The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-17
A SaleswOman Positively Iden
titles the Handkerchief
SENT MISS DUNNING,
And SWears She Sold 1t to the
Accused POisoner.
Other Witnesses Identify the
Writing as Hers.
Defendants Remarkable Inter
est in POisons Brought Out.

san Francisco Gala, Dec 1.-THE de-
Tense in the BotIziu murder trial today
received the worst set back it has ex-
perience since the case opened The
evidence OF two of the witnesses exam
5ned today was of such 4 convincing
nature that the chagrin caused by It's
Introduction was plainly written upon
the faces Of the accused woman and her
counsel The evidence clearly showed
that Mrs. Botkin wrote the anonymous
letters sent to Mrs. Dunning from this
city apprts5ng Mrs. Dunning of the al
legged misconduct Of her husband and
informing the dead woman that she had
grounds for commencing a suit for d.
vorce; the handkerchief which was en-
closed IN the box Of poisoned candy was
proven to have been purchased in this
city by Mrs. Botkin, another link IN the
chain of the prosecution
The first important witness was Mrs.
Grace Harris who was employed in the
City OF Paris dry goods store during
Nav and June of this year. Mrs Har-
ris told of the purchase Of the hand
kerchiaf and Identified the article Whlch
she sold and stated positively that Mrs
Botkin was the purchaser She was
certain OF the IDENTITY or the WOMAN
for the reason that Mrs BOtkin SO re-
seEbIed Mrs. Harris own mother that
the similarity caused her TO wonder.
cause it bore q price mark which sne
herself had stamped upon the article
Cr0ss-exa miuatiOu rather strengthened
her evidence than otherwise as II
brought out the fact that Mrs Harris
took Mrs. Botkin's address which the
purchaser gave as the Victoria hotel.
where she resided Up to the tine OF her
arrest
Mrs RoufT. an aged woman. and
resident OF Stockton, Gala. told Of her
acquaintance with the plaintiff, which
was that Of an Intimate she also knew
Dunuing very well Mrs ROun said that
on one occasion when she called on Mrs
Botkin at her rooms the defendant
showed her a handkerchief, asking her
# it was not a beautiful one for the
price Mrs. ROuff recognized the hand
lxerchief sent to Mrs Dunnings daugh-
ter as being exactly like the one Mrs.
BOtkin showed her. The witness then
Identified Mrs Rotkfn's handwriting IN
the anonymous letter sent to Mrs Dun
ming Mrs. Rouf was familiar with
Mrs. B0tkin'S writing and pointed out
its DecuIiaritieS. When shown the note
which was enclosed in the box Of candy,
Mrs ROuR stated that she believed IL TO
have been written by Mrs BOtkin- She
discussed the samples Of writing shown
her with the aDtllry OF an expert she
recognized the language of the letters
as being that of Mrs. BOtkin also. Wit
ness then told OF a conversation she had
with the defendant on the different
poisons and their qualification for kill
kng mice Later Mrs BOtkin was taken
sick and while under treatment dis
cussed poisons with her physicians. She
thought the action Of stryChniue was
too harsh and spoke of arsenic as being
mild IN its action and seemed well in
formed upon its other symptoms She
told of another visit to her Stockton
home It was made shortly after the
preparation Of the crime Mrs. Bot
kin was greatly excited and talked
about pOisOus, anonymous letters and
made other remarks that puzzled Mrs.
RouH On one occasion Mrs. Botkin
talked to the witness about bleaching
hats and remarked that she had heard
that arsenic was used for that purpose
Defendant became agitated when in
formed by Mrs ROuf that she would
have TO give her name when she pI1r-
chased the poison
Upon cross-examiuation Mrs. RouT
fntimated that she thought Mrs. Bot
kin's illness at the time she asked 50
many questions of the doctors about
p0iscns was q sham She stated that
at the time Mrs. BOtkin visited her af-
ter the crime had been committed she
felt certain of Mrs. Botkin's guilt in
the matter but explained her sympathy
for her and her care Of her during the
brief illness as being fmpeIIed by a
Christian spirit Several other wit
nesses were called but nothing Of great
Importance was brought out
The court then adjourned until Mon
day