The herald., 1896-12-18
His Wife DenOunces Him to the Police
Officials
And Secures the Poison He Is Alleged to
Have Used
Sensational Developments Promised.
Furay Refuses to Make State
ment for Publication, But Says
it Is a Conspiracy.

At 1880 yesterday afternoon in Police
Justice Morrison's court William T.
Furay, an elderly man of respectable
appearance, was arraigned upon a COM
plant sworn to by Miles Knickerbocker,
who accuses him of mixing a certain
poison, arsenic, with coffee. with the
intent that said drink should be taken
by Mrs. Mary E. Kelly. Back of the
complaint lies a sensational story of
real life, the full particulars of which
will probably not become public until
disoosed on the witness stand in court.
Mrs. Kelley is the aged mother n-iaw
Of the defendant. who is accused of at
tempting her life, while the complain
ant in the case, Knickerbocker. is
brother+in-law of Mrs. Furay.
The prisoner stoutly protests his inno-
cence of the terrible crime imputed to
Of a plot concocted by designing per-
sons by means of which they hope to
railroad him to prison. He has told his
entire story to Deputy District Attorney
James, who has been impressed with the
apparent truthfulness Of his state
ments. Either he is one Of the most
cold-blooded villains of the century or
else a deeply wronged man.
Furay is 81 years of age, his wife is
S6, and they have only one child years
old. He was formerly resident of Mill
waukee, but something over year ago
sent his wife and child to Los Angeles
to make their home, following himself
some six months later on. The couple
have been living in a cosy little cot
tage at No. 220 Roster street, East Los
Angeles, and up to short time ago Mrs.
Kelley the mother-in-law, staid with
them. Lately she has occupied a small
cottage near by on Pasadena avenue,
but has been looked after by Furay
and his wife, Mrs. Kelley is over 70
years of age and q partial cripple, owing
to trouble with one of her knees. Why
Furay should have attempted her life is
as yet unknown, but of the crime he Is
accused by both his wife and her mother.
It was nearly a week ago that Chief
Glass was called on one afternoon by
Mrs. Furay. who told him that she had
reason to suspect her husband of an at
tempt to poison her mother, at the same
time producing a. small white powder
which, she said, she had found in the
house. The chief called Depcty District
Attorney James in consultation, to whom
Mrs. Furay related her story.
Although her mother did not live in
habit of furnishing meals to the old
lady, which were generally carried over
by her husband. On several occasions
after partaking of food or drink brought
to her by Furay, Mrs. Kelley had been
taken violently i'll. and finally suspected
that an attempt was being made to en-
compass her death by poison. The first
evidence secured was one day when Mrs
Furay found a white powder in the bot
tom of a pitcher which was about to be
filled with water and taken over to the
old lady.
A few days later Mrs. Kelley took
drink of water from pitcherful of wa
ter brought to her by Furay and soon
after was taken violently i'll with cramps
Her hands grew cold, and she expert
enced eXcrutiating pains in the head
The symptoms disappeared in q short
time, but were again brought on a day
or two later by partaking of a cup Of
coffee brought by the same hand. The
grounds in the bottom of the cup were
examined and found to contain SOM.
foreign substance. In a bottle of whis-
Ky which Furay had brought to the old
lady, similar substance had been dis
covered, and the wife had been reluct-
antly forced to the conclusion that her
husband was trying to poison his
mother-in-law.
She talked the matter over with Mrs.
Kelly and decided to watch Furay close
~. AS the result of her observations she
declared that she had seen him as he
passed out of the house with a tray of
food for Mrs. Kelley put his hand into
his pocket and take something out,
which he sprinkled either upon the con-
tents Of the tray or into the coffee. The
powder which she had secured was
placed in the hands of the officials, that
it might be analyzed and it's nature de-
termined.
After the recital of her story Mrs.
Furay was informed by Mr.. James that
while the evidence she had so far OBJ
tained might be conclusive in her mind.
it was not sufficient to justify prosecu-
tion, as a conviction could not possibly
be secured upon it, and to go back and
procure witnesses to substantiate her
testimony. This was done, and by the
following means: Mrs Furay arranged
to have one of her friends in the neigh
borhood drop in the next morning after
breakfast casually, as though to make a
call, and at the same time for another
to be on hand in Mrs. Kelley's resi-
dence.
In the presence of the friend she then
made pot of coffee and each partook of
cup 70 De able to swear to it's harmless
ness. Then q cupful was poured out and
sent over to Mrs. Kelley by Furay's
hands. The other witness saw the latter
come in with it and deliver it to the old
lady Needless to say the coffee was not
drunk, but carefully bottled up, the
same sediment being found at the bot
tom OF the cup. The LIQUID is now in the
hands of chemist who is analyzing il.
Meantime the first powder found by
Mrs. Furay had been analyzed and
found to be nearly pure arsenic. With
the accumulated evidence at hand Mr.
James considered that he was Justified
in issuing complaint and did so, Knick
erbocker swearing to it, as a wife NAV
not testify against her husband The
bottle of whisky was also placed in a
chemists hands, and he will probably
be ready to announce the results of his
analysis within a day rtwo. The com
plant was filed in Justice Morrison's
court late Wednesday afternoon, and a
warrant of arrest issued, which was
served at $50 p. m. upon Furay at his
home by Detective Steele
He was Immediately brought over to