The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05


founding Turpitude.
Firm the Morning Oregonian.
sydney. Australia, Nov. 1.-THE last
o.+ in one OF the most sensational and
remarkable cases in the history of crime
is now being played in the courts at
sydney.
some time early in 1894, George Dean,
AGED about 26 years was married to Mary
seymour. who was about 10 years of age
and a rather good looking girl. In De-
cember Of the same year a child was born
TO them During the illness of Mrs. Dean
the mother-in-law put in an appearance
and remained until the child was a menth
old. The Inother-ln-law was supposed to
be a widow, and Mary the only child, of
whom She was very fond. Dean was en-
ployed as captain on a ferryboat crossing
the bay. and was necessarily absent most
of the time. Dean was probably never
in love with his wife's mother, and Mrs
Seymour had little fondness for her
daughters husband when they became
acquainted Result, some clashing in the
family.
The Deans were poor, and lived alone
in a rather humble dwelling, and, as Mrs
Deans health was precarious the home
was not one of unalloyed joy. Dean at
tended well to his work, but seemed to
find little pleasure in the society of his
wife and child. There were no servants
about the house, so housekeeping with
Mrs. Dean was probably of the topsy-tur-
Wy kind. On March 4 Mrs. Dean became
ill., and the mother returned to take care
of her. Mrs. Dean had been drinking lem
onade made from lemon syrup that she
had bought Feb. %. On March 1 she had
scrap" with her husband, and on
March 2 she used lemon syrup, as was
common with her, and detected bitter
taste in IL, the same peculiar taste she
had noticed in her beef tea a few months
previous. She soon became ill., She pre-
pared more lemonade at lunch time but
The same bitter taste sickened her and
she threw IL away. She then mistrusted
that there was poison IN the lemonade
and took the bottle to two or three per-
sons for examination, but finally took it
home again Mrs. Deans health became
more precartous, and so many suspicious
circumstances accompanied her frequent
and severe spells of illness that on April
Inspector Cotter swore out a warrant
ana Dean was arraigned before Judge
Nndeyer on a charge of having admins
tered poison to his wife, Mary Dean, with
intent to murder her.
In this country there is little reason to
complain of the laws delay" A crimi-
nal once arrested is but little older when
tried and executed. There is no waiting
for Witnesses to forget, die, or run away.
There is no buying of time, no groundless
delay by change of venue or new trials.
Whatever one may think of the laws or
the methods of their administration, there
is commendable promptness. Dean was
put on trial. There was an experienced
judge, able lawyers, and a jury of the
average type. The trial proceeded at once,
as the witnesses were easily reached by
summons. The attorney general managed
the crown side of the case, while the So
licitors for the defense were Messrs. Crick
and Meagher, the latter really conducting
the case.
There was a good deal of interest taken
by the people of the community from the
start, and the summing up of the case and
the verdict were awaited with some i'm
patience. Not the evidence as published,
but rumorS seemed to move the people
from the beginning. The severe and sud
den spells of sickness Of Mrs; Dean We're
known to many persons, but the chief wit
nesses as to details were herself and her
mother, Mrs Seymour
Among the most damaging points made
We're that Dean had suggested porter for
his wife; that he brought the porter his
hand well around the glass; that she dis
covered a white sediment in the glass
and refused to drink it, and that he, say
ing it was sour, threw it out. He gave
her tea, and she again saw some white
powder in the saucer He told her: 1t Will
do YOU good" He gave her medicine pre-
ticed something like curdled milk, but he
SAID the doctor so prescribed. She drank
IL, ana immediately became very SICK, SUI
1erlng most acutely all the agonies usually
following cases of poisoning. The doctor
denied having ordered the powder. A few
weeks before she had eaten greats, OF
The conduct of Dean toward his wife was
strange, and many lame efforts were made
TO trace the purchase of the poison.
On April 6, the third day, the judge
summoned up the case. 1t was evident
that he, at least had no doubt of Dean S
guilt. He gave reasons for his opinions
tried clearer case than this" and that
he was as well convinced of his guilt
as though he had seen the attempt to
poison his wife, not once or twice, but
on every occasion on which she fell sick"
The jury retired at Y o'clock april o.
ana it was soon seen that there We're
41erences of opinion among the jurors
ne Judge recalled than at 1875 and in
formed them that unless they came to
a verdict soon they would have to be
Kept until Monday morning" this being
saturday. The jury soon returned YER
act OF guilty, with ton
70 mercy" 1t is well to remember that
N this highly Christian country there
are many capital offenses, among which
ii5etured the guilty man on the "horri-
nie crime" he had committed, and, after
GclIn5dIy advising him to repent before
tuu, ne sentenced him to be hanged hy
uie neck until he was dead.
As the judges comments were so eX-
uaordlnary, soon the tongues were set
puhnc gave aboundant heed. The criti-
0lsms of the judge were first in muir
iiWs, but soon became a storm and final
~ tornado. Mrs. Dean was openly de-
nouhced as an arsenic eater, the judge
as despot, and the attorney general as
moral leper Great names and low were
mixed together in the common speech,
NJ uhblushingly as to disgust many peo-
ie ana 10 arouse others to a frenzy. On
itpIH II the cabinet whose prerogative
~ u.s. considered the case with reference
M Iecommendation to mercy" and COM
Tafa'ed the sentence to Imprisonment for
~ ms did not satisfy the popular elamor.
H Sa lhe evening of April IS Mr.. Crick, Sc
bo1 sollcitor in the case, being a mem
bf on parliament, brought the question
m Vie the assembly in a vicious attack
we Judge, and in boisterous and
H. eatening manner demanded reopen
VI the case by royal commissioners.
was now the talk of the city, and
iv' .5r Iurid comments were being made
we metropolitan and country press.
bSbH the lower it began to reach the
deer grades of society. The whispers
mntpe Heu into murmurs and the muir
me- INTO wild, extravagant, and vehe-
swor protests against the sentence. Men
"pooS dhu women groaned in agony Tor
be- Dean The almost universal howl
whine nauseating to the few who felt
~. 70 leave the case with the courts.
l.