Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-15
INTENSE INTEREST
Closing Arguments in the Farrall
Murder Trial.
TIE EXPERTS SEVERELY ARRAIGEED
Experiments With Quinine In
jected Into Frogs.
PROMPT VERDICT EXPECTED

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
LA PLATA, Md, July 15.-The final effort
in the great legal struggle for the life of
Mrs. Belle Farran was begun promptly at
O'Clock this morning in the court room at
La Plata, the audience in attendance
Veritably packing the hall The adjourn
ment OF court Saturday afternoon granted
a hluch-needed rest to the prisoner, as well
as judges and counsel, and today proceed
ings were resumed with refreshing energy.
Inc looks of WEAKNESS had disappeared
from the faces of the turymen, and they
listened intentIy to every word uttered by
counsel Mrs. Farrall had discarded her
straw sailor hat. and wore an attractive
ana stylish walking hat, dainty concer-
ton of black feathers and ribbons.
she was as calm and apparently as in
terested as any spectator present During
portion of the day the older son of the
accused slept peacefully with his head rest
Ing against his mothers side
Cnstisntfng the Experts.
Col L. A. Wilmer. Of counsel for Mrs.
Farral1, Immediately after the openfnp Of
court began addressing the jury. He smoke
In an impassioned manner and frequently
became extremely eloquent, deyotine con-
siderable time to the states experts Dr.
Schaeffer and DR.. Kalusowski of WASH
ington. "s"
Schaeffer knew too much" said Col.
Wilmer. IF he is such an expert, why did
ne can IN kalusowski to assist him? Both
or them We're not confident, for they were
compelled to put their heads together In
an ehort to devise a test to find what was
why, 1 shouldn't be surnr;sed ~ nr
Schaeffer could find strychnine in ordinary
whisky" the attorney almost shouted
Col vim ar vent on to argue that strych-
nine might accidentally have, been intro
bcdy of the deceased during the tests made
In DIR. Schaeffer's laboratory.
Changes the Record.
What We regard as the most fruportant
fact In the case" continued the attorney,
lis that there is no record of a person Hv-
ing longer than six hours after swallowing
fatal dose of strychnine. Fred Farrall
was alive eleven hours after the first con-
vulsion occurred. Now. is this Jury Of
Charles county men going to decide that
IL mas found an exceptional case, and
thereby change the record Of ages?'
After severely srraigning several of the
witnesses for the state characterizing
them as spies. gossips and buzzards, the
speaker argned at length to show that Mr.
ney. Col. Wilmer also took occasion to
designate as a liar Alfred Farrall broth
er of the deceased, and one of the prose-
cutting witnesses
four hours. and before closing read to the
jury the law providing that no bias shall
be entertained against a prisoner because
Oh failure to take the witness stand Col.
Wilmer also referred feelingly to the right
OF the jury to take mercy into considera-
tfon. and pointed out the situation of the
TWO little Farrall boys should their mother
be taken from them.
The Closing Argument.
The usual recess was taken, and when
court reconvened Mr.. John II. Mitchell be-
gan the closing argument of the case. He
will speak for several hours and then the
case will be given to the jury. A verdict is
expected by many in short order, SO that a
possibility exists Of the result becoming
known tonight. but there are others who
are confident of hung jury. The already
dense throng OF spectators was largely aug
mented by persons who particularly desired
to hear Mr., Mitchell, who is generally con-
ceded to be one OF the most learned men ia
Charles county.
Experimenting on Frogs.
All southern Maryland is deeply interest,"
ed in the Farran poisoning case now ON
trial at La Plata. The recently published
statement of Prof. Penniman that quinine
injected into a frog would cause its death
seems to have excited as much interest as
anything that has yet occurred in the trial
and the dissent to the doctors dictum is
widespread. Yesterday George Neal col
ored, caught three frogs. lively specimens
OF the species bullfrog, and brought them
to Leonardtown, where DR.. Charles Combs
tried the effects of injections of quinine
and strychnia upon them.
Quinine Injected.
One-sixteenth of a grain of quinine was
injected into the leg Of one frog, and seven
hours afterward his hopping qualities were
but little impaired At 1900 pm. one
sixteenth Of a grain Of strychnia was in
tected into seccrd frog; at 1912 there
were spasmodic contractions of the mus
cles. and at 1915 death ensued. One-half
grain Of quinine injected into a third frog
killed It In enc and a half hours.