Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-05-12
GUILTY.
The Verdict Found After Hour
and Half Deliberation.
An Affecting Scene in the Court
Room When Announced.
Features Of the Last Day Of the Famous
GetchsII Trial.

of Clara Emma Getchell charged with pois-
oning her husband the jury brought in a
verdict of guilty.
The jury went out at Ais. The greater
part of the large audience rem lined in the
court room waiting. To the little group of
friends who have sat With the prisoner
from day to day the minutes must have
seemed like hours. Groups of men gath
cred in and about the court house eagerly
discussing the probabilities of the verdict
Minnie Jones had taken the little boy.
George, out on the steps leading to the j ill
and was keeping him quiet by filling his
chubby hands with candy and fruit while
their mother sat inside waiting for the final
decision.
The j1ry had been out shorter tine
than had generally been expected. Those
who had been hoping that disagreement
would be the worst result of the jury's de-
alterations saw in this likelihood of an ac-
quittal. Indeed, it has been slid by those
best acquainted with her that the prisoner
has been sanguine of acquittal from the
first. When, with due form, the verdict,
Guilty" was announced, the shock to
her must have been terrible, though
beyond bursting into tears and putting
her handkerchief to her eyes, there was
not much outward sign. Even the strain
undergone by the audience seemed to end
in abrupt collapse. A sister of the prisoner
screamed and tainted. The scene was pitt
ful in the extreme. The prisoner was
seated, but did not remove her hapdker-
chief from her eyes until she was taken to
he j Ill. There she bore up, last evening,
as well as could be expected.
The court room was nearly filled with
people long before o'clock, Friday morn
ing. Mr.. Carlcton's words of the previous
day had evidently left a desire to hear him
to the end.
Mr.. Heath wished statement as to test
mony c1rrectel. Understood the county
attorney to say that Minnie Jones testified
she saw Getchell all the way to the well and
back. He wanted it corrected. There
were some remarks by the county attorney
and Mr.. Heath as to the death penalty ard
the latter took occasion to explain his posi-
ton regarding it.
Mr.. Carleton in beginning said eff the
verdict of guilty by the jury be wrong there
is through the machinery of our law a way
to set the thing right. But verdict for
acquittal stands forever, no natter how
much new testimony should be discovered
the next day.
GAS to secrecy of the prosecution, l never
have understood that it was the proper pol
icy to hunt criminals with a brass band. If
officers of the law can ferret out crime
they should not blamed. The list of gov
ernment witnesses had to be shown to the
defence, and the defence had the same
freedom to summon witnesses that the gov
ernmeut hal. l am surprised that the coun-
sci should complain
| understand that counsel said he never
had worked so hard before, although he
considers the case exceedingly clear and
defense exceedingly strong. defy anyone
of you to point out to me one single particle
of testimony which even has a tendency to
show that this man even contemplated sui
eide, much less to comm it it. He appears
to convey the idea that the man didn't take
strychnine; that many features of this sick
pn4 Of ufv nhr,,,
ing. Are we dreaming under the
spell of his eIoquence? You have heard
what Prof. Robinson said and the testimony
of the physicians, The greatest symptom,
all say, was this fearful forboding of death.
I'm talking to reasonable men. The coun-
sci said there was doubt that he died with
strycbnine. (Mr. Heath denied this Well.
that is established. There never was a
.surer case of stry ychnine poisoning. They
were there all through the whole sickness.
dread of death, sensitiveness to noise and
to touch.
Because she told DR.. Driscoll came back
that night; that Henry's spasms had
returned and he died in worse
one than any previous one. Before
she had her story made up she
stated that he took his gin and sulphur that
noon. 1t would not do for her now to say
that she doesn't know as she was taking up
the po.atoss. Further than that Henry
Getchell. himself, told the doctor that be
took the gin and sulphur before dinner.
DR.. Driscoll so swesrs 10 You. Now some
human agency put that s'rychnine into that
bottle The DAYS of miracles have gone bv.
Who did it? A wicked attempt has been
made here to make it appear that Fowler
did it. Answer this question on your con-
sciences, who on earth had any chance to
do it? DID Trask? They put him on the stand
and ask you to believe him. He swears he
wasn't in the house. Now he says Minnie
had an opportunity to do it. Now isn't tha
childish? The jug theories, the bottle
theories, the going to the barn theory and
suicide have all disappeared. OF course
you wouli expect the government to pro-
duce a witness who saw the human agency
put that poison into thst bottle. The in
ce 1diary who berns your buildings at night
does not take along a witness. Circum-
stantial evidenc 10 often more conclusive