The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-19
VICTIM
IN FAMOUS CASE
Former Salt Laker's Suicide
Recalls Graves Trial.
MANY DEATHS IN SEQUENCE
wax IMAGE FIGURES IN SUP
POSED RESCUE.

The suicide Of Clarence Graham, for
Merly Of Salt Lake, in St. Louis Iast
Monday, recalls the famous Dr.. Graves
poisoning case in Denver during 1891,
and the strange fate that befen every
one connected with that famous muir
der trial Mr.. Graham, who formerly
was Salt Lake newspaper man, gave
minor testimony in the case.
During the fall Of 1891 Mrs. A T.
bafnaby. rich widow of Boston, was
visiting IN Denver, Colo, and one day
she received a small package contain
ing a bottle of whisky. On the pack
age was the supeFscriptIOn, From your
friends in the woods" The package
bore the Providence. r. l., pOstmark.
Mrs Barnaby drank some of the con-
tents OF the bottle. as also DID Mrs.
Worrail of Denver. Mrs. Worrali be-
came sick, but finally recovered. On
the other hand Mrs Barnaby died
few days later from the effects Of poi
son that was found in the whisky. Dr..
L. Thatcher Graves. a rich and prom
inent physician of Providence. r. J.,
was arrested on a charge of sending
The poisoned whisky. DR.. Graves was
Mrs. Barnaby's physician and financial
agent. The doctor was brought 10 Den
Yer, and after a long and sensational
trial was convicted of murder in the
first degree and sentenced TO be hanged
at the Colorado state penitentiary.
Public Interest Aroused.
Paul Conrad, a son-in-law of Mrs.
Barnaby, and a wealthy mining man
and politician of Montana, furnished
funds for the prosecution. Bribery OF
the jury was limited at DR. Graves
was member in high standing of a
powerful and wealthy secret order and
had the hearty support. financially and
morally, of his organization. After DR..
Graves conviction the public IN general
took great interest in his behalf. Nuner-
Gus petitions were circulated, and it
seemed that every one in the state had
signed one Of these petitions asking the
governor to pardon the doctor. In the
meantime, his attorneys had been busy.
and obtained an order from the su-
preme court for a new trial Dr. Graves
was brought back TO Denver and placed
in the county jail to await another legal
battle for his life
One morning as the jaileT Captain
Crews, entered the cell of DR.. Graves
with a fine breakfast he found his IA
nous prisoner cold in death. A few
days later it was given out that an
autopsy had been held and it was found
that the doctor mad died Of poison. The
body was taken to the mOrgue and a
strong railing placed around the body
the remains could not touch the body.
neither could they get close enough TO
scrUtinize the features. and It was no
ticed at the time that the light was
faint in the room where the body lay.
RumOrs began TO spread that the sup
posed corpse in the norgue was really
wax figure and that the doctor had
been allowed to escape.
Upon investigation il was ascertained
that the coroner, jailer and several OF
the other officials connected with the
case were prominent members of The
lodge Of which DR.. Graves was a mem
her, ana it was also. discovered that at
the time Of the suicide" a number OF
the leading officials of the order ar
rived in Denver quietly, from the east.
and in two days they as mysteriOusly
disappeared to the east. About a
month later, detectives employed by in
surance companies. dug up the coffin
supposed to hold the remains of Dr.. T.
Thatcher Graves. and all they found
was a green pine log No demand was
ever made on the life insurance com
Danies for the doctors life insurance
by the widow Daniel Mccarthy, a
Boston detective. told a Chicago news
paper man of seeing DR.. Graves in Ma
pies, Italy. and that the doctor was in
the best Of health.
Fate Pursues Many.
y peculiar and destroying fate seemed
10 pursue the persons connected with
Dr. Graves famous trial. Three months
after the trial two newspaper men of
Hartford, Conn, who were witnesses.
were killed IN railroad wreck. three
postal clerks died in an insane asylum.
Several OF the witnesses committed
suicide. Nine Of the jury are reported
dead By accident, suicide or other viO-
lent deaths Bad luck in some form or
other mas overtakeu the police and
sheriff officers connected with the case /
Isaac y Stevens of Pueblo, Colo, who
was al that time prosecuting attorney,
gradually lost his political prestige.
Former Congressman James Bedford
and LATE Pence. who assisted I'm the
prosecution. have sought other hOnOrs
without success Judge Amos J. Ilis-
irg. who presided al the trial, is a pO-
Htica5 reclUse- Paul Conrad of Mon
tana was defeated for governor and
finally died a poor man. Latest OF all