The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-29
Witnesses For Prosecution Roasted
BY Her Attorney.
SOME PAID FOR LYING
DEFENDANT AN INNOCENT AND
PROSECUTED WOMAN.
George a. Knights Argument For
the Defense Attracted a. Large
Crowd to the Court-room-Dun-
ming Was Denounced, Along With
the 0thers-Absence of Motive.

San Francisco. Dee. 28-This was the
most interesting day in the Botkin case
since the trial of the woman for the
murder of Mrs Dunning commenced.
The proceedings opened this morning
with an argument by Attorney General
White of Delaware, for the prosecu-
! ton Mr.. White addressed the jury
quietly, and proceeded 10 review the
! testimony brought out during the trial.
He called attention to the chain OF cir
| cumstantial evidence against Mrs. Bot
! kin, and said if the jury believed the
! evidence of the witnesses for the
! prosecution, Mrs. Botkin must be con-
victed of murder in the first degree.
Mr.. White dwelt upon the awfulness
! of the crime, and the unsuspecting, de-
! fenseless condition of the victims. His
( argument lasted all the morning, and
during it's progress Mrs. Botkin listened
/ most attentiVely AS Mr.. White con-
! cluded she leaned her head on her arms
] and seemed to be greatly affected.
! At the afternoon session Attorney
! George A. Knight made the principal
argument for the defense. Mr.. Knights
/ reputation as an orator and ability as
a criminal lawyer attracted an enor-
nous crowd to the court room. Many
prominent attorneys were in attend
ance, in addition to many well known
citizens.
Mr.. Knight talked for nearly three
hours, and endeavored to convince the
/ jury of the weakness of the prosecu-
tons case, and the lack of motive for
the committing of such a crime by
Mrs. Botl1in. Mr. Knight urged the
jury not to be influenced by the cutlery
/ caused by the recent acquittal of Wal
ter Rosser, the Tennessee soldier who
/ ri of San
Francisco, and referred to the May
brick and Dreyfus cases as instances
! of the suffering of innocent people be-
cause of public opinion.
CUNNING ROASTED.
Mr. Knight denounced DIR. Bishop,
the Dover physician who attended the
poisoned woman, and was most bitter
in his condemnation of the methods of
the San Francisco police. Mr.. Dun
ming, the husband OF one of the muir
dered women, also came in for a. lib
eral share of the attorneys vitriolic
sentences. Particular attention was
called to the fact that Mrs. Botkin the
alleged author of the anonymous let
tiers that were mailed in San Francisco
in June, was in Eureka, Cal, all of
that month, and could not possibly
have mailed the letters here. Mrs.
Grace Harris, who identified Mrs. Bot
kin as the woman who purchased the
handkerchief which was found in the
box of poisoned candy, was denounced
as an untruthful and dissolute woman.
The testimony of the candy girls who
identified Mrs. Botkin as the woman
who purchased the candy, was also
vigorously attacked by the lawyer.
In speaking about the alleged pur-
chase of arsenic by Mrs. Botkin on
June 1, Knight sought to show the i'm
49,
until July 81, when she purchased the
candy. He did not. however, directly
deny the purchase of arsenic. Writing
Expert AIneS who came here from New
York and testified that Mrs. Botkin
was the author OF the anonymous let
tiers, and also addressed the wrapper
on the candy, was denounced as COM
ing here and testifying for the prose-
cutiOn because he was paid to testify
that WY.
FORM OF THE ARSENIC.
Mr.. Knight laid great stress upon
the fact that the arsenic found in the
candy was in lump form, whereas
Druggist Grey testified that Mrs. Bot
kin purchased powdered arsenic. He
contended also that there was no legal
proof that Mrs. Dunning had died Of
aTsenical poisoning. An autopsy, he
said, was necessary to prove the cause
of death in any poisoning case.
Mr.. Knight contended that the prose-
cution had failed to show motive on
RS. Botl1in's part for the commission
of the crime. 1t had been Shown AR
ing the trial that Mrs. Botkin had per-
sistently refused to allow her husband
to procure a divorce, and this showed
that she had no desire to marry Mr..
Dunning.
Mr.. Knight closed with brilliant pc
roration, in which he described Mrs.
Botl1in as an innocent, prosecuted
woman, and he urged the jury to ex-
onerate her from the horrible suspicion
that had rested upon her through the
Vaccinations of the police.
The case viii go on tomorrow. when
Attorney MCGOWAN viii make an ar
gument for the defense. and District
Attorney Hosmer Will close for the
prosecution. It is expected that the
case will be given to the jury Friday
morning.
NnnnTNI,C 9 NT-rTANn q prYT-TEr