The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-10
MRS. FLORENCE MAVERICK
WILL SOON Be RELEASED
She VIII Quit Her English Prison
in Good Health and
Strength. .nHi
HISTORY OF A SAD CASE
An American Woman'S Alleged
Crime, and Efforts to Secure
Her Freedom.
HISTORY OF A SAD CASE

LONDON, Jan, 9-Referring to the state
ment published in the United States that
final arrangements were made yesterday at a
conference between Ambassador Choate and
the Home Office officials for the release OF
Mrs. Florence Maybrick, the American
woman under sentence of life Imprisonment
on the charge of poisoning her husband, it
is pointed out that the status of the case is
just as cabled by the Associated Press
March q, 1903, when it was announced on
the authority of the Home Office that she
would be released in 1904. The exact date
of her release is not yet fixed.
Baroness De Roques says that her
daughter, Mrs. Maybrick, is decidedly better
in health and gaining strength, now that
she has the certainty of being released.
''All the sensational newspaper accounts
relative to our business interests and fu-
ture fortune" said the baroness, "have not
resulted in any profit to us. Quite the con-
trary.''
The history OF Mrs. Maybrick's sad case
is familiar to most newspaper readers. She
is the daughter of William G.. Chandler, a
banker of Mobile, Ala, and was born in that
city forty-two years ago. When seventeen
years OF age she was met and courted by
James Maybrick, of Liverpool then about
forty years old. Maybrick had lived fast
life, and was already declining I'm health.
He was addicted to the frequent use OF
powerful stimulants particularly to a tonic
called "Pick Me Up" which contained
arsenic. He became a confirmed arsenic
eater.
After a courtship of eighteen months Miss
Chandler and Mr.. Maybrick were married
at Norfolk, Va, where he was a cotton
buyer. Soon after their marriage they went
TO Liverpool to reside April q, 1889, MIR.
Maybrick went to the Winal races and was
caught in a severe rainstorm. Previous to
this he had been i'll from the use of arsenic
and other poiSonS, and on coming home
from the races he took to his bed Physi-
clans were at once called in by his wife,
who attended him until he died, two weeks
after being taken sick. Mrs. Maybrick fell
bands death, and was unconscious most of
the time for the next forty-eight hours.
On May IA; while still in a semi-conscious
condition, she was arrested, charged by
the police, at the instigation of Edwin and
Michael Maybrick, brothers of the de-
ceased, and Alice Yapp and Bessie Briefly,
with having murdered her husband by ''ad-
ministering doses OF arsenic to him. "
Search for arsenic was made and ii was
found in quantities sufficient to poison fifty
persons. None of the poison, however, was
found in her apartments or belongings.
Mrs. Maybrick was taken from her bed
still unconscious, to Walton jail, and on
June the coroner's jury committed her "a
the assiZes at Liverpool for trial on the
charge of willful murder. The trial began
July 81 and lasted eight days the last two
of which were consumed by the summing OF
Justice Stephen. Four doctors, who testi-
fled in the case as experts said that Mr.
MaybricksS death was not due to arsen-
zeal poisoning. Sir Charles Russell in com
menting on the charge of Justice Stephen
TO the jury, said He passionately in
vited the jury TO find a verdict of guilty
taking two days to sum up-the first day as
a judge and osl the second ragged like vio-
lent counsel for the prosecution against
her" The jury was out only thirty-siX
minutes and the verdict of guilty was
surprise to everyone. The judge was Kissed
and hooted in the courtroom, and it was
with difficulty he reached his carriage.
The sentence of death which followed this
strange verdict was condemned by the
press and pulpit throughout the civilized
world. There being no court of criminal
appeal in England and the only resort be-
ing TO the crown for pardon, a monster Pc
tition containing more than 10000 names
was prepared requesting a review of the
case Home Secretary Matthews held, with
the concurrence of Trial Judge Stephens
that the evidence docs not wholly exclude
q reasonable doubt whether death was in
fact caused by the administration OF ar
senic," and commuted the death sentence
to life imprisonment. Continued efforts in
her behalf led TO a promise Of her release
in 1904.