The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-06
SENSATIONAL ARREST MADE,
THE FORMER PASTOR OF THE
CLINTON AVENUE CHURCH BE-
HIND THE BARS.
VIAL WAS FOUND ON HIS PERSON,
He Says He Found 1t Aroupd the
House, His Wife Is Suspicious
and There's Nothing to 1t.

the west Side, was arrested last night
by Patrolmen Mckinley and Miner
and locked up at the Ducas street sta
ton on charge of attempting to
poison his wife
1t was shortly after o'clock last
evening when Mr.. Hull called at the
residence of Dr. Vincent ]. Hawkins.
on West Isabel street. and requested
the doctor to call and see his wife. as
she was having trouble again and
vomiting again. DR.. Hawkins. who
has been attending Mrs Hull in a pro-
1esslonal way for the last three years,
and very frequently for the last four
months, did not think that it was any,
tnlng serious, walked to his Office and
intended to go from there to the Hu11
residence. On his way to his Office +ha
ooctor was met by Blanche Hull, the
rourteen-year-old daughter. who asked
him II he would not come to the ho1,sa
as quick as he could. Her mother tbe
girl said, was very sick. and If was
supposed that her illness was caused
oy some medicine which her father
mad taken from a trunk and given to
her mother. The medicine taken from
the trunk had been given in other me<a
icine which her mother was taking
and it made her very sick. The doctor
after hearing the girls statement
went at once to the Hull residence at
115 West Winnifred street. Mrs. Hull
he stated, called him into the bedroom
where she was lying and told him that
II she was wrong she wanted nothing
said about the matter, but, if not. she
desired that an official investigation be
made. She said that she was suspi-
clous that her husband had been CIV
ing her poison and at that time had
some Of the poison on his per-
son. What she wanted at that
time was to have the doc
tor search her husbands pockets.
The doctor, who was placed in a very
peculiar position by the accusation Of
Mrs. Hull against her husband. decided
however, to do as the woman requested
and asked Hull to allow a search To,
be made of his clothing. Mr.. Hull ex-
planned that his wife was most GER
tainly crazy and the doctor saws de-
clined to allow him to make any search.
Mrs. Hull then insisted that an officer
be called as she was determined that
ne would not leave the room until he
had been searched and her suspicious
either verified or proven without
foundation. A nefghbor named Ander
son was called in by the doctor and
while not Informed as to the charges
made was told to watch the bed room
door and not allow either Mr. Hull or
his wife to leave the room. A teIe-
phone message was then sent to the
Ducas street station and Lieut.. Cook
Informed by the doctor of the state of
affairs. Patrolmen Mckinley and
Miner were sent to the house and given
instructions to watch Hull very closely
and to bring him to the station. The
officers went to the house and placed
Hull under arrest, at the same time re-
questing him to accompany them to
the station. On the way to the station
Patrolman Mckinley says that Hull
attempted to throw away a small bottle
secured possession Of the vial
At the station Hull gave his age as
forty years and his occupation as a
book agent. He was locked up in a
cell and wh2n seen by a Globe re-
porter, said he did not care to be inter
Viewed as to his arrest. Being pressed
as to why his wife should make such
charges against him he explained that
she was frequently attacked by sus-
ni0iOIIQ dI1rir
which were the result of sickness. she
imagined all kinds of queer things.
Some weeks ago he said that he had
discovered about the house a bottle
which he took, on examination, to be
poison. The bottle he said he had
locked up in his trunk and although
requested by his wife to allow
always refused. This, together
with some fancied grievance caused
by her illness had made her revengeful,
and the story that he had poisoned her
had been told. There was nothing to
the charge, he said, and an investigat-
ion would clear him he had not the least
doubt. He had been married, he said,
about fifteen years and his married
life had always been most pleasant
except at times when his wife was sick
and had spells of suspicion. He had
been pastor of the Clinton avenue
church, but, for the last year, had not
been engaged in preaching, but was
selling an encyclopedia and acting as
agent for the publishers of the same
DR.. Hawkins seen later in the even
ing said he had been called frequently
to attend Mrs. Hull and although he
had given her much attention and had
examined her thoroughly he could not
account for her condition. The bottle
which was found on Mr.. Hull's person
by the police, he said, contained a
solution of arsenic paste. Another bot
tie containing pint Of liquid which
Mrs. Hull was desirous of having the
officers take, as she thought it was
some kind OF poison, he had not ex-
amined and could not say what it con-
tanned. The doctor stated that Mrs
Hull had informed him that she had
been suspicious that she was being
given poison for the last three months,
but the idea was SO terrible that she
could not believe it possible. For the
last few days. however, she had be-
come more suspicious and last evening
decided to take action. DR.. Hawkins
said after the events of the night that
he was almost satisfied that the trouble
with Mrs. Hull had been that she was
in some manner being dosed with ar
senic His idea was that so frequent
had been the doses that her stomach {.
had become irritated with the drug