The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-28

Omaha, Neb., Dec. 27.-General L. W.
Colby, formerly Adjutant General of Ne
braska, and at one time Assistant Attor-
ney General OF the United States, who was
indicted by the Federal Grand Jury a few
days ago on the charge of embezZiing APP
proximately 5000 Of Government funds, is
well known in the West as a criminal
lawyer. Many stories are told illustrative
of his extraordinary nerve. He is now
assisting in the prosecution of the famous
Dewey murder case in Western Kansas.
Years ago General Colby was engaged
in defending an old man named Morse.
charged with the murder OF his young
wife. The prosecution had pretty conclu-
sive evidence that the woman had been
poisoned with strychnine. Her body had
been disinterred the stomach removed and
the contents of the stomach subjected to
analysis by the State Chemist.
DRANK POISON.
A solution Of the poison was one of the
exhibits offered by the prosecution at the
trial Of the case. 1t was in small vial
and General Colby asked the chemist If
the quantity of the poison held in the
solution ON exhibition was sufficient to kill
one who drank it. The chemist ans Eered
that the quantity in the vial was sufficient
to kill two or three. men. Colby there
upon deliberately picked up the vial,
emptied half its contents into glass of
water and then, addressing the Jury, re-
marked that If the poison had killed Mrs
Morse It certainly would kill him. He
dral1n the poison and asked the jury to
observe the effect of it upon MINI
The courtroom was crowded and every
body expected momentarily to see the law
signs of illness, and went on with the
trial of the case as If nothing unusual had
happened:
Colby did not even become sick from the
effects of drinking the poison. nor did his
trick save his client. Morse was con-
victed. Later, however, he obtained a new
trial and died before his case came up
for rehearing.
COLBY TELLS STORY.
General Colby was asked the other. day
to tell the story of the poison, and he
said:
81 was hard pressed for grounds of de-
Tense. when like a fash the idea of drink
promptly acted upon 1t. l was determined
to drink it even IL it should kill me. I
confess 1 did it in a spirit Of despera-
deliberate judgment. l must own, too,
that I would gladly have given every
thing possessed in the world five min
my foolish act. faced the jury:
Gentlemen 1 said. and I thought
could detect +remor in my voice. gentle
men, if one drop of that liquid they call
poison killed Mrs. Morse, then certainly
you must agree with me that the quanti-
ty 1 have here will kill me. But, gentle
men, If it does not kill me, then what
must you conclude? What must you con-
clude but that it is not poison at alp
IT turned the bottle to my lips. let
a drop of the stuff touch them. l thought
I could feel my whole body culver. 1
turned as cold as death. I do not know
whether the jury noticed it or not. but my
eyes began to swim. Whether 1t was due
to the intense excitement under which I
labored, or to the actual effects of the
poison. 7 do not know. had heard ply
sicians say that while a drop of poison
would kill man O. pint might not. It
was because had heard this that con-
trived to summon sufficient courage to
empty the glass Containing the strychuine
to the dregs.
when discovered that was not go
ing to die was convinced that what
had heard physicians say was correct, and