The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-21
&TRANGE FOLK
OQUEER.' THINGS

the counter and helped himself to some
sweetmeats which stood in jars in the win
dow. He picked up and laid down a number
Of small objects which were exposed for
sale, and left the shop after a stay of three
or four minutes only. He. his aunt and his
cousin dined together at the chief hostelry
Of the town. Their object in meeting was to
arrange for him some new start in life, and
In the course of the discussion it was
settled that he should try his fortune in
Canals
Shortly after the close OF the meal Miss
wearman became unwell. The landlady of
the house, who knew her intimately, per-
suaded her to leave the coffee room. and
rest in a private apartment adjoining it.
The landlady prescribed a cup of tea and
went away to prepare it. Hargett, the elder
nephew, solicitously followed, saying that
he would carry the tea to his aunt with his
own hands. A strange meaning was after
ward given to this solicitude when it trans
PRED that William Hargett was seen to
| place the tray upon the landing whilst he
stood on the stair. to lift the lid of the tea
pot. to take a paper from his pocket and to
empty its contents in the form Of a white
powder into the tea He returned the paper
to the waistcoat pocket from which he had
taken it. and carried the tray into the cof-
fee room, where several visitors observed
and remarked upon his pallid and disturbed
appearance. He protested to be unwilling to
disturb his aunt by appearing before her
in so disordered a condition, and he re-
quested his cousin Wearman to carry the
tea into the next room.
The events which Immediately succeeded
may be summarized with great brevity.
Miss Wearman, having drunk the tea, de-
veloped alarming symptoms. The doctors
who were called to her found her enduring
intolerable agonies. The symptoms were of
a most battling character. The medical men
were both of opinion that the unfortunate
woman had-whether by accident or design
been poisoned, but they could decide upon
no toxic agent which would produce all the
symptoms they were called upon to dag
nose. Miss Wearman died at 4 o'clock on
the following morning. Hargett, who had
already been prevented by force from leav-
ing the house, was Immediately arrested.
TIL discriminating paper, with a powder
still clinging to 1t, was found upon him. He
had had countless opportunities of destroy
ing II, but with that amazing faulty which
so often characterizes the criminal mind he
had forgotten it. The man made a complete
clean breast of it before his trial. His aunt
had made a will dividing her property
equally between her two nephews. He was
being relentlessly pursued by one particu-
lar creditor, who seemed rather more anx-
| ious to ruin his debtor than to recover his
loan. He determined to sacrifice the old
lady 20 his own necessities.
The poison he had employed was home
made. and I do not specify or describe it.
because it can easily be prepared by any
body who knows the simple secret. TIL con-
fession of the murderer was so absolute
that it could have left nothing to be de-
sired. IL it had not been for the extraordi-
nary fact that whilst the poison Hargett
confessed to using had been directed
| against the action of the heart, and whilst
the action of such a drug was distinctly
traceable. a post-mortem revealed the most
appalling irritation Of the alimentary canal.
That was not produced by any preparation
from that simple wayside blossom of whose
properties Hargett had availed himself.
Up to a point the case was clear. Enough
of a certain deleterious drug had been ad-
ministered to cause death. William Har-
gett, on his own confession, had admins
tered 1t. TIL astonishingly diabolical nature
of the truth occurred to nobody until 1T oc-
Cured to Arthur Raby almost on the eve
of the trial. He went hopelessly on circuit,
or almost hopelessly, a polished. quiet, sad
hammered, courteous gentleman, for whom
nobody seemed to have any kind of value.
On the night before the opening of this
particular eventful assize, he net the two
doctors who were interested in the case,
and they talked the affair over with some
freedom. There was nothing to conceal,
and the whole story was related. He was
interested rather in Robert Wearman than
in William Hargett, and asked what the
doctors thought were idle questions about
him. He was an equal beneiciare under the
him. He was an equal beneficiary under the
1t was he who actually carried in the tea.
Why did he escape suspicion? In answer to
these suggestions and inquiries 1t turned
out that he had not entirely escaped. He
had, 1t appeared. been searched, and the
/ noticeable fact revealed was that the man
was literally destitute. He had nothing
whatsoever but the clothes he stood in,
save and except an acid drop, and a glass
marble such as children play with. Wear
man himself drew these from one of his
| pockets and held them out to show them
for what they were and threw them into
the fire with the remark that he had now
no more property than q homeless dog.
The briefiess barrister finished his whisky
| and soda and withdrew. He was absent
| perhaps an hour, and when he returned the
| medical men were still in the coffee room.
, Mr.. Raby was very grave and rather pale,
and his eyes were unusually bright. He
| made a request that the doctors would &C
| company him to his room, and in some
wonderment they complied will his desire.
Gentlemen" he said, "I am about to
complete your diagnosis of the case of Miss
| Sarah wearman, who came to her death in
| this house less than three months ago. You,
SIR" he continued. addressing the elder of
his listeners, II know to be a justice of the
peace. 1t will be my duty in a very few
minutes to lay before you a charge of muir
der against Robert Wearman."
They both broke out upon him. assuring
him in the most positive terms that Robert
Wearman could not by any possibility have
been implicated. He had come, so to speak,
naked from his prison. He had had no OPP
portunity of purchasing or procuring any
thing of a dangerous nature. and 1t had
been proved that he was not absent from
the coffee room more than two minutes at