The San Francisco call., 1898-12-20


 were going to the County Jail. Cunning stood within the area reserved for wit nesses. He looked down upon his former mistress with hatred marked in every line of his face. The woman's answering glance was one of insolent unconcern.
 Owing to the death of a relative of one of the jurors the court was ad- journed from 10 o'clock in the morn ing until in the afternoon, when Miss Lizzie Livernash took the stand for the prosecution. Miss Livernash's story as she detailed it in answer to questions by MT. Hosmer, is substantially as fol- lows
 T live in Healdsburg and know Mrs. Botkin I saw her at the home of her sister, Mrs. Mcclure, at Healdsburg, on the morning of August 15. At that time I was detailed by the Examiner to visit her and ask if she had any idea as to the persons who poisoned Mrs. Dun ming. She said she had not and spoke of Mrs. Cunning as being a woman with many friends and no enemies. She thought the poison had been sent by some friend who did not know it was in the candies. l saw her again the next dcy, being sent this time to interview her to the alleged inti- macy existing between herself and Cunning.
 At first she did not want to speak for publication, as she wanted to consult a lawyer l told her to consult law yer if she had anything to do with the tragedy. She said she had nothing to conceal, and then W nt on to tell me of her acquaintance with him. She first met him in Golden Gate Park. where she was with a friend. He passed on bicycle, and something going wrong with it he stopped near them. He introduced himself and she was faYorably impressed with him. The next time she met him was at the race course, when she inVitel him to call on her at 927 Geary street, where she was living with her stepson, Beverly.
 He lived on Post street three flights up, and she persuaded him to take the small hall bedroom in the Geary-street house. This he did, and they always spent their evenings together while there. Mrs. Botllin said he was eX- traVagant at the races and was of dis sipated habits. Had it not been for her she said he would have committed suicide. He was financially embar- rassed and she went to his aid with money. She prepared his meals and endeavored to reclaim him from his dissipated habits. He was in rags and in abject poverty and his misfortunes proved tax on her resources.
 This conversation, continued Miss Livernash, took place in the morning. On the afternoon of the same day I was sent to her to tell her that she was un- der suspicion of having committed the crime. Mrs Botkin was shocked, hor- rit1ed and became hysterical She cried out in her distress: Oh, why didn't I leave the man to die; I should have saved the wife and child Mrs. Botkin decided to go to her husband at Stock ton and prepared to leave the next morning. l told her l would travel with her and the next morning we started for San Francisco en route for Stockton. Mrs. Botkin was heavily yelled She discussed a telegram printed in the papers in which MT. Pennington point ed the finger of suspicion at her. She said that if Cunning heard of her be- ing suspected of the crime he would blow out his brains. She also suggested that her enemies might have forged her writing in the note that accompanied the candies. She talked a great deal about poisons and gave it as her theory that the killing of the women was ac- cidental. She mentioned Mrs. Corbalay as one who might have done it. Mrs. Botkin said she knew she would be suspected She also said that if they came together and married the strong hand of the law might be laid on her.
 Mrs. Botkin was anxious to go to her husband, who, she said, would take all the blame for their living apart on his shoulders. While in San Francisco | we stayed at the Russ House. I regis | tered, but Mrs. Botkin did not. She | kept closely to her room as she said she | did not want to be apprehended until | she had reached her husbands side. | She explained that Mir. Pennington'S S | suspicious were aroused by three an- onymous letters sent Mrs. Cunning in | five months. Mrs. Cunning sent them | to her husband and he sent them on to i Mrs. BotHin. She told of the dissipa- tions in which she had indulged and | having led a gay life. l She loved the pleasures of the world | and would let nothing stand in her way | to gratify her desires, not even the di- | vorce court, but she would not stoop | to murder.
 During the trip to Stockton she told | of the life al 927 Geary street; of Dun | ming coming home drunk and of her | efforts to sober him up. She said Mrs. | Seeley, Beverly Botkin, Cunning and | herself would come home from the races | and after getting on the outside of several bracers they would all lie on | the bed together and tell racy stories l
 
 top of chiffonier in the room and en- certain the others with dances. She | her intimacy with Dun ming and said the world may see sin | in those things but she did not. Her thoughts reverted to the murder and | she said that intimacy does not show | murder. She also said Cunning was | her affinity and to live with ones af- | fnity was only to be compared with life | on another planet.
 Tn turn she charged Mrs. Seeley, i Mrs. Arbogast and Mrs. Forcade with | the authorship of the anonymous let | ters.
 We left on the afternoon of August | + for Stockton. I was. to interview | her husband and was to do all in my | power to have him say the blame for their separation was all his. We went | to the, Imperial Hotel. where we met MT. Botlin. They asked to be left alone [ for few moments. l went outside. | and the transom being open, heard all | the conversation that passed Mrs. | Botl1in was excited and pleaded with | her husband. She said, You must say | the fault is yours; you must say this 1 to save my life. If you don't I will | hound you and that woman into the very gates of he'll The husband re- plied That will do; I don't want her brought into this case In the in-