The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-06-01
A Chain Of
Circumstances
roriginal.l


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 a drug store
where he was very much at home, and,
the druggist having gone to dinner,
leaving a 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, a 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 Clenden-
ms conviction, and the prosecuting at
torney made up his mind to win q 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 a 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 evil
dence was ready there was no other
conclusion to be drawn from it than
that Sam had tried to poison his wife
for a 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 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 q 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 evil
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 new witness
Thomas Biggs. detective. whose state
ment Questions of the attorney omit
ted was as follows:
"On Dec. 15 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 its pockets, and on
reaching home found the money gone.
l was given an incomplete list of those
who dined at the same. time and pro-
ceeded to get a clew. On examining
Mr.. Seymour's overcoat l found in a
corner of one of the pockets a tiny
package done up in leaf evidently
torn from memorandum book. Mr..
Seymour declared that no such pack
age was in his pocket at the time of
the robbery. and l at once concluded
that there had been an exchange of
coats. The coat was 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. Seymour's 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.
"Ihe prisoner left with Miller's pow
ders and happened 10 give Miss Guern.
sey the arsenic powder. Here Is a
leaf from the prisoners memorandum
book, with memoranda mentioning
Miss ouerDsey's name, IN which three
harmless powders were wrapped. Why
be used Il Ia place Of ordinary paper
he only can explaiDP
~ course sam was acquitted, and
Az.