The Cairo bulletin., 1904-04-08
SHE IS GUILTY
Of THE CHARGE
OF Poisoning Mrs. Cunning Is
Verdict in B0tkin Case.
THIS is SECOND TRIAL
OF THE ALLEGED PolSoNER WHO
SENT A BOX OF CANDY
FROM CALIFORNIA TO
DELAWARE.
BY Associated Press.

&
San Francisco, April THE trial
of Mrs Cordelia Botkin charged With
poisoning Mrs, John T. Dunning and
the latter's sister by means of a box
Of candy sent from California 10 Des
aware in the mails, is near the close
The arguments were concluded in
the trial late this afternoon and the
ease given to the jury
Mrs. Botkin was convicted of the
crime at a former trial and sentenced
To life Imprisonment This is her sec
ond trial
The theory OF her guilt rests on
the evidence that she was in love
with Mrs. Dunning's husband and
wanted to put the wife out of the
way
The interesting event of the trial
was the appearance on the witness
stand OF Mrs Botkin in her own be
half The court was crowded With
women.
With a woman's vanity always
"groGmeI for the occasion" Her hat
was new Ii also gas becoming. Her
dress was new. Her veil was thin.
ner than usual Her complexion had
been cared for. There had been care
in placing her modest display OF jew.
elry. In short. Mrs, Cordelia Botkin
looked her best.
She was all in black. as was her
habit The women know that the best
garb for fat people is black and Mrs.
Botkin Is undenably fat In colors
she would be tiamboyant as well So
her attire fitted into the solemnity Of
the occasion. aud there was here ana
there a flash or suggestion of the wo-
wan who lured Danning into a liaison.
On the witness stand she hung her
head and cast down her eyes when
she took the chair Her voice was as
soft as maiden modesty at first She
had to be admonished by Lawyer
Knight to turn toward the jurors and
speak mp 80 they could hear. But
soon she was distinct enough and far
more voluble than her counsel cared
10 have. her,
Il could clear this woman If she
wasn't such fool and didn't insist on
talking so much, Mr. knight is
quoted as having said. Apparently
she had been admonished to curb her
tongue, and for time she was run
ming into the long words which eyi.
IDENTIFY she felt were evidences Of
"culchaw."
Now and again she looked at the
jurors as If in appeal. Again she at
fected the baby blue eyes stare. She
lisped some. saying "thaw" for saw"
aud her as were the good broad ones
of dear old England. Her bath was
'bawth," the drug store Chemists
shop and there was "awnswer' and
"awftcnoon." Under cross-cxamlna
tion she flushed and showed some
nervousness, aud lost all idea of the
value Of concise expression
AS for her story, it was general
denial She denied everything the
intimacy with Dunnlng; the purchase
Of the candy the mailing Of the pack
age She denied the conversation
about poison with Dr. Stone and Mrs.
Ruon She denied the purchase Of the
handkerchief at the City of Plri8--de
MED that she ever had purchased any
thing from Mrs Ike Tuchler. then
Grace Harris She denied many Of
her admissions to Miss Lizzie Liver
nash; denied that she had been out
of her room on Sunday, July 81, 1898.
the day the candy was purchased: de
MED that she ever had purchased ar
senic from anybody; denied that she
knew Frank Gray, the druggist who
said he sold her powdered arsenic at
the Owl drug store.
In fact, she denied everything that
had been told about her, and in so do
ing denied rather too much for credi'
bility. When it came TO cross-exam.
nation her testimony again and again
confiicted with that she had given on
her first trial Often she was fatty
contradictory This was because OF
her present tendency to deny every.
thing District Attorney ByingtOn
was unimpassioned but merciless in
tanglng her. and when she had com.
pleted her three hours of lestifylng
she was thoroughly worn out