The Washington times., 1901-12-01

ing extraordinary in this. although the
doctors could not find out what caused
the generals death. But while he lay
dying, another gentleman was also
strangely and unaccountably prostrated
by sudden and violent Illness in the
same house and narrowly escaped death.
This was a Mr.. Van Ness. clerk in a
Baltimore bank. where Mrs. Wharton
I kept her account.
After the death of General Ketchum, his
waistCoat was missing and the note of
Mrs. Wharton for 81, 500 mas not been
found to this day. As not wholly uncon-
nected perhaps. with the death of the un-
fortunate army officer and the Illness of
Mr. Van Ness, the following curious facts
we're noted: That tartar emetic was said
to have been found by chemical analysis.
in the sediment of a tumbler OF milk
punch prepared for the deceased by Mrs.
Wharton: that twenty grains of the same
poison were said to have been discovered
by a post-mortem examination in the
stomach of the dead man; that fifteen
grains of the same poison were reported
to have been found in a tumhler of tcer
offered by the accused to Mr.. Van Ness,
but not drunk by him; that Mrs. Wharton
bought and was possessed of tartar enetic
during the week when these singular i'll
nesses occurred in her household.
The Plea of the Defence
At the trial the counsel for defence
made an effort to show that If the de-
ceased died from the administration OF
any noxious drug. it was from laudanum
with which he secretl.y dose! himself 1t
seemed that Mrs Wharton had before the
charge had been preferred against her.
sought in a quiet way to convey this
min tn n fpk nearly
in the deceased. The conversations in
which she had made remarks to this gen
eraI effect were repeated in the course
OF the testimony. The defence tried TO
show that the general had been in the
habit of dosing himself. but they made
poor work of il. The medical expert
testimony resulted in the usual farce,
some doctors affirming their discovery of
poison in the stomach of the dead man,
others again attributing death to natural
causes.
The newspaper reports of the trial
noted every movement. every expression
of the prisoner, even the II Of her gloves.
She sat inscrutable and impenetrabie
from the beginning of the long trial on
December 4. 1871. to its close. on January
q 1872 When all others were moved she
alone was immovable: when others grew
excited at some significant piece of evil
dence. she remained passive. She was an
example of absolute and calm composure.
In spite of the fact that the defence aid
not disprove one damning circumstance
that brought their client to the bar of
Justice the verdict was Not guilty
Love turned to vengeful hate has been
the cause of two prominent murder trials
in which women have figured as the ac-
cused. One of these cases, that of the
killing of AdonirAm j. Burroughs, clerk
in the Treasury Department. by Mary
Harris. is sJill well remembered by the
older residents of Washington. The
change in Miss Harris sentiments toward
Mr. Burroughs came about when the lat
ter Tilted her to marry another woman.
She came to Washington from Chicago,
on the morning OF January 80, 1865, hav-
ing thoughtfully provided herself with
pistcl in the former city. She put in her
time harmlessly enough in the National
Capital until O'Clock in the afternoon,
when she made her way to the Treasury
Building and took up her position behind
a huge bookcase in the north wing OF the
structure. and adjacent to the door
through which Burroughs must pass upon
his way out. She shot him twice in the
back, and he expired almost Instantly.
Her acquittuI and Mnrriage.
The defence was "paroxysmal insanity
from moral causes" The jury, after re-
manning out fifteen minutes, rendered
verdict of Not guilty. Miss harris soon
afterward became the wife of Joseph II.
Bradley. OF this city, one of the counsel
for defence.
Almost a parallel case to the preceding
was that of Mrs. Laura D. Fair, who shot
Mr. A 2. Crittenden. on board the steam
ferryboat FL Captain in the Bay Of San
Francisco. Her trial was begun in San
Z h. - dgzr of and
continued until the Goth of April, when it
was closed by the verdict Of Guilty of
murder in the first degree" The deceas-
ed. Mr.. Crittenden was a distinguished
lawyer, a daring specuiator. man of
cultivation and intellectual yigor, mem
hcr of the famous Kentucky family Of that
name. Counsel in describing him found
prose unequal to the emergency and
sought adequate expression in nearly two
pages of poetry quoted from Pollock's
Course of Time" But these astonishing
qualities did not prevent him, though
married man. from being caught in femi
nine tolls. Mrs. Fair was certainly not
more than tolerably good looking, but she
appears. in the language of Sam Weller,
To have made love very fierce
Mrs. Fairs amatory correspondence
with the deceased was much after the style
made known in that remarkable work
Love Letters of an Englishwoman."
Briefly stated the catastrophe came when
she saw her idol kiss hin wife; then she
shot him
Her defence at her trial was insanity
and her plea was excellent. The argu-
ments of counsel We're long and elaborate.
somewhat picturesque and high strung,
yet vigorous and striking Certain ex-
ceptions taken at this trial on behalf of
the defence having been sustained Sec
ond trial became necessary. This took
place at the close of the year and resulted
in an acquittal.
ORIGIN OF THANKSGIVING DAY