The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-13
THE TRIAL OF MRS.BOTKIN
It Opens in Earnest in the San
Francisco Courts.
RECEIPT OF THE CANDY
Witnesses Tell OF the Opening OF the
Box OF Poisoned Sweets They
Ate OF 1t and Were III
for Days.

San Francisco. Dec. 12.-The trial OF
Mrs. Cordelia Botkin. for the murder OF
Mrs. John p. Dunning of Dover. Del.
and who is also accused Of being re-
sponslble for the death of Mrs. Dun
ning's sister. Mrs. Joshua Deane. com
menced in real earnest to-day. The wit
nesses were all on hand and the jury
announced itself as being ready to
hear testimony. The proceedings were
set In motion by h attorney for the
defense. MIR. knight, requesting
h exclusion from the court room CT
all witnesses. Judge Cook granted the
request. Attorney General White or
Delaware and Chief of Police Lees OF
this city being excepted in the order.
The first witness called was the post
master of Dover, Del, Thomas NJ.
Gooden. He testified h on Aug. 9 a
package was received at the postofice
at Dover addressed To Mrs. John F..
Dunning. He described the package
minutely. and when shown a piece of
manila paper with the address written
upon It. Identified il as the
paper in which was inclos-
ed the box received by Mrs.
Dunning. Mr.. Gooden was positive in
his Identification because. as he cx-
planned to the attorneys for the de-
Tense. he had handled the package three
times and that he himself placed IL In
the postofice box subscribed for by the
Pennington family.
Harry G.. Pennington. the 13-year-old
grandson of the Hon. John c. Penning-
ton, testified TO taking the box from
the postofice o n identified the
wrapper and the address. He told OF
the opening of the box by Mrs. Dun
ming and the finding of the little hand
kerchief on the top of the candy. He
told OF the passing around OF the candy
to the gathered relatives and friends.
The witness told how, on biting into a
piece OF candy, Mrs. Pennington spat
it out. He explained the illness OF
himself. Mrs. Dunning and Mrs. Deane
and the death of the ladies.
Miss Lila Deane. daughter of Mrs.
Deane and niece of Mrs. Dunning. ave
practically the same testimony as tire
preceding witness.
Miss Josephine Rateman, one OF the
group who partook of the candy on the
9th of August, testified that some for
eign substance in the candy caused her
to remove the offending particles. 4
piece of some hard white substance
lodged on one of her gums. necessitat-
ing the use of her finger to remove 1t.
The day following her gums and lips
were liberated. The Jumps resembled
rock salt. Miss Bateman told of her
illness following the eating of the can
dy. but they were rather insignificant
compared with the su%fferings of 9TH
ers.
Miss Ethel Millington testified to cat
ing some OF the candy and to feeling
slightly III for several days afterwards.
Ia stated that Mrs. Dunning handed
her the wrapper, asking her to try to
decipher the postmark, but she could
not.
J. y. Deane stated that he was awak-
ened in the middle of the night by
the agoniz'ng cries of his wife. He told
Of her suffering; her refusal to let him
call her physician at that hour: the ar
rival of the doctor in the morning n
his ministration and her final convul-
sions and the death which followed.
John Pennington, father OF Mrs. Dun
ming and Mrs. Deane, was the last wit
ness to-day and he had not finished
his testimony when the court adjourn
ed. His testimony up to the time Of ad-
journment had little bearing upon he
case. referring merely TO family af-
fairs.