Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-20
DENIES POISONING STORY
Theory Of Defense is Suicide and
Attemptnd Murder.
THINK KUHN PUT POISON IN BEER
is Proven That Mrs. isuhn was not
Alone in the Buggy at What Cheer
When the Beer and Bologna Were
Purchased.

Sigourney, Dec. 18.-(Special.)-
The trial of Sarah Kuhn charged with
the murder of her husband ,Chas. Kuhn,
was resumed in district court yester-
day morning at 9 o'clock. The defend
ant was called to the witness stand.
She was cool and self-possessed as ev-
er. She answered the questions free
ly, and some of them very emphati-
cally. She told substantially the same
story that j. M. Adams testified that
she told at the coroner's inquest with
few corrections.
Theory of the Defense.
The theory of the defense seems to
be that Kuhn placed the poison in the
beer himself, for the purpose of kill
ing himself and her. Mrs. Kuhn stat
ed that after they had drunk the sec
ond bottle of beer Kuhn requested her
to sing his favorite song, which she
did. She also said .on cross-examina-
ton, that he seemed worried and de-
spondent for some time prior to Sep
TENDER 4, 1900.
The Testimony.
Mrs. Lortscher and Mrs. Butler, of
What Cheer, testified that they saw
Mrs. Kuhn leave the buggy near their
house the same night Kuhn died, and
in fifteen or twenty minutes Kuhn re-
turned with the buggy and Mrs. Kuhn
drove away with him.
Did She Do IT?
Alexander Mccullough, Don Fergu-
son and Michael Grimes, three young
What Cheer men, testified that they
saw Kuhn enter Genevas meat mar
ket the same night he died. One of
the witnesses testified that there was
nooneinthe buggy with Kuhn when he
sentered the place. This bit of testi-
mony proves that Mrs Kuhn was not
alone with the beer at any time, and
the circumstance will more than like
ly result in acquittal. The state has,
it is thought, failed to connect her
with the commission of the crime.
Mrs. Kuhn.
The defendant was placed on the
stand and said that when her husband
left her at the Northwestern depot she
got out of the buggy and he drove
away after the bologna instead of
waiting in the buggy as she first testi-
fed that she did.
Had Difficulty.
She admitted that she did testify at
tue coroner's inquest that she and her
husband had had no trouble and had
been happy togelner, but said yester-
day that that was not true, that they
had had some difficulty on the night
o. the 9Th of September, 1900. The
difficulty was caused from the fact
that her husband. Chas. Kuhn, was i'm
potent, that he went to Hi
ran Smith and got him to come over
to talk to her; that they fixed matters
up and she did not go away as she had
thought of doing, bur stayed there at
home with him.
Conversed With Smith.
She admitted having conversation
in the alley with Andy Smith as tes
titled to by Mrs. Moore and said she
was crying that day because her hus
band had refused to get her some
Smith Il can't stand it any longer
something must be done" that she
meant the pains in her stomach. She
said she went often to the house Of
Hiram Smith; that she did sewing fol
their family; that she always Went
thru the alley to their house. She
said she was sick the night of the 4tt
of September, 1900; that she felt like
vomiting all the time, but when she
tried to vomit her stomach seemed tc
draw up tight; that the bitter taste
from the second bottle of beer stayed
in her mouth until the next morning
aftcr she had something to eat; she
said that Kuhn reached back and got
the first bottle of beer from the back
of the buggy; that it was wrapped II
blue tissue paper; that he reached
down in front for the second bottle;
that it had no wrapper on it; that i
did not foam as the first bottle die
when uncorked and that it was very
bitter. That she knew nothing about
will being made until Kuhn himself
told her about it; that she knew whai
was in the will; that they had talked
about it.
Denied the Charge.
3 E,
She fatty denied ever having any
strychnine or poison of any kind ii
her possession, or having administer
ed any poison of any description tt
her husband, Chas. Kuhn.
Could Not Shake Her.
Severe discrimination failed tt
change her story in the least particu
lar but it brought out the fact tha
she had kept house for Andy Smitf
and other railroad men during tht
summer of 1899 somewhere in thu
northern part of the state. Tha
when she started up there she lief
What Cheer in company with And!
Smith. She refused to show to thu
jury the manner in which her hus
bands hand was deformed and deniec
that her husband ever accused her o
poisoning him,
Cross-Exarl1lnation
Mrs. Kuhn was cool and self-pos