The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-09
How SusoiciOn As To a
Double Murder Was
Fastened on Her.
Mr.. COOPER is CONFIDENT.
Polite and Detectives Are
Unravelling Thread
After Thread to
Weave q Net of
ClRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE,

| Wilmington, Del, Sept s.-"We will
have Mrs. Botkin in Delaware within q
short time and VIC expect that she will be
convicted by jury in Kent county"
said Deputy Attorney General Peter l..
Cooper, Jr., of this city. in discussing one
Of the most peculiar crimes in the history
OF Delaware--the poisoning Of Mrs. j. ID.
Deane and Mrs. ]. 2. Dunning, daughters
Of ex-Congressman j. B. Pennington Of
Dover,
The authorities here feel that no efforts
on the part of Mrs Botkin's attorneys
can prevent her extradilion to this State.
The grand jury Of Kent county is pre-.
pairing to indict hor for murder in Tho
first degree, whether she Is brought here
or not. Tho authorities say that never has
a stronger chain Of citcumstan,ial evil
denCe been forged about an accused per-
son.
| 1t was OH the evening Of August 9 that
title Harry Pennington, II grandchild Of
ex- Congressman Pennington. brought
from the Dover postotficc dainty tox Of
chocolate bonbons addressed to Mrs. Dun.
ming, who for several years had been liv-
ing with her father. Mrs DunniLg was
| '"'p'''eu anu p'o"se. ~ feco'vins 'h' gnu
anu p"f'y u ii'enus was call IN 70 neip
enjoy the candy The members Of the
Pennington household gathered on the
front porch, and with them were Miss
o's0A,Ao o"vom"n' Miso hui'n N'iiilne-
| soA o." h'o' iAui'n ci"tA' 'oRo'hor WIN
nfs' DuunLne' ner ''e''e o"ughter' MIS-
Doane anu Harry reh'us'ou'
ihere was no suspicloh that the oahdy
was hoo all rlght' out one OF the iaaies' al
'cr 'aseing IL sad she was ho' pleased
WIN IL ana thas the "hiidreh hso Det'er
not eat any oft. Miss Baleman remarked
'hat she ala hot caro- tor any OF the Don
bons. AS sho was ealing one OF them
bit OF hard substance lodged In her TOOTH
1t made her mouth sore. This afterward
proved to be enough arsenic to kill two
persons.
Following tho eating of the candy Mrs.
Dunning and Mrs Deane became very
sick. Drs. Bishop and Downs diagnosed
the cases as arSsnical poisoning. They
died in agony.
Then it began to dawn upon the people
OF Dover that an awful crime had been
committed. Mr.. Penington's suspicion
were at once aroused. He declared that
his daughters had been poisoned by
''she devil"
The authorities began an investigation.
Carefully folded In the box Of candy was
cambria handkerchief, handsomely EN-.
broidered, but with peculiar price.mark
on one corner III the box was also note
consisting OF these words: with loye to
yourself and baby. Mrs. c."
AT the time OF opening the box Mrs.
Dunnlng had remarked that the only
'hrs " sne Knew was resident OF
san Francisco who is now In Maine. an
examination was made OF the postmark
on the pox. Although indistinct, San
FRANCISCO was MADE OUT with the aid OF
microscope.
10 strengthen the murder theory 1t was
hoticed that the box mad been sent from
San francisco as hrst-clnss mail matterto
prevent tamperlng With 1T during its pas-
sage.
BIS OF the candy that had remained In
the box uneaten were given to State
Chemist WOLF, OF Delaware College, who
discovered thas there was enough arsenic
III Two pieces OF Tito Kill four persons.
He 80 testified at the Inquest on August
II. The next day Governor Tunnel Of
fered reward OF $1,000 for the arrest and
conv'rtion of the murderer, and since that
time Vao san Francisco authorities havo
been working on the case.
An Investigation OF the life Of John P.
Dunning, husband of one of tho murdered
women, was begun and 1t was found hat
he had been living In the same house with
Mrs. Cordclia Botkin in Stockton, Cal.
Mrs. Botkin gave several interviews, tell.
ing of Dunning's intimate relations with
her, and from that time on the authorities
watched her.
Ex.Congressman Pennington said Mrs.
Dunning had been receiving anonymous
letters from woman In San Francisco.
i
lations with other women and were de.
sigued evidently to make trouble between
Dunning and his wife.
Mrs Dunning had come East to live with
her father when her husband lost his po-
sition in San Francisco. At the time Of
the poisoning Mr.. Duuning was In = orto
Rico Ho returned, had con suit alton
with Attorney General White and tho de-
ectives, freely admitted his elations with
Mrs. Botkin and SAL he had written to
her while in Porto Rico. lie hs.d also re.
ceyed letters from tho woman couched in
loving terms
Dunnlnr admitted that the handwrjt-
ing of the anonymous letters which had
been sent to his wifo was probably that of
Mrs Botkin. He mado an affidavit ac-
rusinp tho woman,