The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-04
VERDICT IN RATHBUN CASE
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 gether. The whole family had been on
 very friendly terms with Hart, and up to last December everything was ap- parently of very happy nature In the
 Rathbun house. On the morning of December 21 the two men started off as usual and when they reached their train they took out their breakfast and start ed to eat it. Hart drank some coffee and he said it tasted bitter file gave his pail to Rathbun who took a big swallow of the coffee and also said it tasted funny. When the men got to North Haven both were taken violently sick, and Hart came home on the next train. Rathbun went on to Walling- ford, but was afterwards obliged to come to New Haven. he was so i'll. When they reached their home on Chestnut street both were violently sick and a doctor was called. He saw their condition and immediately sent for the hospital ambulance. Before the ambu lance reached the house Rathbun died and Hart was growing worse He was taken to the hospital where he even- tually recovered An autopsy showed poison--arsenic-in Rathbun's stomach and an investigation was begun by the medical examiner and the police. It was found out that Mrs. Rathbun pur- chased rough on rats in Hull's drug store on the day before the poisoning, and on this clue the state worked their case. It was proven by the trial that Mrs Rathbun put poison in Hart's cof- fee in an attempt to kill him, and that Rathbun partook of the coffee and died from the effects.
 Mrs Rathbun wanted to get rid of Hart because he had stopped intimate relations with her which he had been carrying on for the past six or seven years. She was insaney jealous of him because he had left her for other wo- men. This was her motive, the state claimed. The case of the defense was very brief and no expert testimony was introduced by them. Less than ten wit nesses appeared for the defense and the testimony in each case, with the exec D. tion of that of Nellie Rathbun, was very short. The state attempted to prove the opportunity and motive for the murder as being that of Mrs. Rathbun, and the defense met this with an at tempt to prove that William Rathbun was the opportunity and that his wife was the innocent tool she being the | one that bought the poison. The state supplied a motive for Mrs. Rathbun in her intimacy with Hart, and the sub sequent deflection of him toward other 1 women, a state of affairs calculated to produce jealousy. Against this the de- fense offered the motive of revenge on | the part of Rathbun created by the dis covery of the long-standing relation be- tween his wife and Hart. Other things 1 that have been offered in connection ! with the case by the state have been l met by the defense, and all these were ably brought out in the eloquent and strong arguments by both sides. Judge ! Blydenbtrgh and Sanford P. Martin were Mrs. Rathbun's attorneys, and State Attorney Williams was assisted by Attorney Wheeler in behalf of the state.
 MT. Williams argument yesterday lasted about two hours and it was | most powerful one. He concluded his appeal shortly before 2 o'clock and at 2. .45 court came in for the afternoon ses- sion.
 The arguments of Judge Blydenburgn were made at the opening of court yes terday morning.
 In delivering the charge to the jury Judge Elmer took about three quarters of an hour, beginning the charge at