The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-23
Defense Unable TO Produce Any I'M
pOrtant Testimony.
ATTEMPT AT AN ALIBI
BUT THE WITNESS TANGLED
HIMSELF UP.
Mrs. Botkin's Physician Testifes
That He Attended Her Some Time
During the Afternoon Upon
Which She Is Alleged to Have
Purchased the Candy.

San Francisco, Cal. Dec. 22.-The de-
Tense Of Mrs. Cordelia Botkin, charged
with the murder of Mrs John P. Dun
ming, commenced today, but the prog
ress made in the breaking down of the
case of the prosecution was very slight.
DR.. George NJ. Tyrell was the princi-
pal witness for the defense today. DR..
Tyrell, however, was SO uncertain in his
testimony. and contradicted himself so
often that he did the defense but little
good. He testified that he visited Mrs.
Botkin on Sunday afternoon, July 81,
between the hours of and o'clock,
and treated her for headache. This is
the time and date sworn to by Misses
Heney and Ditmarr of Haas candy
store, when they sold Mrs. Botkin
box of chocolate bonbons. DR.. Tyrell,
for some reason, made no entry in his
visit book, and rendered no bill for SER
vices to Mrs. Botlzin. He could not
specify the time of his visit better than
between and o'clock in the after
noon"
When questioned regarding arsenical
poisoning, the attorney for the prose-
cution made it very clear that DR.. Ty-
rell knew little, if anything, of arsenic.
Thomas J. Ford of the San Francisco
candy was not packed according to the
rules, and that it was remarkable that
the box should have reached Delaware
in good order. He identified the post
marks on the anonymous letters as be-
ing those of the San Francisco office,
and described the methods employed in
the caring for letter mails.
John P. Dunning was recalled by per-
mission, and asked If he had told Mrs.
Botkin that his wife and daughter had
taken up their residence in Dover. Del.
He replied that he had mentioned the
fact several times.
w. L. Roberts of Humboldt county,
a brother-in-law of the accused, stated
that Mrs. Botkin had been in the Vicin-
ity of Eureka, Cal, from the End Of
June until the end of the month. The
prosecution admitted this residence. 1t
VIII be remembered that one of the
anonymous letters was dated about the
middle of June, but the prosecution will
prove that a mail bag was placed on
the wharf at Eureka on steamer days,
and that letters were dropped in it and
not postmarked until the steamer
reached this city.
DIR. w. f. McNutt testified that the
only reliable way to prove arsenica1
poison was by an autopsy.
John H. Warrington, floor manager
of the City of Paris store, where the
udnuhtIchleA Sent AdIS' DunlllAS lIlhe
daughter was alleged to have been
bought, testified as to the methods used
in transferring purchases from one de-
partment to another. and the delivery
of goods, but nothing of Importance
was brought out.
Mrs. Botkin was called to the stand
at a late hour this afternoon. She told
of her acquaintance with Dunning, de-
nying many of his statements. She
also denied much of the testimony of
Mrs. Lizzie Livernash, a reporter. who
testified to the hysterical condition of
Mrs. Botkin when informed of Mrs.
Cummings death, and of several incrim-
mating admissions made by Mrs. Bot
kin in interviews with her. She denied
ever having purchased candy of Haas,
or that she ever purchased a handker-
chief of the City of Paris. She will
continue her testimony tomorrow.