The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-09-23
MRS. PLEVA ON TRIAL
SHE FACES A JURY OF HER PEERS
IN CIRCUIT COURT.
IN ANSWER TO MURDER CHARGE

I. and This Morning the Case Is
y Opened by District Attorney
ID Buckmaster.
b. The case of the State of Wisconsin
IL VS.. Maria Pleva was opened at 9 o'clock
4. this morning. Before the court ad
Y journed Monday night a jury had been
y drawn from the large special venire
D. and with the opening of court District
AZ Attorney Buckmaster made the open
\: ing statement of the case.
y The court room was almost entirely
y empty at the opening. The people had
Do been led to believe that the drawing OF
d the jury would probably occupy the
* entire day, which probably led to the
= small attendance.
y In making the opening statement
d Mr.. Buckmaster occupied about an
a. hour. The statement was a very COM
IL plete one, going into every detail of the
\: case.
" The first witness to be called was
ID Joseph Newhouse. He said he was a
d police officer in May last. Knows the
Il defendant and knew her husband be-
4, fore he died. He saw the husband in
y the police Office few days before his
d death. Next saw him May % at his
d residence dead at between l and 2
Il o'clock. Officer O'Hare and Justice
4, .Slater was with witness. All looked
v at the body and around the house and
ID then sent for Drs. Pugh and Win
AZ deshem. Witness staid there an hour
H. and half or two hours.
= On cross examination he said he did
~ not know who was with Pleva at the
" police office.
D. W. L. Hackley was next called. He
A said he was a druggist and had been in
X. business here for about a year. He
Y produced box of rough on rats. Had
VI weighed the box. All boxes are sup
d posed to be the same. Found that a
AZ box contained 1000 grains. People
l. seldom buy more than one box at a
y time.
W On cross examination he stated that
% be was not sure that other boxes con-
AZ tanned the same amount
i: DR.. Pugh was sworn. He said he
y was physician and had practiced here
" about five years. Was called to resi-
Do dence of Pleva to see him. Went
H about 2 o'clock. Found him lying on
A. the bed dead. Was probably dead less
y: than four or five hours. He stated the
W symptoms of arsenical poisoning to be
W intense thirst, extreme vomiting and
> purging. Saw some vomit in a bucket
there. 1t was a yellowish green in
. color. In checking the effort of ma
ture to throw off the poison death
would be fastened.
An examination followed with Dr.
Windesheim. Justice Slater, j. c..
Kirchbaum and Sheriff Abel we're
{ present. Found the lungs, heart, liver,
kidneys and intestines all in normal
condition, though all were very dark.
There were no indications of either
acute or chronic diseases present.
Took out the stomach and section Of
the liver with small quantity of
blood. Helped to make an analysis Of
these things with some of the vomit.
The result of the tests made showed
that arsenic was present in all. Made
preliminary tests of the blood, but un-
I satisfactorily. Examined the contents
of the coffee pots. In one pot found
traces of arsenic The arsenic could
not get into the liver in u short time
without going through the circulation.
Believe the man died from arsenical
- poisoning. The coffee pots were shown
the witness and he identified them.
Found the poison in the larger pot.
On cross examination the doctor
said he first saw the pots the day of the
alleged crime at the house. The de-
Tense tried to show that the pots had
passed through several hands before
he got them. Then there was a long
list of hypothetical questions concern
ing supposed effects of water and coffee
on arsenic, and the effect on the taste.
The evident purpose being to show
that one might drink the mixture and
not know it at the time. The witness
stated symptoms of poisoning would
appear within half an hour.
j. G.. Slater was next called. Was
called to the Pleva house at about 2
o'clock. Found Michael Pleva dead.
He identified the notes taken at the
. time of the post norton examination.
Saw two or three coffee pots and stated
that the coffee pots in evidence looked
like the ones. Every time the witness
a spoke to the little boy about anything
the defendant always asked the boy
what was being said. The defendant
showed no signs of grieving during
that day
On cross examination witness stated
7 that there was an interpreter present
Sheriff Abel was next called. Was
/ 1arnsanf af the most rnnrtnn1 ox nina