The record-union., 1898-12-13

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. II. = The
trial Of Mrs. Cordelia Botkin for the
murder of Mrs. John P. Dunning OF
Dover, Del. and who is also accused
of being responsible for the death OF
Mrs. Dunning's sister, Mrs. Joshua u.
Deane, commenced in real earnest to-
day. The witnesses were all on hand,
and the jury announced itself as being
ready to hear testimony.
The proceedings were set in motion
by attorney for the defense Knight
requesting the exclusion from the
courtroom of all witnesses.
Judge Cook granted the request, At
torney General White of Delaware and
Chief of Police Lees of this city being
excepted in the order.
The first witness called was the
Postmaster of Dover, Del, Thomas M.
Gooden. He testified that on August
9th a package was received at the
Postoffice at Dover addressed to Mrs.
John p. Dunning. He described the
package minutely, and when shown
piece of manila paper with the ad-
dress written upon it, identified it as
the paper in which was inclosed the
box received by Mrs. Dunning. Mr..
Gooden was positive in his Identified
tion, BECAUSE as he explained to the
attorneys for the defense, he had hand
led the package three times, and that
he himself placed it in the Postoffice
box subscribed for by the Pennington
family. 's5Sstlnv -
Harry G.. Pennington, the thirteen
year-Old grandson of the Hon. John
G. Pennington testified to taking the
box from the Postoffice box, and identi-
fed the wrapper and the address. He
told of the opening of the box by Mrs.
Dunning, and the finding of the little
handkerchief on top of the candy. He
told Of the passing around of the candy
to the gathered relatives and friends.
The witness told how on biting into
a piece of candy Mrs Pennington spat
it out. He explained the illness Of
himself, Mrs. Dunning and Mrs. Deane,
and the death of the ladies'
Miss Lesla Deane, daughter of Mrs.
Deane and a niece of Mrs. Dunning,
gave practically the same testimony
as the preceding witness.
Miss Josephine Bateman, one of the
group who rpartook of the candy on
the 9th of August, testified that some
foreign substance in the candy caused
her to remove the offending particles.
A piece of some hard white substance
lodged in one of her gums, and neces-
STATED the use Of her finger to remove
it. The day following her gums and
lips were liberated. The Jumps re-
sembled rock salt. Miss Bateman told
Of her ills following the eating of the
candy, but they were rather insignifi
cant compared with the sufferings Of
the others.
Miss Ethel Millington testified to eat
ing some of the candy, and to feeling
slightly ill for several days after. She
stated that Mrs. Dunning handed her
the wrapper asking her to try to de-
cipher the postmark, but she could not.
]. D. Deane, husband of one of the
victims, stated that he was awakened
in the middle Of the night by the agon-
iZing cries of his wife. He told of her
sufferings, her refusal to let him call
her physician at that hour the arrival
of the doctor in the morning and his
ministrations and the final convulsion
and the death which followed.
John B. Pennington, father of Mrs.
Dunning and Mrs. Deane, was the last
witness called to-day, and he had not
finished his testimony when the court
adjourned His testimony up to the
time of adjournment had little bearing
upon the case, referring merely to FAM
lily affairs.