Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-07-18
A LUCKY THEFT.

| ~ leave his estate to his nephew, Edward
Horton, his other nephew. Charles Court
my, being rich, But Charles was to In
hcrit from Edward in case Edward died
without issue
Old Mr. Courtney being ono ot tho
halcst ut bachelors, when 1t was annouucod
net only that he WAS drad. hut that foul
play WAS suspected, when u post mortcm
examination demonstrated that he had
fallen victim to poison and when II WAS
given out that the hand that had adminis
torrd II WAS that ot his taNoritc nephew,
the public mind was both surprised and
shocked
|; was not until Edward Horton had
been fully committed Tor trial for his I'm
,lc'S murder that was retained for tho
dcfcusr
His own statement was In substance,
this:
\ physician had been called To SEQ Mr..
Courtney on ocCaStnn of some apparently
| trtlling Illness, requiring some simple
Wmcdy, for which prescription was writ
ten and handed to the prisoner to have
mado up. This tho latter had carried to u
we'll known, competent druggist, who had
put II up In his presence, Tho medicine
consisted ot thrco white powders, zach
folded IN y scrap ot paper and the whole
tnClNScd In single wrapper They woro
to hc given at intervals uE an hour and
had rNmaiued continuously In tho prison
cr's posScsSton tn tho first WAS admins
tered which WAS aono Ivy himself immc
dtntCly ON his return from tho druggists,
Mr.. Courtney grow rapidly worse, and
! when, ut the expiration ot an hour, n stV.
| end powder rs administord the symptoms
| hoCanN ~ alarming that a mCsScngcr was
dispatched for tho physician, who On his
arrival declared that the patient was sui
| rrriug from the otlect of poison, An exam
| inatiun o( tho remaining powder disclosed
| tho fact that II was pure arsenic, II was
| too latN for any antidutc tu ho available
and IN less than an hour death had RI
| loved tho sufferer An autopsy of tho
! body and an analysts " tho contents Of
| tho stomach left no doubt as to the cause
ur death, The presence of arsenic In noe
rSSarily fatal quantity WAS indicated by
uvory known chemical test Ii was fur
Their admitted ny tho prisoner that he alone
had access to his unclo'S apartment or had
handled the mcdicinn from the time II was
compounded Ivy the druggist TIL tho com
ing of tho physician after tho second pow
der had hcon taken,
Tho druggist, who was known to he u
nughly skilled In his business was roady
"a swear that by no possibility could any
mistake have occurred In putting up the
medicine,
10 make matters worse, Il trlnspircd
that the amcnhlo relations between the
unclo aud nephew had been somewhat dis.
turhcd of late, by reason of an attachment
nf tho lnttor disapprovcd Ivy tho former,
| WIN Ind fnr thHnntpn In
change his viii unless his wishes wero RI.
| spuccd.
"Whu was In company with you from
the time You received tho medicine TIL
your return to your unolo's housc" | asked
the prisoner, desperately CROPPING after
something To AFFORD II ray of hope.
"Nu one, " he answered, "hut my cousin
| Charles whom | met noar tho druggists,
and who accompanied mo IN 4"
| | drew from Edward that Charles saw
tho medicine put up; walked with him
little way, then went hnck for something,
Edward awaiting his return; then walked
arm In arm nearly home when Charles
loft | also reminded Edward that, his
unclo being dcnd II ho also should die
ohildloss Charles would inherit tho whole
estate
ole did itI nodid 1T" tho young man
cried In pnroxysm Of excitement too
earnest to hu counterfeit, "llo went out
To got tho poison when ho loft me waiting,
IIo put II up To resemble tho drugglst'a
parcel, for which he substituted II aa we
went along know II now carried tho
parcel IN the right pocket Of my ovcrcoat,
and II was on that side he wnlkcd"
was seated In my private Office ON tho
day preceding TINT fixed for tho trial. In
dulpinR In anything hut sanRnino cxpec-
tnti0ns, whom II tap ut tho door announced
u visitor, II was tho dctcctlvo had ON.
poyol
"Whnt Ia ity" | inquired after closing
tho door
II mnde IN arrest today, ho answered,
land In tho prIsonor's possession found
this oyorcont, =" undoing u package ho had
bought
"Wclly"
an ono of tho pockets found this, J."
and no handed me small parcel, which ]
opened Inside were throo papers, folded
ns druggists put up their prescriptions.
"Tho person with whom ] found this
cont I" the detective continued, "coDfesses
that he stole 1t from billiard saloon, the
owner having laid 1t aside whilo playing,
aud the date no fixes corresponds with Mr.,
Courtncy's murder. But, what IL more
important, have aseertalncd that Charles
Courtney " tho owner Of the coat !"
"Lct ny go at once to tho druggist's"1
exclaimed. sprinRinR from my chair and
snntching up my hat We were soon thorn.
"Ploasc examine TINT parcel snid,
putting IL into the druggist hnnda.
He did 30, carefully opening tho papers
and inspecting their contents They con
tainod three white powders.
GLOW do they correspond with those
you put up for Mr. Courtney inquired,
"and for which others seem 10 have been
nftcrward 80 mysteriously substitntedf'
"Thcy do not correspond Mt all, y no an.
swerod; they are the same.
"Tho samel How do you know thats"
by these figures, . ho replied, pointing
10 tho inside OF ono Of the papers II had
made calculation TINT dry ON tho shact
Of paper, part Of which | used In putting
up the prescription bought by Mr.. Horton.
Tho remainder have preserved not know.
ing but 1t might become important. Here
II IL, and you see how this piece and tho
| Hunrag III H. -