Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-12-22


Hotel Victoria This fact was i'm
4 pressed upon her memory by two cir
4 cumstances. Mrs. Harris broke q rule
Of the house in selling the handker-
chief, and she NOTICED that Mrs. Botkin
resenbled her mother.
Mrs. Botkin watched the witness in
/ tently while she was giving testimony.
She smiled complacently at the in
criminating evidence, but rs the wit
ness grew moro positive under cross
examination, tho smile faded, and the
| prisoner showed somo temper. She
| glared at Mrs. Harris steadily, turning
for a second every few minutes to utter
a few short, sharp words to her at
torneys. Word pictures which an
Eastern physician presented Of tho.
death agonies of the victims of tho
4 poisoned candy did not affect Mrs.
Botkin. She appeared delightfully."-
| nonchalant during the recital of the
narrowing details, ut times yawning,
MS il they bored her. She takes a
liyelier interest, however, in tho evil
dence the prosecution is now present.
ing as to tho details Of her association
with John p Dunning.
Mrs. Elmira Rouff, formerly an asso-
Eeiate OF Mrs. Botlsiu, told of secret
4 visits paid by Dunning to Mrs. Botkin,
4 when she was living with her sister,
in Oakland. The witness let Dunning
in, so that no one else in the house
would know he had called. When Mrs.
Rouff told Of finding Dunning in Mrs
Botkin' room. with bottleo Of whisky,
\ the woman being nttired in pink silk
4 pightgown, Mrs. Botkin laughed mer-
rily. Mrs Rouf said that she believed
\ the anonymous letters sent to Mrs.
Dunping were in the handwriting of
Mrs. Botkin. iSho had heard Mrs.
Botkin talk about Bohemian life,
and she found the same expression in;
one of the letters. To her mind that
was dead give away Ibid Mrs.
Botkin write this letter?'' asked the
| prosecuting attorney, rs he handed
Mrs. Roulf letter addressed to Gov.
FBudd, soliciting an appointment as
nurse. = Yes,4 she did, was the reply.
4 The handkerchief which was in the
\ box of poisoned candy was shown Mrs.
Routf. "aave you ever seen n hand
kerchief like that?v was asked. 81
have. Sometime ago went into the
city with Mrs. Botkin, and she pointed
4 out handkerchiefs TO me and asked me
Il if they were not cheap. | replied that
they We're, and noticed that they had
been marked down in price, Mrs.
Rouff reviewed n conversation she had
with Mrs. Botkin in Stockton in July
last, only few days before the box of
poisoned candy was sent, Mrs. Botkin
then asked a great many questions, she
said, about the effects of poisons,
particularly. arsenic and strychnine.
She also inquired about postal regula-
tions and the rate of postage on pound
packages. She spoke of lawyers and
criminal proceedings, and predicted
that her association with Dunning in
future would be more intimate. All of
this was intended to show that Mrs.
d Botlsin was meditating the use of the
Il mails and of poisons.l -4--.,-.. .-. ..s., 1890
San Francisco, CAL, Dec. 10. The
past week was trying one for Mrs.
Cordelia Botkin. oh trial on the charge
of the murder of Mrs. John P. Dun
ming of Dover, Dell Mrs. Botkin was
SO i'll Saturday that she required the
services of q physician. The mental
, strain Of the trial has weighed heavily
upon her. Until Friday she affected
an air of unconcern to disguise the
mental suffering and distress she en-
dured. On Friday she could no longer
Fconceal her feelings, and was visibly
agitated when Mrs. Ruoff, her once
closest friend, gave her telling testi-
mony. When Mrs. Botkin returned TO
Branch county Jail she almost col
lapsed. She rallied. however, and
4 obtained rest during the night.
The case against Mrs BotlSin is
almost in, and has been presented link
by link, each one beins made complete
before another was begun.
The State has been steadily weaving
its web of evidence about the poisorer.
First, tho Delaware witnesses came on
the stand. They described the receipt
of the poisoned candy, the death
struggles Of the victims, and compared
anonymous letters Mrs. DuDning had
received with others in the hand
writing of the prisoner. Frank Grey.
clerk id the Owl drug store, testified
that Mrs. Botkin, whom ho had known
by sight for more than year, pur-
chased powdered arsenic Of him on
t June 1st last, saying she wanted tho
chemical to bleach n straw hat. Miss
Sylvia Heney of the candy store of
{ George Haas 6 Son told of the GUS
n toner on July 3lst, who purchased a
fancy box and had it almost filed with
N chocolates, saying she wished to put
in another present. Miss Heney be-
HIVES NirS. IJutkl1l' WAS Lilly ttlStOtnGT.4
Miss Kittie Dttmef also Atastiied asste
the sale. corroborating Miss Heney's
!; Testimony. She described q woman of
Mrs Botkin's appearance, and thought
the prisoner was the customer of July
3lst 1t was next proved THAT the box
and candy we're from Haas candy
store. John d. Dunnigan of Station
y postofiice remembered tho package
sent to Mrs Dunning, his attention
being attracted by the similarity, OF
the names John D. Duunigan and
Mrs. John p, Dnnning, Postal In
spector Erwin believed the blurred
postmark was that of station d, at
Ferry depot, where Dunnigan is en-
ployed. He showed that the package
leaving here August 4th, the day Mrs.
Botkin left for Healdsburg, would
have reached Dover August 9th. Testi-
mopy was next given showing that a
portion of a seal used by George w.
Haas & Son was found in Mrs Botkin's
room. The handkerchief inclosed in
the box sent to Mrs. Dunning was
identified as being from stock Of tho
City of Paris dry goods store, and Mrs.
4 Grace Harris. q saleslady, remembered
having sold two handRerchiefs to u
woman who gave her address as the
Victoria Hotel, where Mrs. Botkin
roomed. Shb identified Mrs. BotlSin
as that customer. Mrs. Almira Ruoif,
nurse and intimate friend of Mrs.
Botkin, told of the prisoners intimacy
with Dunning, and how she made IN
quiries as to mailing packages, and
wanted to know il she would have to
| sion hpr name If aha rpristarad tha