Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-03-11
THIS ISA QUEER CASE
OUTCOME OF A REMARKABLE TRIAL
IN AUSTRALIA.

and He Is Rsleased-Then Follow Some
Confessions of Astounding Turpitude.
The last act in one of the most sensa-
tional and remarkable cases in the his
tory of crime is now being played in the
courts at Sydney.
Some time early in 1894, George
Dean, aged abort &c years, was married
to Mary Seymour, who was about 10
years of age and rather good looking
girl. In December of the same year a
child was born to them. During the i'll
ness of Mrs. Dean the mother-in law
put in an appearance aud remained I'M
til the child was mouth old. The
mother in law was supposed to be
widow, and Mary the only child, of
whom she was very fond. Dean was
employed as captain on feryboat
crossing the bay and was necessarily
absent most of the time. Dean was prob
ably never in love with his wife's moth
er, and Mrs. Seymour had little fond
ness for her daughter husband when
they became acquainted. Result, some
clashing in the family.
On March A Mrs. Dean became i'll,
and her mother returned to take care of
her. Mrs. Dean had been drinking lem
onade made from lemon strip that she
had bought Feb. %. On March l she
had a "scrap" with her husband, and
on March 2 she used lemon sirup, as
was common with her, and detected
bitter taste in it, the same peculiar taste
she had noticed in her beef tea few
months previous She soon became i'll.
She prepared more lemonade at lunch
time, but the same bitter taste sickened
her and she threw it away. She then
mistrusted that there was poison Ill the
lemonade and took the bottle to two or
three persons for examination, but final
ly took it home again.
Mrs. Dean o health became more pre-
carious, and SO many suspicious circum-
stances accompanied her frequent and
severe spells of illness that on April
Inspector Cotter swore out warrant,
and Dean was arTaigned before Judge
Windeyer on charge of having admin
istered poison to his wife, Mary Dean,
with intent to murder her. The attor-
ney general managed the crown side of
the case, while the solicitors for the de-
Tense were Messrs. Crick and Meagher,
the latter really conducting the case.
There was good deal of interest tax
ell by the people of the community from
the start, and the summing up of the
case and the verdict were awaited with
some impatience. Not the evidence as
published, but rumors, seemed to move
the people from the beginning. The Sc
we're and sudden spells of sickness Of
Mrs. Dean were known to many persons,
but the chief witnesses as to details were
herself and her mother, Mrs. Seymour.
Among the most damaging points
made were that Dean had suggested
porter for his wife; that he brought the
porter, his hand well about the glass;
that she discovered white sediment in
the glass and refused to drink it, and
that he, saying 1t was sour, threw it
out. He gave her tea, and she again
saw some white powder in the saucer.
He told her, ut will do you good He
gave her medicine prescribed by a ply
stefan, in which she noticed something
like curdled milk, but he said the doctor
so prescribed. She drank it and immedi-
ately became very sick, suffering most
acutely all the agonies usually following
cases of poisoning. The doctor denied
having ordered the powder.
On April 6, the third day, the judge
4 4 Il tt..,N
he at least had no doubt of Deans guilt
He gave the reason for his opinions and
said he "had never in his experience
tried clearer case than this" and that
he twas as we'll convinced of his guilt
as though he had seen the attempt to
on every occasion on which she fell sick. "
The jury retired at IL O'Clock april
81, and it was soon seen that there were
differences of opinion among the jurors.
The judge recalled them at s :35 and in
formed them that. unless they came to IA
verdict soon, they would "have to be
kept until Monday morning" this be-
ing Saturday. The jury soon returned a
verdict of guilty, with Recommended
tion to mercy. 1t is we'll to remember
that in this highly Christian country
there are many capital offenses, among
which is attempt to murder. The judge
then lectured the guilty" man ON the
horrible crime" he had committed,
and, after kindly advising him to ere
pent before God, he sentenced him to
be hanged by the neck until he was dead.
As the judges comments were so eX-
traordinary, soon the tongues were set
to wagging. and soon the long cared
public gave abundant heed. The oriti-
cisms of the judge We're first in muir
murs, but soon became storm and
finally tornado. Mrs Dean was openly
denounced as an arsenic eater, the judge
as despot and the attorney general as
a moral leper.
On April II the cabinet, whose pre-
rogatiye it is, considered the case with
reference to recommendation to mer-
cy'' and COMMITTED the sentence to i'm
prisonment for life.
This did not satisfy the popular clam
or. On the evening of April IS Mr..
Crick, senior solicitor in the case, being
a ,nap,h ar IF parl apapt l,ropobt tho