The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-02-11
THE HUGHES CASE.
Defence Decides to Put in No Case, and
the Arguments will Begin This Forenoon
at 8 O'clock.

case the counsel for the government put
in small amount OF testimony, the OBJ
iect being to show that the nurse who
cared for Mary B. Dunn and who would
be an important witness, had SO utterly
disappeared that the officers were I'M
able to find her. Her name is Celia f.
| Crowley, of II Federal street.
Deputy Sheriff Clarence L. Buchanan
testified that he went three times to No.
n Federal street and could neither find
her nor find any traces of her. Search
at Isaac G. Atkinson's, Eye anG Ear In
| firmay and DIR. Bray's tailed to disclose
any information concerning her He
received the subpoena on February 2nd.
At the session of the Grand Jury he re-
ceived subpoena for the same Celia f..
| Crowley, and at that time failed utterly
| to find her.
Il is understood that the nurse had to
be brought to the coroner's inquest al
most by force. She seemed to fear that
connection with such case would be a
reflection upon her; although such would
not be the fact at all, as Mary Dunn was
entitled to as good nursing as she could
| have.
When the afternoon session began the
attendance was large. Mrs. Hughes sat
by her husband. while the two daughters
| occupied seats at a little distance.
DR.. Stephen II. Weeks, of this city who
| has been for twenty years connected with
Maine General Hospital and for seven
teen years with the Medical School of
Maine, he was questioned first as to
the symptoms of acute uraemia, they
being stupor, which gradually develops
into coma, intense headache, vomiting,
difficult breathing, spasmodiG move
ments and commissions. The poison
affects the nervous system, especially the
brain. There is no characteristic color
produced on the skin by uraemia, al
! though when the breathing is impeded a
purplish hue may develop. But when
there is an obstruction of the bile the
| skin takes saffron hue.
| Witness was questioned as to whether
three and three-quarters grain pill made
up of ergot, aioes and snlphate of iron in
/ about equal proportions, with trace OF
| some aromatic substance like myrrh,
would be simple or compound cathar-
tic pill Witness replied that it would
not be either.
Witness testified that the pills contain
| ing ergot would not cause an abortion,
l
| the ergot would assist in the su bsequent
developments.
Nv sepsis we mean putrefaction, and
| septic poison is that poison which finds
its way into the circulation through
some abrasion or lesion like cut or
tear, and being SO introduced from with
out! produces blood poisoning. Parts OF
the body that are vascular are especially
susceptible to septic poisoning.
Witness thought that no injury would
result from digital examination.
The county attorney then gave the de-
scriptions of the symptoms. and the
showings of the autopsy in Mary Dunn's
case and asked the witness for his opln
ions on certain definite points.
Replying, the witness said in effect
| that poison from without had been in.
troduced by a foul surgical instrument,
that an abortion had been performed,
| and that the victim had died of septic
peritonitis caused by the abortion.
The witness then described septic pois-
oning, say ing that when poison is intro
duced from without, part is taken up by
the blood and carried into the general
circulation, and part by the Emphatic
vessels, which would carry it to the
nearest organs.
When the cross examination began
Judge Symonds said he noticed that the
county attorney, in asking hypothetical
questions, read from paper, and asked
| DR. Weeks if he had ever seen those ques-
| tions before Witness replied that he had
| seen part Of them. Asked whether Dr..
Thompson was present wnen these ques-
tions were sked before, witness replied
| that he was, hut he could not say
| whether the questions were in DR..
Thomson's handwriting.
The examination then went on to the
subject of the natural abortion and the
1 . I1,v tnr,i {fc
| The witness admitted such possibility;
hut when asked if abortion might follow
acute congestion of the kidneys he said
he had never seen such a case. 1t was
not often that peritonitis would follow a
natural abortion, but it might.
| A chronic form OF pesitonitis might
| follow case of Bright's disease. but
| septic peritonitis would not result from
acute Inflammation OF the kidneys.
| Witness admitted that in digital ex-
animation septic poison might lie caused
| if a Enger containing the poison should
| come in contact with an abrasion.
AS soon as the examination of DR..
Weeks was concluded, County Attorney
True announced
THE STATE REST HERE.
While the audience were waiting ex-
n eotautly for the defense to begin, de-
| cided surprise was occas1oned When
Judge Symonds arose and said: "Your
Honor. we have decided that the Sta g
has failed to make out a case and there
| fore we will take the case as the gov
ernment leaves it," This meant that there
would be nothing more in the trial but
| the arguments. 1t was decided that
thew should begin Monday morning at
| Q O'clock. Judge Symonds will speak
first and Attorney General Powers next.
NOTE,
In Saturdays report an error occurred
as TO Judge Bonney's ruling ON the adj
mission of the alleged dying declaration
of Mary Dunn. He was represented as
saving that the fear of imminent death
must be expressed" by the one making
the declaration. What he really said was
that the fear of imminent death without
hope of recovery must be shown to exist
hey ond doubt.
Deputy Sheriff Despeaux has COM
Melted his souvenir folder showing the
age. residence, occupation, politics and
religious preferences of the jury. 1t is
as follows:
Charles Jordan, A, Foreman, Var
| mouth. carpenter, Republican. f. Ban