The sun., 1898-12-26
CASE AGAINST MRS. B0TK|N
The Damaging Testimony Of the
Prosecution in the Fa.
nous Trial.
THE REASON FOR TIE DEED
Belief That the Alleged Murderess De-
cided to Do Away With Mrs. John
p. Dunning Because Her
Lovers Affection Was
Waning.
The REASON FOR TIE DEED

SAN Francisco, Dec. 25.-The trial o
Cordelia Botkin in San Francisco on {
charge of numbering Mrs. Dunning and
Mrs. Deane, continents width away
from her, stands out grewsomely, ye1
grotesquelv, in the annals of crime. The
woman and John P. Dunning are now
facing each other in the San Froncisct
court. If Mrs. Botkin did, as they seel
to prove, buy the candy and the arsenic
and send death in this disguise into the
quiet Delaware home, it was for love O.
Dunning.
Dunning has set aside all considera
tions OF himself. He went to Californis
voluntarily and confessed his relations
with the woman on trial; told what hi
had done and she had said; revealed the
whole stormy history of their relations
and showed why he was sure she haC
murdered his wife because she thought
that Mrs. Dunning once dead, she, Mrs
Botkin, would take her place.
Mrs. Botkin's lawyer has not spared
the self.accusing widower. He has dug
up every questionable action OF Dun
ning's life and confronted him with it
Prompted by her, the lawyers demanded
from Dunning on the witness stane
the names of other women with whom
he had gone the wild pace, and Dun
ming, refusing to tell, was committed
for contempt of Court. He was later re-
leased.
1t is wonderful story, this tragic
romance, wherein the woman was in
and the man meant nothing al
all.
So far they have proved that the pack.
age of candy that killed Mrs. Dunnine
was addressed in Mrs. Botkin's hand.
writing; that she bought just such a box
of candy in San Francisco; that she
bought arsenic, and though the evidence
on this is not positive, that she mailed
the death box to Mrs. Dunning, with a
note enclosed that was meant to insure
the removal, not only of the wife, but
of the baby daughter as we'll, from the
way of Cordelia Botkin, who loved John
Dunning.
All in all, there has probably never
been such trial as this.
Points in the evidence against Mrs.
Botkin are as follows:
Motive, love for John P. Dunning.
Jealousy of his wife, to whom he
was about to return.
3-Confessed familiarity with pto-
maines, poisons and candy making.
4-Identification by Gattrell, the man
who sold her box of chocolates in
Stockton, Cal.
5-Identitication by Tennessee as the
woman who mailed box at Station d,
San Francisco.
6-Similarity between handwriting in
Mrs. Botkin's letters to Dunning and
note found in box of poisoned candy.
7--Mrs. BDtkin's admission that she
was in Stockton, CAL, on date on which
iattrel sold the candy.
S-Mrs. Botkins statement that she
was in San Francisco on August 1, the
date of the postmark on box.
9-Dunnings identification of the
writing on the box of candy, his state
ment to the Delaware officials that he
knew the person who poisoned his wife,
and Mrs. Bptkin's immediate arrest.
The trial of Mrs. Botkin during which
the shameful relations which had ex-
listed between the accused woman and
John p. Dunning were aired in all their
criminal details, is now nearing close.
The testimony of Dnnning was revolving
in that he confessed the gross negligence
of loving and trusting wife through the
fascination of woman The history of
whose life must bring the blush to the
yirtuoUs woman who may chance to
read the story.
In her story of her relations with Dun
ming Mrs. Botkin assumed an air of in
jured innocence, attempting to show,
that, while they were intimate, she lad
his welfare at heart and had tried to in
duce him to return to his wife.
The facts which developed upon in.
vestigation into the relations between
Dunning and Mrs. Botkin pointed to hel
as the one woman who could have rea'
son for wishing to take Mrs. Dunning' e
lite.
These facts showed that Mrs. Botkir
was in love with Dunnlng and despair
ingly jealous OF the wife. She had met
Dunning by chance while he was at the
head Of press bureau in San Francisco
At the lime they became acquainted
Mrs. Dunning was living with her hus
band. A little later she left Dunnin!
and Went to her father at Dover, Del.
From that time on the intimacy be
tween Mrs. Botkln and Dunning begal
to grow very rapidly. Dunning callet
frequently, accompanied Mrs. Botkin t.
the races, spent many social evenings a
cards and wine with her, and finall,
moved into the same house.
Mrs. Botkin had been separated iron
her husband for years, and being hear
free che grew to love Dunning. Dun
ming, on the other hand, never ceased t.
profess his love for the wife and chile
in the East. 1t is easy to understand
the jealousy that grew within Mrs. Bot
kin.
But she concealed it well. She SCENE,
to be the best friend "Jack" Dunnin
han on earth. When he became tangle
in financial affairs she was there to com
fort him. When he drank heavily t
drown his worry and troubles, she wa
ready and willing to do all she could fo
him. When be feared his financial mis-
fortunes would Involve his family i
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