The Portland daily press., 1895-08-09

7 UUON a UTTTlk O
the sulphur and whiskey that morning
put Mr.. Heath does not credit that.
| After breakfast Getchell and Fowler wen1
to work. The little girl Minnie and the
i1ttle boy went to a neighbor's Mrs
Getchell a little later went to an out
mouse. When she came out she saw OIL
the step Forest Trask. who had come
across on his way for wood.
About noon Fowler and Getchell re.
turnod; After getting water at the well,
9etcheli went into the buttery and un,
oouptedly drank of the gin. They sat
oown to dinner; but soon Getchell was
taken with the symptoms of strychnine
poisoning. Andrew Keene was sent for
Ghe doctor, and about g so D. IN. the doc.
tor arrived Getchel died a little after
E p. m.
Mr.. Heath does not admit that the gin
was e.
The VEHICLE OF THE STRYCH.
NINE.
lie thinks it possible that GetcheIl, on
the way to the well for water, might
nave gone into the cellar by the outside
door and taken drink from the liquors
which he kept there
| The government claimed that there was
sefychnlne in the gin, and that it was
taken several times, Mrs Getchell giving
IL 10 hlDl as medicine while he was sick
during the afternoon.
MI. Heath does not believe there was
strychnlne in the gin. Strychnine is so
IIoeilsely bitter that grain will change
the taste OF a hogshead of water. 1t is
much bitterer than quinine. Was it then
proDap!e that Henry Getchell would take
GnaG drink of gin-loaded with strychnine
as the government claims and then sit
doWn to the table and begin waiting on
ohose there, without making any remark
Wlthout any expression of disgust Why
the bitterness of that gin should have
peen such as to draw together the very
muscles of his throat 1t is impossible to
pe!leye this 1t is against all reason
After Getchell was taken ill, the man
foWler mixed up some of the same gin
with sugar for the patient. Fowler testi-
hes that he tasted the sweetened gin and
remarked that it was bitter. Getchell
heard this, and after he had drank the
dose, remarked also that it was bitter
Whereas gin and strychnine themselves,
mad not been noticed by Getchell, he did
notice apparently sweetened gin and
strychnine, if the government theory is
true.
Strychnine acts through the blood on
the capillaries of the spinal cord
DR.. Driscol's treatment of quarter of a
grain of morphine and some fifteen
grains of bromine was not of any effect.
Morphine acts on the sensory nerves
and strychnine on the motor nerves.
Morphine and Bromine-administer
that day-are of no use in offseetting the
effect of strychnlne, and the whole case
should be considered as if no medical
treatment had been administered
The State claimed that Getchell took
three doses of the gin, one before dinner
and the other two after he was taken
sick, to alleviate him.
Catherine Nash, as nice an old lady as
ever came into the court room, and free
from all the venom and spite that
governed the Getchells and Keenes, in her
testimony as to the spasms suffered by
Getchell tears down this theory of the
government There was no third DOSE
and the gin did not cause the poisoning.
The testimony of Ambrose Getchell the
brother. is not true.
Mr.. Heath discussed at length the med
ical and physiological aspects of the case,
dwelling upon such points as tended to
show that the strychnine was not in the
gin.
On the day of the poisoning, Mrs.
Getchell appeared toward her husband as
an affectionate wife should. Tt was at her
suggestion that the doctor was sent for as
soon as her husband was seen to be
seriously sick. If she had been his
poisoner would she have done this? Fow-
If she had planned the MURDER why did
she not wait until this witness should be
out of the way. During the sickness she
acted truthfuly and frankly, doing every
thing she could to make all the facts
public.
About supper time Trask had returned
from Augusta, and was in the kitchen
citizen. 1t was suggested that they look
at the bottle OF gin, which they did, one
of them remarking that it was oily look
ing stuff. Later in the day, after the
death, the doctor asked for bottle in
which to put carbolic acid. Abbie Keene
sought one in the cupboard, but did not
find one. Then Mrs. Getchell came. and
seeing the gin bottle, took it up and said
she supposed it would not be necessary to
keep it. The doctor thereupon poured
the liquid into the sink spout. Mrs.
Getchelps conduct on this case was that
of an innocent woman.
Mr.. Heath referred to several of the
witnesses who testified, as relatives of
Trask, who were ready to convict him of
adultery but not of murder.
Mr. Heath said that as accounting for
death an issue of probable suicide was
thrown into the case; but not much
stress was laid upon it.
Mr.. Heath said he believed that Mrs
Getchell had been tried for murder: but
oohFloootl VI duulU6Ty. Nearly Gh6 Whole
stress of the prosecution was put upon
the adultery feature of the ease.
The little girl Minnie was also the
cause OF a bias on the part Of the Jury.
The fact that Mrs Getchell. when a Girl
of about 20 had given birth to an illegiti-
mate child was enough for New Eng
land jury, saturated as they are with
Puritanical ideas which too often hold
that fallen woman can never rise al
though her betrayer may recover in popu-
lar estimation.
The government had secured tho con-
viction of Mrs. Getchell on the argument
Of exclusive opportunity. But the man
Trask had an opportunity for commit
ting the crime, as well as Mrs. Getchell
But the witnesses had united to shield
Trask
1t was uncomfortable that Mrs. Getchell
could have done it. She had no motive.
Her husband death took away her
home Was she expecting to go to Irask
She know that he had wife living,
whom he had never been able to SUPPORT
who drank worse than Getchell, who was
absolutely worthless to himself.
The government would have YOU believe
that she not only did this; but that she
sat by her husband, nursing him in his
dying agony, wipipg the cold sweat from
his brow, and measuring the exact effect
or the poison, that she MIGHT adniniS Ster