The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-29
POISONED HUSBANDS.
A Crime Which Has Been Prevalent at all
Times.

The remarkable Carew poisoning case
In Yokohama is thus referred to by the
London Chronicle:
Mrs. Carew has been found guilty and
is sentenced to Ue executed. (Sentence
afterwards committed to life imprison
ment.j The case closely resembles that
in which Mrs. Maybrick was found
guilty and for which she is still paying
the penalty. Mr.. and Mrs. Carew left
England some few years ago for Japan.
he to take the ssoretaryship of club at
Yokohama. She is the daughter of
Citizen of famous and picturesque Glaston
bury, with moderate income of her own
and p steady allowance from her father.
who is this year mayor of his ancient
borough. The Carews seemed to live
fairly happily together. But the hus-
band took to his bed and died linger-
ing death. During his illness letters
were received from some one who called
herself his soul-Wife and who announced
her desire for his constant society here or
hereafter. The physical symptoms weIe
grave, and suggestive Of mineral poison
ing. The evidence at the preliminary
inquiry left some doubt as to whether
the patient knew of the psyohical epistles
An investigation not OILY showed arsenic
to be the cause Of death, but proved that
Mrs. Carew had almost exclusively
nursed her husband and administered
his food. Arsenic WAS also traced, if
not to her possession, at least to her
household. At this interesting point a
governess in the family was taken into
custody, suspected of being the soul-wife,
and consequently of having made away
with Mr.. Carew. Local opinion was clear
that there was nothing IN this sugges-
ton, and now she, has been acquitted,
while the wife has been condemned for
what years ago would have ranked as
petty treason, and involved death far
worse than hanging. fgFw
Over three centuries before the Chris
tian era more than eight-score Roman
ladies were publicly executed for poison
ing their husbands, and in our own
country 1t was so common crime that
in 1881 1t was made punishable by boil.
ing to death. That severity did not stop
it, and SO late as 1850 the use of arsenic
for poisoning was SO common that
Parliament placed obstacles in the way
of its sale. the difficulty OF getting it be-
ing further increased in 1863 and 1885.
In 1884 two sisters were hanged for pois-
oning the husband of one Of them for
insurance money-a very common in
ducement to crime at one time; and four
yearn later doctor at Cork was executed
for poisoning his wife with arsenic.
Only two and half years ago woman
named Needle was hanged at Melbourne,
In Victoria, for poisoning her husband,
her children, and longer. But to find
emulation Of the Roman crimes of 22OO
years ago.we must look to hungary,
where in 1882 twenty-five women were
condemned for husband poisoning in con-
cert. The lesson did not prevent ten
Others being accused eight years later of
poisoning their husbands with arsenic,
only two being acquitted.
Arsenic is a umulative poison, and,
given in small doses. ia effective unless
suspicion is excited. But most doctors
nowadays are suspicious enough when
any nj the symptoms of ARSENAL poison
present themselves, and.a part from the
difficulty OF getting arsenio-not SO great
even now as it should be-the danger of
detection has probably prevented MANY
attempts. The leading case in England
of late years will be in the minds of all.
Mrs. Maybrick was tried at Liverpool in
the summer of 1889, before the late Mr..
Justice Stephen, for poisoning her hus-
band with arsenic, and was convicted.
Some of the dearest legal minds in Eng.
land doubted II the evidence brought the
crime home to the accused; ONE doubt
it still. We must assume that the judge
himself had his doubts, inasmuch as,
after his advice had been taken by Mr..
Henry Matthews. then Home Secretary,
the sentence was committed to penal SER
vitude for life, sentence which the con-
Wet is still undergo ing.