The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-08-14

Sessions IN New YORK The charge
against Mrs. Fleming was administer
ing poison 10 her mother In dish
Of clam chowder The poison used. II
vas charged. was anthony and arsenic.
Mrs. Bliss died on August 80. 1895.
The remarkable personality Of the &C
cused woman. the array OF lawyers.
and the nature Of the testimony pre-
scented daily attracted 10 the court room
crowds OF people. and the case has beea
commented on and discussed with In
tense interest throughout the country
The past regulations OF both Mrs. Flem-
Ing and her mother had been. It was
said. doubtful. and this fact was dwelt
upon BY the prosecution In arguing the
guilt OF the accused.
Mr8 Fiemlng's father was Robert
Swift Livingstone. OF Livingstone Man
Dr., a man Of taste and culture. who &C.
cuplcd a prominent place In society.
lie was a widOwer. and nj the age Of SO
years married a glrl Of "a. by whom he
had one child This child Is the present
Mrs. Fleming. Mrs. Livingstone. the
mother. was far beneath her husbands
moral standing. These early facts In
the lives OF Mrs. Fleming and her ante
ccdonts are not TO be underesiimated,
because they form the framework OF
the structure which scientific and legal
gcniua are building on the matrlcide
kasc.
About 1856 Livingstone died and left
100000 In trus; for his daughter. Mrs.
Livingstone married again. her second
husband being Henry W. Bliss. a real
estate man now living In New York,
All but about 100000 OF the heritage
was lost In the panic Of 1898. and Il was
10 obtain possession OF this that. Il Is
alleged. Mrs. Fleming murdered her
mother.
But ante-dating the murder the ca
rcer Of Mary Fleming was bad. She
continued the lie she had learned by
observation from her mother. only that
she Intensified u. II Is known that she
became enamorcd OF a coachman In her
stopfather's employ. AZ a music hall
she met Harry Fleming and their ac-
quaintance ripened into intimacy. A
year later she sued him for breach OF
promlse and was awarded n verdict q
$4,000. the largest breach Of promise
verdict ever granted In New York state.
Coon after this Fleming died and Mary
legan to call herself by his name. al
though there Is no record OF their mar.
rlage.
but to return 20 the elements OF this
great circumaiantial evidence trial and
to its reccrd-hroaklng phases aud the
opposing counsel conducting a. I'M
quesllonably a greater amount OF legal
talent was arrayed against one another
than has ever been employed before IN
a criminal trial In New York. Il was
the FIRST time In twenty-five years that
the state had called special counsel 70
rs aid. The most famous scientists In
America have been brought into the
case. and In only one instance has a
greater number OF talesmen ever been
summoned TO form a jury. This last
task was siupcndous IN tho extreme.
Eleven hundred talesmen were sum
moncd. ald 600 we're examined minute
y In order to obtain a jury OF twelve
men. And Il Is asserted By prosecution
and defense alike that the jury was the
hest that ever sat on a criminal case in
New York All were men Of high la-
tclligenoo and representative buslness-
men IN the community II Is an odd
coincidence that three Of the men were
named MoGowen. although they were
previously unknown to one another.
While getting this jury Mrs. Flemlns
was a study. Full OF humor and conf
dent. she studied carefully the men In
vhoco hands was to hang her fate. and
directed In many instances that her
scunsel should object TO men whose fsa-
lures or manner did not please her.
Bhc proved that her tense OF humor was
developed highly. Gad enjoyed heartily
the various amusing incidents that
arose from the examinations and the
efforts Of talesmen TO escape service