The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-16
EVIDENCE IN THE BOTEIK CASE
SHOWING TO BE MADE BY CHIEF
LEES.
Dunning Identifies Handwriting of
a Threatening Letter as That of
Mrs. Botkin-Will Try an ALibi.

San Francisco, Sept. 15.--Chief of Po-
lice Lees has carefully compiled the
evidence he will submit to Governor
Budd in the Botkin case. He has gath
cred between this city and Dover, Del,
nearly 40 affidavits bearing on the
murder of Mrs. j. 2. Dunning and her
sister, Mrs Deane, by means of poi
soned candy sent by mail.
The requisition from Governor Tun-
nell of Delaware for the delivery of
Mrs. Botkin to Detective McVey of
that state is accompanied by warrant
sworn to by John B. Pennington, father
of the murdered women, charging Mrs.
Botkin with the murder of Mrs. Deane.
Besides the warrant are numerous affi-
daVits from Kent county, Delaware,
esta blishinS the murder of the two wo
men. Other .affidavits give in detail the
circumstances of the case, nearly all
of which have heretofore been pub
lished.
In a sworn statement Mr. Dunning
says that he believes the handwriting
on the envelope 81 the anonymous let
ter which reached his wife in July,
1897, was that of Mrs. Botkin. He
could not identify the writing on the
box which contained the candy, as he
had not seen it. The only new point
!
Green, a drug clerk, who declares that
in the latter part of May or early in
June, while employed at 1902 Market
street, he sold % cents worth of ar
senic to a woman, who said she wanted
it for the purpose of bleaching straw
hats. Her appearance, he said, resem-
bled that of Mrs. Botkin.
Mrs. Cordelia Botkin and the attor-
neys for the defense claim to have no
- -, +I.oN lNo
scented to Governor Budd by the pros
ecution. They base their confidence on
the alleged ability of the accused wo-
man to establish a complete alibi. The
alibi will cover a period dating from
the day Clerk Frank Grey claims he
sold Mrs. Botkin arsenic in the Owl
drug store to the day she was arrested
in Stockton.
In the hearing of the matter of extra
dition in the case of Mrs. Botkin, Gov
ernor Budd objected TO the form of
complaint. In fact, he claimed that no
actual complaint had been made.
District Attorney Hosmer and Detec-
tive McVey endeavored to explain the
intricacies of the Delaware code, and
claimed that the complaint was en-
bodied in the warrant. This eXplana-
ton did not satisfy the governor, and
the attorneys on both sides are now
code in an endeavor to clear the mat
ter. Mrs Botkin did not appear.
The governors objection to the doc
ument proposed as a complaint was
that the expressions were in the past
tense. 1t said:
Pennington made OATH not makes
OATH and was, therefore, not COM
plant, but a narrative Of the fact that
a complaint had been made. 1t did not
purport to be a copy of the complaint.
The governor suddenly dropped the
over the form of the papers
and asked Detective McVey, the Della
ware official, if his state was willing
to pay the expenses of witnesses in the
case. The detective replied that he
would have to ask for information,
upon which the governor replied that
the answer of this question would
have an important bearing on his de-
cision.
Mr.. Knight, attorney for the defense,
took the stand that many of the aft
davits were based upon insufficient in
and implored Governor
Budd to act only on the information
before Governor Tunnel of Delaware
when the latter made the requisition,
and not take into consideration the
evidence since accrued by the prosecu-
ton, especially the local authorities.