The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1904-04-14
a Chain Of
Circumstances
[Original.1

oSANANS - AuCuASiiC. W uSi uc NdS IL
the proper age to study he had not the
means. When he got the means he
considered himself too old.
Sam wooed and won Anna Guernsey.
One afternoon he called on her and
found her suffering with headache,
accompanied by fever He induced her
to permit him to bring her some pow
ders in the evening. On his way to
his room he stopped at drug store
where he was very much at home. and.
the druggist having gone to dinner.
leaving boy in charge. Sam made up
the powders himself and after dinner
took them to his fiancee and gave her
one. In ten minutes there was hurry
call for doctor. pump was inserted
in Annals stomach. and among other
things arsenic was brought up. The
two remaining powders were found to
be harmless. Anna recovered. and
Sam was arrested.
The case excited a great deal Of at
tention. the newspapers spurred on the
authorities to make sure of Clepden-
ms conviction, and the prosecuting at
torney made up his mind to win rep
utation by hanging him. Before the
trial came off the attorney had conclu-
sive evidence that Sam had already
been married to Anna Guernsey and
was interested in getting her out of the
way that he might marry a fortune
The lawyer failed to entrap Anna into
acknowledging the marriage, but An
mas mother, who was firm believer
in Sans guilt, signed a statement Civ
ing certain circumstances that had led
her to believe her daughter had been
secretly married. When all the evi-
dence was ready there was no other
conclusion to be drawn from it than
that Sam had tried to poison his wife
for purpose. There was no written
evidence against him worth mention
ing. but witnesses in plenty to prove
the motive Indeed the bare fact of
his bringing three powders. taking
care that the two he did not admins
ter should be harmless, was quite
enough to prove a case of attempted
poisoning. One flaw in the chain of
circumstances pointing to Sans guilt
was not taken account of. and that
was that Sam was not fool Only
fool would give person arsenic. for it
is sure to be found wherever it is
placed. But murderers usually sur
prise US in leaving some door wide
open for their conviction
When the case was called the prose-
cutting attorney introduced ample evi-
dence to prove that Sam Clendenin had
been guilty Of one of the most diaboli-
cal murders on record. The defense
brought forth absolutely nothing to
show that he had not poisoned Anna
Guernsey except that he had always
borne an irreproachable character.
This, however. was met by witnesses
who swore that Sam had been seen by
them in gambling and drinking saloons
frequently for months prior to the
attempted murder.
Just before the case was closed the
defense introduced a new witness.
Thomas Biggs. detective. whose state
ment Questions of the attorney omit
ted) was as follows:
ION Dec. Is 1 was called to investi-
gate the following case: Mr. Anthony
Seymour had the evening before dined
at the Excelsior Chop and Oyster
House. He had hung up his overcoat,
with $500 in one of it's pockets. and on
reaching home found the money gone.
was given an incomplete list of those
who dined at the same tine and pro-
ceeded to get q. clew: On examining
Mr.. Seymour's overcoat found in
corner Of one of the pockets tiny
package done up in a leaf evidently
torn from a memorandum book Mr..
Seymour declared that no such pack
age was in his pocket at the time of
the robbery. and at once concluded
that there had been All exchange Of
coats. The coat was Il ready made one
of Farnum & Emke's. who had sold a
great number Of the same pattern dur
ing the previous autumn. There dined
at the same restaurant on the same
evening. each wearing one of those
coats. Anthony Seymour. Joseph Mil
Ter and the prisoner. Seymours coat
was stolen and has not been recovered.
Seymour put on the prisoners coat.
which the thief doubtless removed to
Seymour's peg. and the prisoner put
on Miller's coat by mistake. Miller
had that evening purchased two pow
ders by prescription for his sick child
and one Of arsenic to kill a cat The
label poison had not been well pasted
ON the arsenic. and Miller. having
opened the package on his way to the
restaurant to see that it was. all right.
dropped the label without noticing the
loss.
THE prisoner left with MiIler's pow
Gers and happened to give Miss Guern-
sey the arsenic powder. Here is a
leaf from the prisoners memorandum
book. with Memoranda mentioning
Miss Guernsey's name. In which three
harmless powders were wrapped. WHY
he used it in place Of ordinary paper
he only can explain" !.
OF course Sam was acquitted. and
he married Miss Guernsey. The most
unpleasant lasting. feature in the case