Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-02-20
God grant that it may prove So"

tod grant U1t II nas
said the magistrate sterniy-
And the Investigation Immediatsis
commenced. fIrst. the minutes OF the
corgner's inquest were read; ana tueh
the witnesses were eXifmined IN turn.
The h~osEsekeeper. Mrs sc~et ~Ls
called. and with many tears anu HUGH
rplnctance. gave in der testimony:
THAT Miss Eudora Leatou was lhe
riece OF Lord Leaton, n after Mss
AGATHA. the next heiress 10 the estate.
MIS- Eudora had uursed Lord Leaton
through his fatal Illness. preparing al
hts delicate food ard drink with ner
own hands. She prepared the sleeping
draughr % which he drank ten MN
utsS before his sudden death Miss
Vu.Iora also uu-sed Miss Agatha
rbr,ugh her kaSr illness, which CORE
spsniad In all its symptoms 70 that
~ fhe Lord LeatOn. Hiss Eudora
warg.1s,, beside Miss Agatha on the
T4sr night OF her life. and prepared the
,gr-grfrf-watcr Of which she drank
;gst basove her death. Lady Leatoa
drank some OF the same beverage IUsL
before her sudden demise,
Squire Upton inquired:
.Was the Jug containing this beyeF-
a-e left oGr * the prisoner keeping
from the time OF her preparing II 70
the time OF Miss Agatha Leaton
deatd
Il think not. Mss EUdora prepared
the drink in the housekeePers room
( and took TX up To Miss Agatha's cham
Der. where she Miss EustoFal watched
through the night. replied Mrs ECse.
-, aNLaF-. a rRalqg- tho dnnNE<Tfe
servants were examined and each one,
in A or less degree. corrobor-
atai the testimony 0f the housekeepeF-
The next witness examined was the
family uhvsician. DIR. Watkins who
testified that the symptoms or the sud
Zen accessions OF illness. which sue
cessively terminated in the death or
L0ru Leaton. Lady LeatOn and Mss
Leaton. were these produced by the
poison OF st. IgnatiuS Bean; that
traces OF this poison were
in the autopsy Of the dead bodies ana
in the analysis OF the beverage pre-
pared by Miss EudOra Lsat0n, and Of
which they drank just previous 70
their deaths: and that a quantity Of
tha same fatal drug was found IN Mss
Eudora LeatB1's box
The testimony Of the doctor was cor
roborate,i by " physicians who had
assisted in the autEgsy OF the bCdteS
and the analysis OF the beverage, and
by the policeman who had executed
the warrant and discovered the poison
IN EudOras posses lon
The last witness examined was the
Princess Pezziiiui. who, with she ex-
cepticu OF the scientific evidence Of
fereti bv the physicians. corroboFated
the whole OF the foregoing testimony
The evidence being all collected the
prisoner was asked IL she had any FX-
PLANTATION 70 give before rhe maGs-
rrates should decide upon her ease.
slowly rising. and in a very faint
voice. she answered:
None that VIII do any good I fear.
( did. indeed. nurse my uncle and my
cousin through their kfst illnesses
Prisoner. You are seriously coEpro-
missing yourself by making these adj
missions. You must b. careful o 20
commit yourself again" said Squire
Upton.
-Sir. IL I speak at al I can only
speak the truth. and I cannot believe
that the truth can hurt me. l reFeat.
then. your worships. that | did nurse
my uncle and cousin drought their
last illness. I did prepare with my
own hands all rhe food and drink of
which they parrook-"
Prisoner. prisoner" said Squire Up.
ton in a tone OF great sympathy. for.
despite the conclusive evidence against
her. il was impossible TO I0ok into her
innocent eyes without n doubt of her
supposed guilt. and wishing to give
her THE benefit cs that doubt. prison
er. I must again earnestly warn you
that you are fatally eliminating your
self. a thing that the law does lot re-
quire you To do. Justice afforfs even
% the most guilty the opportunity OF
arqtirral. which the criminal l. not
bound to destroy.
~Sir. l am not n criminal: and If
speaking the truth Is 70 destroy ne Il
must do so. | did prepare their food
and drink. as / dj everything else
Tor their relief and comfort. because I
lowed them SO much that I would have
given my life. IL It's sacrifice could have
saved theirs I put no Injurious in-re-
dent In anything that I Eidde for them.
And as Tor thar deadly poison OF 81.
lgnatius' bean. ~ which IL X said yhey
died. and which was fpun,i ia my box
| do not know how il came there. L
never. certainly. had il m nv poSss7s
sion. never knew anything OS its prop
critics. even heard OF It's exist
ence before. And as / have spoken
truly, 50 may the Lord deliver my life
from this great peril-'
She concluded in a very low voice.
and at the close Of her little speech
sank trembling into her chair again.
p %