The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-29
FOR HER LIFE
Lawyer Knight Makes a Brilliant
Speech for Mrs. Botkin.
SUMMING UP THE CASE
Great Crowds Listen to the Arguments
OF the Attorneys for the Prosecution
and Dsfense-The Case Goes to
the Jury Tomorrow.

San Francisco. Dec. 2s.-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 prosecution.
Mr. White addressed the jury quietly
and proceeded to review the testimony
brought out during the trial. He called
attention to the chain of circumstantial
evidence against Mrs. Botkin, and said
that IL the jury believed the evidence
of the witnesses for the prosecution
Mrs. Botkin must be convicted of muir
der i'm the first degree. Mr.. White dwelt
upon the awfulness of the crime and the
unsuspecting. defenseless condition of
the victims. His argument lasted all
the morning and during its progress
Mrs. Botkin listened most attentively.
AS Mr.. White concluded she leaned her
head on her arms and seemed to be
greatly affected.
At the Afternoon session Attorney
! George A. knight made the principal ar
gument for the defense. MIR. knigats
| reputation as an orator and his ability
1 as "a GIlf1llDdf ldWNtI al NiltA
| nous crowd to the court room. Many
prominent attorneys were In attend
/ ance. i'm addition 10 many well-known
| citizens. Mr. knight talked for nearly
! three hours and endeavored to convince
| the Jury of the weakness of the prose-
cution's case. and the lack Of motive
for the committing Of such a crime by
| Mrs. Botkin. Mr.. Knight urged the
jury not to be Influenced by the outcry
| caused by the recent acquittal OF Wal
| ter Rosser, the Tennessee soldier, who
| murdered an inoffensive citizen of san
| Francisco. and referred To the Maybrick
and Dreyfus cases as instances of the
suffering of innocent people because OF
public opinion. Mr. Knight de-
physician who attended the pos
oned woman. and was most bitter In
his condemnation OF the methods Of the
San Francisco police. MIR. Dunning. the
husband of one t'f the murdered women
also came In for liberal share OF the
attorneys vitriolic sentences. Particu-
| lar attention was called to the fact tina.
Mrs. Botlxin. the alleged author OF the
anonymous letters 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
Botkin as the woman who purchased
| the WHICH WIS lOuuu
the box OF poisoned candy, was de
nounced as an untruthful and dissoluts
woman. The testimony of the cand,
| girls who identified Mrs. Botkin as tbs
woman who purchased the candy wal
also vigorously attacked by the lawyer
In speaking about the alleged pur
chase OF arsenic by Mrs. Botkin on Jun'
1, knight sought to show the improb
ability of her keeping the poison unit
July 81. when she purchased the candy
He did not, however, directly deny tn,
purchase of arsenic. Writing Exper
Ames. who came here from New Yori
and testified that Mrs. Botkin was tn
author OF the anonymous letters ant
also addressed the wrapper on tn
candy, was denounced az coming her
and testifying for the prosecution be
cause he was paid to testify that way
Mr.. Knight laid great stress upon tn
| fact that the arsenic found In tn
candy was In lump form. whereas Drug
gist Grey testified that Mrs. Botkin pur
. chased powdered arsenic. He contend
, | ed also that there was no legal proc
; that Mrs. Dunning had died Of arsenica
poisoning. An autopsy. he said. wa
necessary to prove the cause of death II
any poisoning case. Mr.. knight con
. tended that the prosecution had faile'
to show a motive on Mrs. Botkin's par
. for the commission of the crime. IL ha'
been shown during the trial that Mrs
Botkin had persistently refused TO allo,
her husband to procure a divorce an
this showed that she had no desire {
e marry Dunning. Mr.. knight close
r with a brilliant peroration. in which h
:. described Mrs. Botkin as an innocent
e prosecuted woman. and he urged tn
: jury TO exonerate her from the horribl
!. suspicion that had rested upon he
Z. through the Vaccinations Of the polic'
The case will go on tomorrow. whe
Z Attorney McGowan viii make an argu
z ment for the defense and District Al
torney Hosmer will close for the prose
cution. IL Is expected that the case wi
be given 10 the Jury Friday morning.