The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-14
ON TRIAL FOR POISONING.
YOUNG WIFE CHARGED WITH MUIR
DER OF HER HUSBAND.


Year-OId Youth Involved i'm the
Matter a Bottle Containing n
Small Quantity of Poison Found.
Columbia, S. c.. April 13.-The trial of
Mrs. Belle Graddick for poisoning her
husband in this city last February is at
tracing the greatest interest Poison cases
in the South are rare. and no one re
members a white woman having been
charged with that crime in this state.
Mrs Graddick is about 81 years old,
fair complexion, golden-brown hair, and
has a pleasant face. Her husband was a
year her senior. The man in the case,
VIII Dawkins, is IS years old. and until
run away by Graddick, worked in his gro
Gerry store in this city. He was first ar
rested as an accessory. but was later dis
charged as there was no evidence
against him.
Mrs Graddick sat in the dock to-day
and constantly looked around the court
room with an expression of interest She
sometimes held her two-year-old child in
her lap that played with a handkerchief,
patted her cheek and smiled at the jurors
sitting near. Mrs Graddick's mother sat
by her side and wept continually.
Graddick was sick about a week before
he died He would become alarmingly i'll
and then. while under the eye of the doc
tor would improve. This continued until
Feb Is, when he died Then there were
suspicious of poisoning and a post NOR
TEN was held, followed by the finding of
arsenic in large quantities in the stom-
ach
Then a negro cook told John Moore
where to look for a bottle that Mrs.
Graddick had used in preparing her hus-
bands coffee. 1t was found between the
bricks of the chimney and mantepiece
snd had a few drops Of liquid remaining
in the bottom. This was given by the cor
oner to the chemist who found that the
same solution OF arsenic found in the
stomach was contained in the bottle
The states Case.
The state did NOT get down to real dam
aging testimony till Matte Fisher who
Rad been a cook for the Graddicks. was
put on the stand. The family consisted,
she said, of Mr. and Mrs. Graddck. their
little child. and Ed. Dawkins, who attend
ed to Graddick's store-that was before
Dawkins was discharged Graddick was
sick a little more than a week before he
died. Mrs. Graddick and Tommy Moore
"a colored boy, waited on him. The Sun
day before Graddick died, witness pro
pared breakfast as usual. Mrs. Graddici<
told her to put her husbands coffee bowl
on the the side table. While witness was
dlshing up the hominy. Mrs. Graddick
stopped over, picked up a bottle and shook
it 1t made a white foam. She poured
some into Graddick's coffee; none in her
own. Graddick took two or three swal-
lows of the coffee and said: What IS
the matter with this coffee" Mrs. Grad
dick replied that she was not to blame; II
came from his store She then tasted
her own and said it was bad. Witness
had repee ed this TO several persons, and
she had asked Mrs. Graddick why she
put that stuff in the coffee. She replied
that It was to keep him from drinking.
She claimed TO have paid Ella Taylor, Ga
negro herb DOCTOR, SIS for It. Dawkins
was run off from the place two weeks be-
fore Graddick died. Mrs. Graddick said
she was sorry for the poor boy who had
nowhere to go, and that her husband had
no business to drive him away. Graddick
was away from home nearly all day and
witness had seen Dawkins and Mrs Grad
dick together. They were often alone
tcge her
Mrs Graddick had declared when wit
ness first saw the bottle that if witness
fhould say. anything about IT, she (Mrs.
Graodick). would make Dawkins kill wit
ness Mrs. Graddick had never said any
sning to witness about her husband They
had one fight over q handkerchief.
Had the Court Cleared.
Matte Fisher, recalled this afternoon,
said she could not tell more to the con
Rregat.on." as the colored people had told
ner she mad no business mixing in
white peoples affairs.
The Judge had the court cleared of wo-
men and boys when the woman gave tes-
timony as to the faithlessness of Mrs
Gracdick 10 her husband, naming young
Dawkins as the man favored witness
said defendants counsel had attempted
to intimidate her
Lawyer Clarkson endeavored to throw
suspicion on Dawkins by saying the pois-
on bottle had come from a Camden drug
store. and Dawkins had a railroad run
to Camden.
Emma Thomas an old negro, had been
asked by Mrs. Graddick what she could
give Graddick TO put him 10 sleep so he
would not wake up. Witness had re-
buked the young woman. The state rest
ed here.
Mrs. Graddick was really the only wit
ness for the defendant who had ANYTHING
of special interest TO say. She threw sus-
picion on Dawkins intimating he was the
only one who had any interest in getting
her husband out of the way. Mrs. Grad
dick said she was % and had been mar
ried seven years Graddick had been
sick with grip. and when he got up he
went hunting. Then he had a relapse and
she told him he had only himself to
blame.
II he died Of poison she had no suspic-
Ions except as to Dawkins, who she knew
had threatened Graddicks life She saw
him with bottle, and in reply to a ques-
ton as to what II was. Dawkins had an
swered. ITS none of your business" She
denied the story of Matte Fisher: said
she supposed the woman had testified
against her because she was afraid of
Dawkins. and they seemed pretty thick -
She knew nothing about any rivalry be-
tween her husband and Dawkins except
about money
In reply to a question as to whether the
rivalry was not about herself she said
mo Stree"
The case was given to the jury at {
O'clock
ANOTHER RECEIVER ASKED.