The San Francisco call., 1904-03-22

Packed like cattle in chute, mot
ley throng, a half of which was COM
posed of morbid women, listened to five
witnesses give testimony for the prose-
cution yesterday in Judge Cooks court
in the case of the people of California
against Cordelia Botkin, charged with
numbering Mrs. John P Dunning by
means of poisoned candy sent from
this city through the mails to Dover,
Del. The death of Mrs. Joshua d.
Deane. a sister of Mrs. Dunning, en-
sued from the same cause, and there
is also an Indictment against Mrs. Bot
kin for the murder of the latter.
So great was the crush during the
morning session that the air of the
courtroom was almost unbreathable
and ingress and egress was impossi-
BILE In the afternoon session Judge
Cook ordered that the aisles be kept
cleared and three policemen were de-
tailed for that duty. This lessened the
attendance in a large degree, but the
elected ones loitered in the corridors,
hoping that some of those in the court
room might become wearied and de-
part, thus making room for others.
During the morning session while the
District Attorney in his Opening state
ment was referring to the liaison be-
tween John P. Dunning and Mrs. Bot
kin, which is ascribed as the motive
of the crime, a group of women grew
so boisterously mirthful that Judge
Cook ordered them excluded from the
courtroom and the baiIiff put them out
IMPORTANT WITNESS.
The principal witness introduced was
Miss Leila Deane, the 19-year-old
daughter of one of the murdered wo-
men. She was present when the fatal
box of candy was delivered to Mrs.
Dunning, saw it opened, partook of
some of the candy. knew OF the death
of her mother and aunt of her own
knowledge. described their symptoms
and was generally conversant with all
of the facts the prosecution expects to
prove so far as the transactions at
Dover. are concerned. She was wit
ness in the former trial and proved
remarkably capable at that time. Since
then she has lost no recollection of
the tragic death of her mother and
aunt and the circumstances leading up
to the tragedy.
Three other important witnesses from
the East were examined. IneY were
Harry C. Pennington, who secured the
box of candy from the postoffice; Mrs.
Josephine Bateman. a school teacher of
Dover, Delaware, who saw the opened
box of candy in Mrs. Dunnings lap on
the evening of August 8, when it was
received through the mail, and who
partook of one of the bonbons, and
Miss Elizabeth Kemp, assistant to the
Postmaster at Dover, who received the
box of candy at the Postoffice and
placed it in the box of John B. Penning-
ton, father of Mrs. Dunning and Mrs
Deane, with whom they made their
home.
RABBIT WAS POISONED.
One startling fact was elected from
Miss Deane, which, however, did not
get into the record. She testified that
Mrs. Pennington, since deceased ac-
cepted one of the bonbons and started
to eat it, but spat it out, remarking
that the candy was not good. The
bruised chocolate fell in the yard,
where a rabbit belonging to little
Elizabeth Dunning nibbled at it and
was subsequently found dead. AS Miss
Deane did not see the rabbit eat the
CdnNsB lhO NOOib lViO lilG ENlOeIlCe III
admissible.
Mrs. Botkin, the defendant, was early
in court. She was gowned as before,
except that she had discarded her
jacket for a long black coat, lined with
lilac colored satin, which she hung over
the back of her chair The heavy
black veil had been replaced with one
of lighter texture, so that her fea-
lures were plainly discernible She
kept her back uncompromisingl
turned to the spectators and they had
no chance to see her face. When she
first appeared in court her eyes were
swollen and she appeared to have been
weeping. She listened to the various
witnesses with almost painful inter-
est, but did not display any nervous
ness and seldom consulted with her at
torneys. Her sister, Mrs. Roberts, sat
by her side in silence, as usual.
WITNESSES EXCLUDED.
The morning proceeding opened by
the issuance by Judge Cook of an
order excluding all witnesses from
the courtroom until their testimony
was needed. Then District Attorney
Byington made his opening address.
He detailed the members of the fam
lily living at the Pennington home on