Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-28
READY FOR TRIAL
Mrs. Mary NJ. Johnston to Plead
Tomorrow TO Murder
Charge.
MOTION TO QUAsH PENDING
Selection of Jury to Fix Guilt or In
nocence of Reynolds
Woman.

Mrs. Mary NJ. Johnston will formal
ly enter her plea of not guilty 10 the
indictment charging her of the muir
Ter of her husband. Joseph Johnston
tomorrow in the circuit court Judge
w. II. Gest still has under advisement
the motion to quash the indictment.
This will be rendered tomorrow also.
The selection of a jury to try Mrs.
Johnston viii probably commence To-
morrow morning Defending her will
be Hon. William Jackson and Judge
c. J. Searle. while r. r. Reynolds will
assist States Attorney John X. Scott
in the prosecution. The trial will like
| ly be one of the most stubbornly fought
of any of similar character that has
| taken pace for years in the Rock ISL
and county branch of the circuit court.
Chemist Finds StrychnIne
Since her Indictment Mrs Johnston.
with her daughter Mabel. has been
stopping at the Johnston home in Rey-
nolds. Ii is one of the finest homes
there. When the investigation by the
coroner TO determine whether the wo-
mans husband came TO his death from
natural causes was undertaken she and
her daughter were in the west visiting
with a brother of the woman. Indig.
nant at the insinuations that she had
been instrumental in causing the death
of her husband. Mrs. Johnston hurried
home TO face her accusers and resent
the charge that had been made against
her Readers Of The Argus are famil- |
lar with the statement that she made
before the coroner's jury. by which she |
was held, the chemist who examined |
the vitals of the body of her husband. |
who had been in his grave two months |
when eXhumation was determined up- |
on, reporting the finding of traces of |
the presence of strychnine poisoning.
Dies in COnvuIsIOns.
Mr.. Johnston, who had been an in
valid for years, was seized with con
vulsions at the breakfast table. and |
died within half an hour The theory /
Of the authorities at the outset was |
that poison had been placed in his |
coffee on that morning, but the grand |
jury found that the fatal dose was in |
the tumbler in which Johnston had |
mixed saltpetre that he was taking for
an affection of the kidneys the night |
before and of which he drank after
arising on the morning in question.
The chemist detected traces of strych-
nine on the bottom and sides OF this
iumbler. Strychnine had been kept in
the house. Mrs. Johnston admitted but
she said it was purchased for the pur
pose of killing rats that infested the
barn. Two bottles of strychnine were
taken from n vault on the premises
During recess of the coroner's iury
a small bottle OF the poison was found
IN the roadway in front of the John
ston home
VIII Try to Prove Motive.
The prosecution will seek to estab-
fish motive, claiming that Mrs. John
stOn had for years deceived her hus
band in his financial standing, causing
him to believe that he was comfortably
when in fact he was
penniless. They had made arrange
ments to go to California for the win
ter. There will be no dispute on the
latter point. The state will attempt
to show that the Johnstons did not
nave the means 10 defray the expense
Of the trip. unless they should borrow.
and that, rather than acquaint her hus-
band with his true condition financial
~, she poisoned him. There will also
be an effort to show that Mrs. John !
Ston had wearied of caring for her I
husband: that for years he had been a
burden TO her 1t is claimed that Mrs.
Johnston has outstanding unsatisfied
notes aggregating several thousands of ;
dollars. the money mostly having been
gotten from relatives and neighbors in
md about Reynolds.
Tries to- Suicide Years Ago.
Thirty years ago, it has been related
Johnston tried TO suicide by cutting
lis throat. and wa. prevented by his q
leighbors. James Noonan. an old
riend of Johnston. referred to this in G
estifying before the coroner's Jury. [
Johnston had had a dispute with his :,
wife, she having taken the money that
vas paid him for cattle that he took
o market. He became intoxicated. il r
5 said, and while in this condition
ried 10 do away with himself. II is
robable that the defense will endeavor L
% introduce this incident a. tandiDey To | F