Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-11-20
MINNESOTA PREACHER SENTENCED
TO THE PENITENTIARY.
TRIAL ENDED SENSATlONALLY
STATE SPRUNG A SURPRISE AND THE
CULPRIT PLEAD GUILTY.
Tried to Murder His Wife by Giving
Her Arsenic in Her Medicine and
FOod-A Letter to n Friend
the Means of His
UndOinE.

ST. Paul, Mimi, Nov. 19.-The case
against the Rev. James c. Hull, accused
of attempted wife poisoning, came TO
sudden and sensational end in the district
coErt this afternoon. Hull had been on
the witness stand since yesterday after
noon and had entered categorical denial
to all the states evidence in regard to the
administering by him of arsenic mixed
with medicine his wife was taking.
Then the state sprung a surprise in the
shape of a letter which Hull had written,
while in Portland, o., last February, TO
Rev. l. L. Spence, an intimate friend, who
was then in Ferado, Cal. In this letter
he stated that his wife was very sick; that
she was suffering from cancer, and that
he expected to be called home at any time,
and that he thought she would not live
through the year. He also stated that an
operation had been performed for the re-
movaI of the cancer, but that it had
broken out again.
Spence and Hull had been old friends
and chums, and when the former heard OF
the charge against Huh he remembered
the letter received last February and, think
he inclosed it to someone in Minnesota
The state in some way got track of this
letter and to-day put it in as evidence.
Hull was at first inclined to deny that
he had written such letter, but upon
being urged by mis- own attorney, finally
admitted its authorship. The evidence of
the stats Witnesses and Huns own ad-
missions in his previous testimony showed
I that there had been no talk Of a cancer for
| . year previous to the cate Of the letter,
and that the surgical operation had simply
! been the dressing of a slight !aceratiOn.
/ The state claimed that the letter placed in
| evidence was written with the intention
! of preparing his friends for the death of
his " lie and to provide plausible cause
| therefor.
At the opening of the afternoon session,
| HuIps attorney arose and, addressing the
court, stated that the last evidence pro-
! duCed Che letter. was of such charac-
| ter as TO remove all further ioubts as TO
| his clients guilt and that, upon his ad-
! vice Hull had agreed to with IriW his plea
| of not guilty and to throw himself uFon
| the mercy of the court. He IurtAer Stateu
| that he believed Hulrs mind was unba!-
| anced and asked the courts ms"ciful con-
| sideration of the plea.
Hull then formally withdrew his plea or
| not guilty and Judge Hagan sentenced
| him to six years IN the Saltwater peni-
! tentiary
Hull had been pastor Of the Clinton
/ Avenue NJ p. church until about year
| ago, and at that time achieved constdera-
be notcriety by charging that the trustees
of his church were members of the A. p. A.
and We're seeking his removal in order to
get a minister who vas in sympathy with
| that organization. This resulted in charges
| being brought against him in the state
| conference and ultimately in his suspen-
| sion from preaching for year
Last August he was arrested on COM
| plant Of his wife. who charged that for
| year or more he had been slowly poisoning
| her by the administration of arsenic mixed
with her medicines and with articles of
| food. The motive, as shown by the evil
| dence of the state in the trial just ended,
was a life insurance policy for s., 50 which
! Hull had prevailed upon his wife to take
! out in his favor. 1t was also shown, and
| he had been crimnally intimate with his
| wife's neice, girl of l6. who was living
! with them. Mrs. HUI testified that her
| husband, upon being charged with this mis-
| conduct, finally admitted it.
Hull has claimed all along that his wife
| has been subject 20 fits of insanity since
childhood and had treated him harshly.
| The couples I4-year-old daughter was an
| important witness for the state. The
| scene in court to-day when Hull changed
| his plea and was sentenced was an eX-
| trtnely dramatic one and strung the
| nerves of all present to a high tension.
| Judge Eagan. in sentencing the prisoner
| expressed his opinion that he was not al
| together of a sound mind and accordingly
imposed a light sentence the punishment
prescribed by law being from five to ten
years.