The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-01
thought were regarded as standard
works.
AFTERNOON SESSION.


The first witness called at the opening
of the afternoon session was DR.. Daniel
A. Robinson of Bangor. He stated that
he had been in practice IA years, and re-
ceived his education at the Maine Medi-
cal School, being graduate of Bowdoin
College. II have been in court and have
heard the testimony OF Drs. Brown and
King, and also of Professor Robinson,
and from what | have herd of the case
should say that the death of the boy
was due to arsenical poisoning; should
say that the poison had been admins
tered in repeated doses. l am familiar
with Fowler's solution, and should say
that in four drops of the solution there
would be very little arsenic, but never
figured out how much." The doctor
then went on to describe how bismuth
was used in ordinary practice, embody-
ing much the same testimony as that Of
tion of the witness, Bartholow was
used as text hook. The time In
cross-examination was largely occupied
by Mr.. Gillen in referringl to various
medical works. He called the attention
Of the witness to the various para
graphs and asked the doctor if..he agreed
to the various statements. 1t was the
Q0lpOSc VI NIL 1ll1cu W SuOW Uudb pOlAOL
existed in bismuth as stated by one or
two medical authorities which ne cited,
and also to show that wall paper and
highly colored toys contained arsenic,
which the child might have gotten into
his system.
DR.. W. 81. Simmons of Bangor also testi
fed that he thought the cause of the
boys death was arsenical poisoning. DR..
Simmons said he lad given as high as
drnna hJanlnfh u
tion.
Drs. King and Brown were recalled and
said that they thought the boy died from
arsenical poisoning.
Sarah ]. Calvin of Dixmont testified
that she called on Mrs. Cowan the next
day after the boy died, and Mrs Cowan
told her about his sickness and death.
Hattie M. Archibald of Rockland also
testified that she called on Mrs. Cowan
and the latter said that when she was
told that it was rumored that she had
poisoned Willie, that if an examination
was held the authorities might find pois-
on, as everything the child ate turned
into poison.
THE HUSBANDS TESTIMONY.
The next witness was most import
ant one. He was Elias S.. Cowan, the
husband of the prisoner. He was very
mach affected, and began to cry the
minute he reached the stand He said
that he was married to Mrs. Cowan on
April II, 1892. The witness told OF the
purchase of the farm and other Incidents
that have already appeared in the report
of the trial. When he was being ques-
toned about his wife asking him to
make the deed of the property over to
her. he collapsed and was unable to an
SWer the questions.
A recess was taken, and Mr.. Cowan
again resumed the stand.
He said that he told his wife that he
had heard that she mad poisoned her son,
and she said that there was never a
stomach sent to Professor Robinson hut
what he found poiso in it.
On crosss-txamination Mr.. Cowan said
that Mrs. Cowan was always just like
mother to the boy, and she taught him
his letters and made him clothes, etc,
When his buildings were burned he
heard that his wife had set them on fire,
and upon his arrival at the Etna camp
ground he was met by his wife and little
boy, who were there ahead of him. He
noticed that the boy looked pale. and the
morning he died the doctor came to the
house. The witness asked him what was
the matter with the boy, whether or not
ne was poisoned, but the witness could
not remem ber what the doctor answered.
Mr.. Cowan said that his wife told him
that she never had any poison, and it
was an awful story to tell that she had
poisoned the boy with arsenic.
The witness stated that before he went
to Gardiner his wife got some rat poison,
and he supposed that the preparation of
corn meal found up stairs was poison for
the mice.