Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-01-07
MRS. ALICE MoFFAr's TRIAL
Charged with Attempting to Take the
Life Of Her Husband.

The case of Mrs. Alice Moffat, in
dicted for attempting to poison hei
husband, was called in Bennington
county court Dec. 2S. Mrs. Mofat
appeared in court dressed in a suit OF
blue plush and accompanied by her
daughter and husband. She is a stout
woman about As years of age. She
was turned over TO the sheriff by her
bondsmen, one of whom was her hus-
band, Alexander Mofat, who has the
utmost confidence that his wife was in
no way connected with the affair, and
since her indictment she has been out
most OF the time on bail furnished by
him.
The case in many ways resembles
that OF the Rogers murder case re-
Gently tried. Joseph Mears, who was
in the employ Of Moffat, had an affec-
ton for Mrs. Moffat and after Alexan-
der Moffat was taken sick and treated
for poisoning and recovered, Mears
was indicted, tried and found guilty of
attempted murder by poisoning and
sentenced 10 eighteen years at hard
labor in Windsor. A bottle of whiskey
Nac III Aiit 1AOctA was
procured by Mears for Moffat, and up
on examination at the state laboratory
in Burlington it was found to contain
corrosive sublimate enough to kill
several men.
Alter Mears was taken to Windsor
+. g. Archibald the attorney for Mears,
continued investigations on his own
account. He had always been salts
fled that Mears was not alone impli-
Gated in the attempted poisoning. He
secured new evidence and succeeded
in having the case brought up before
the grand jury in June with the result
that Mrs. Moffat was indicted for com
plicity in the crime.
The state had brought Joseph Mears,
who is serving a sentence as principal
in this crime, from the state prison at
Windsor to use as a witness in its be-
half When Mrs Moffat saw Mears in
the court room she fell in fainting fit
and apparently completely collapsed.
She did not recover enough so the
court dared to proceed with the trial
until Dec. 81, when Mears confessed
the part he played in the crime as fol-
lows .-
Alter Mo1at turned Mears off, Mrs.
Mofat often came to see him and once
asked him if he would have her "if the
old cuss died. lie said he would. Mrs.
Moflat left her husband and came to
board at Conkev's where Mears was
living. Once they drove 10 West Paw
let together and at her request he
bought a bottle of whiskey and a box
OF rOugh-on-rats for her A few days
later she visited her husband and stay
ed with him all night. When she came
back Saturday she said Motfat wanted
Mears to come and stay over Sunday.
Mears went and Sunday morning he
got breakfast and found some pancake
batter already prepared. To this he
added more buckwheat flour and some
sour milk which he found in the pan
try. Moffat ate three pancakes and
becameviolently sick the same after
noon. Mears returned TO Conkey's.
Then Mrs Moffat told him that she had
mixed the rough-on-rats with the bat
ter, the sour milk and the flour, and he
returned to Motfat's and threw the
flour and batter into the brook.
About month later Mrs. Moffat
gave him money TO buy a bottle OF
whiskey and an ounce of corrosive
sublimate in Shushan, n. Y. He
bought another bottle of whiskey
which he gave to Moffat Mrs. Moi
fat, he claims. received the other bot
tie OF whiskey and the poison. Later
she asked him how much they had
drunk from Moffatt's bottle, and he
told her. She poured out part of her
bottle and went TO see her husband.
When she returned she told Mears
that she had left her poisoned whiskey
and had taken Moffat's bottle.
The claim OF the defence is that Mof-
fat was i'll Friday night after drinking
from the bottle given him by Mears
and not Sunday after Mrs Moffat had
been home.
Mrs Moffat was aenuitted Monday.