The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-26
Any one else there?"

Any one else thereV
 "Yes"
 "Who?'
 Three or four children and Dr. Bart lett"
 What else took placer"
 "We asked to see a man who wa!
 sick. I spoke to Mrs. Rathbuu and go r no reply. I said to Dr. Bartlett, This man is dead Then Mrs. Rathbun said
 Yes he is dead.'"
 State-"Was she weeping?"
 No"
 Did she weep at all?"
 "No I asked her what was the cause of his death and she said she did not know. She said MT. Hart and her hus- band were taken sick on the train She said they drank coffee and came home sick. I asked her who made it and she said she did"
 The coroner then told of how the cof- fee was made and of the placing it on the stove in the dinner pail, etc.
 T asked her to give me some of the coffee that was used in making that which they drank. She gave 1t to me and I showed it to Dr. Bartlett. asked her if she used milk. She said
  asked her if she used sugar and she said yes. I asked her for some and she gave 1t to me. I gave it to Dr. Bartlett and he examined it. I asked her if it was put in a dinner pail and she said yes. The dinner pail was brought to me and I examined it. (IIere the pail on exhibition was identified as the one Hart owned.) She said that she threw the coffee that remained in the pail down the sink. She also said she had thoroughly washed the pail or the part of the pail that contained the coffee. l asked her about the sugar and she said she got it at Adams on State street, and later said she was not sure wheth- CT it was coffee from Adams or if it was some that her husband had brought from the caboose. She later said that she was pretty certain that it was the sugar than her husband brought I then asked her if the sugar was all gone and she said no, but that she used some for some wine she had made. She brought me some of the wine. I then asked her if MT. Rathbun I had vonlited since he was sick and she said yes, but that it was thrown away. She said he used a handkerchief that she could get She got the handkerchief | for me. I took that. then got from under the bed a vessel with some vomit in it.
 q then asked what caused her hus- bands death and she said again that she did not know. then said that I would have to make a post -mortem ex- animation as to the cause, and she said she would not consent to this. I told her that I would want to see her later and spoke to her about an undertaken. told her that no one should touch the body until I came again, and that I would see her later.
 "The next morning had conversa- ton with her. told her that would have to make an autopsy and she said that she didn't want to have me have one I told her that is was necessary"
 Attorney Williams-"Wa she in tears at that time?"
 NO, sir. told her would have the body taken to Lewis & Maycock's morgue, and she offered no objection then"
 Attorney Williams-"Was there any body in the house when you left the body there?"
 The coroner-"Two or three children" Here the coroner was asked to give an account of the examination of Mrs. Rathbun which took place in the police commissioners room.
 Here the full proceedings of the ex- animation were given. They were giv- en from notes of the coroner taken by a stenogra pher at the time, and told of the examining and cross examining by those in attendance.
 At 3:30 o'clock a recess was declared and three of Mrs. Rathbun's children, two girls and boy, came up to their mother and talked with her through the recess. The recess was about fifteen minutes in duration and Coroner Mix finished reading the testimony of the hearing in the commissioners room on December p. During the testimony Mrs. Rathbun's statement as to Hart's home life, and in fact, during most of | the time he had boarded with her, was introduced
 The testimony included the state- 1 ments of Mrs. Rathbun concerning the | making of the coffee, etc., and of all l the details that were said to have talk en place at the home of the Rathbuns | on the day proceeding. On Wednesday of the following week | after the examination in the commis- | sioners' office Mrs. Rathbun was exam ined again. The question of the life in- l surance was taken up in this examin- | ation The reading of this testimony l lasted until court adjourned at o'clock. | One of the most important points | brought out in Hart's testimony during | the morning session was that previous to going to his train that morning Rathbun and his wife had a whispered | in the bedroom. What it l was Hart did not hear. Afterward l when Hart told Rathbun that the coffee had something the matter with it Hart said Rathbun laughed, took his time about it and took a little sip of it. These matters were brought out by State Attorney Williams clearly and led to an impression at the time that the dead man had something to do with trying to cause the death of Hart.
 The question of conspiracy on the part of the husband was considered by the authorities when Investigating the case, and 1t is not improbable that they may make the claim that the dead man took more of the poisoned coffee than he meant to take.
 Hart's story of the making of the cof- fee by Mrs Rathbun of his illness on !