reversal by
the Supreme Court ard a change OF venue,
found her innocent OF the terrible crime
with which she was charged This state
ment itself is a commentary on the strange
ways of justice, something that might sug-
gest, after the evidence at Greenfield is
considered, an investigation of the manner
in which she was convicted in the Marion
county court. If the reports from Green
field are to be relied on, it would seem that
DR.. EiSenbeiSS has something TO explain In
his method of making tests.
Jennie Carr was accused of killing her
three months old child by giving it NOR
phine in milk. DR.. Eisenbeiss, who was
formerly closely associated with Coroner
ton after the arrest of the woman. He re-
ported that he found morphine in the
stomach blood, spleen and other organs of
the child in enormous quantities. This evil
dence was largely responsible for the con-
viction Of the woman. She was sentenced
to life imprisonment. but the Supreme Court
~ 1npnn nRra fnaf hnr n~I
remanded the case for trial. Her attorneys
applied foN a change of venue, but the
hardness of Judge Cox in granting this
change, led TO a judicial wrangle between
Judge Cox and Judge Brown OF the Circuit
Court. The change was finally granted.
At the Greenfield trial. the defense had
Drs. Henry Jameson and Franklin Hays OF
this city. as expert medical witnesses, aud
DR.. John f. Gels as the expert chemist.
1t would seem that the evidence of DR..
Gels and the tests he made in front Of the
Jury box, put TO rout the claims OF Or.
EiSenbieSs that morphine was found in
enormous quantities in the organs of the
the report DIR. Eisenbeiss made of the eX-
animation OF the organs of the child and
the tests for morphine poisoning was in
large part copied verbatim out of two
chemical works, one Blythe ON 'Toxicol-
istry." The defense alleged that the high
jstry:" The defense alleged That the high
priced chemist embodied these tests made
TIE Carr case. They showed that even the
use OF nuctuation marks was the same. I'm
his report DR.. Eisenbeiss alleged that the
morphine was in the milk. The evidence
showed that the child only drank three
teaspoonfuls of the milk. DR.. Eisenbass
testified that he had taken a spoc.ful of
the milk and that the effect OF this spoon
full was to make him drowsy and TO deyel-
on symptoms similar to morphine poison
ing. he thought d spoonful contained about
one-eighth of a grain of the poison. This
would allow t~hree-eighths of a grain Of the
poison i'm the child-that is three-eighths OF
n grain which the baby was alleged 10
have taken. Yet the Doctor showed that
he had made over a hundred tests for the
poison in the case. Another well-known
chemist OF this city says he would have
done wonderfully well If he had been a.