The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-12-30
APPROACHING
AN END.
Lawyer MCGOWAN Attacks
Dunning and Mrs. Bot
kin Smiles With
Satisfaction.

70 tne pTeseub ou'loChi 'ho A"po " AA'S
Botkin will not rest In the hands Of tho
Jury before Wednesday Of next week. At
least another day will be required for
closing arguments. and US the court will
adjourn tomorrow until next Tuesday,
when there will be moro arguments and
the judges instructions to the jury, the
middle of the week will have arrived be-
fore decision Is reached.
There Is a wide difference of opinion as
to the possible verdict Of the jury. Court
room habi,nes who have watched the jury
from day to day seem to be Of tho opinion
that the verdict will he guilty. They be-
lieve that almost from tho out sos the faces
Of the jurors have indicated that they be-
lisve the prisoner murdered Mrs. .Dunning
and Mrs. DsaDe. The Wow that she is
guilty Is shared by almost everyone who
has had any connection with the case or
who has been present in court daily since
the opening of,the trial. Mrs Botkin's
fllppant manner has bscn against her. 1t
bears out too well the idea that one must
form of the woman who would DO guilty
OF crime such as is charged against her.
Ga the other hand, men versed in the
aw and experienced In matters connected
with murder trials believe Mrs. Botkln
will 60 free. They argue that although
the prosecution has made out n strong case
the evidence Is all ciroumstantial, and
there is very likely to be some juror or
several OF them probably, who will enter-
tain reasonable doubt as to Mrs Bot
kin's guilt
Mrs Botkin has OF appeared 80 conf
dent since the closing arguments began
Attol ney- General White, Of Delaware,
called her "a poor. degraded woman and
asked for ian eye for an eye and tooth
for tooth" and the life Of the California
woman to wipe away the death Of a wom-
an in Delaware Mr. Knight compared
his client to the woman Of biblical history
who were not so good as they might have
been. bcsought tie jury to forget her sins
and not to adjudge her n murderess be-
cause shs had been untrue to her marriage
VOWS. This caused Mrs. Botkin to shrink
and shudder
Lawyer MCGOWAN occupied tho whole
time to-day in reviewiug the testimony.
Taking up the question of motive he
sought to show that several other women
might have had the same motive as attri-
buted to Mrs. Botkin.
He dwclt at length upon the friendship
that Dunning had formed for other wom-
ON and made fierce attack upon Dun
ming The latter on tho witness stand
had insnuated that nine otber women had
fallen victims to his charms yet he refus-
ed to give their names when called upon.
Why. argued the counsel, IL Dunning were
willing to tell all about one defonccess
woman, tho defendant in tho case, should
he not have given at least the names of
he other miner Counsel argued that
among those nine might have been found
one, who had more motive to kill
Mrs. Cumming than had Mrs. Botkin.
Taking up the conflict of proof relative
to the sort of arsenic used, MCGOWAN In.
sisted that the whole case for the prosecu-
ton rested on tho testimony that the pol
sou was in tho pulverized form. Yet the
Delaware State chemist found lump arse.
mic in the candy and tho physicians said
the symptoms indicate that form because
the poison took some six hours to act. This
was confirmed by the testimony of Miss
Bishop who alto sore Of the candy and
found in i. several pieces Of some hard.
brittle substance that she spat out. Yet
the prosecution brought testimony to prove
that Mrs. Botkin made a purchase OF pull
yerizod arsonic some time before the pois.
oning, and the San Francisco chemist
found pulyerized arsenic In the candy. In
tho presence Of such conflict of proof, coun.
sell thoughts it absurd to argue tho guilt of
his client.
Iti expected that the case will 60 to the
| Jury tomorrow afternoon The closing
| argument for tho pro ecution will BIO made
| tomorrow morning.
| When Mr.. White had flushed with her
she burst into convulsion Of weeping,
and 1t was some time before her sister
could comfort her or bind thicker veil
| over her red, swollen face. When tho do
| putty sheriff who Is her constant escort
came to take her away at the noon recess
he had all he could do to get her down
stairs, so weak and fninting was her con-
dltion. The staff Of her pride had failed
her. and Mrs. Botkin had broken down OF
last.
BY the time Ihe jury brings in Its vcr-
dict tits the general opinion that she will
DO OH the verge ola collapse. Her nerves
are almost exhausted.
Mrs. Botkn smiled with satisfaction at
McGowan's attack upon Dunning At his
most bitter phrases she nodded her head
with approval