The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1906-03-08
THE MATTHEWS TRIAL
Immediately After Leaving Stand
Mrs. bay. Witness for State in
Matthews Murder Trial. Paints
DR.. Turner Testifes As 20 Scenes in
Death Chamber and Analysis of
Contents OF Syringe Discrepancy
in Tests Considered by Defense
Strong Point in its Favor.

| ior Court room attended the sessions /
III the trial of Dr. j. b. Matthews, |
] charged with wife-murder During |
| Thursday only four witnesses were |
examined but counsel for the prose |
cution are of the opinion that some |
exceedingly damaging testimony was |
introduced and that the State has |
already made out n strong ease
! against the defendant However, |
other witnesses will be examined be- |
fore the State rests, though not |
very much time will be consumed |
by them.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
The first witness for the prosecu-
ton was put on the stand when court |
reconvened. She was Mile Watts.
the colored woman who was cooking
for the Matthews family at the time
Of Mrs. Matthews death. Her tes-
tlmony was to the effect that, on the
morning following last Thanksgiving
Day, DR.. Matthews told her to go TO
Mrs. Matthews room to see her, as
she had ben very i'll during the night,
having taken large quantity of
strychnine about IL O'Clock the night
before, that she was low-spirited and
he did not know what was the matter
but that he had heard her say that
none Of his people liked her and she
wanted to take something to put her
self out Of they way. The witness
said she went up stairs to Mrs. Mat
thews' room and found her snoring
loudly and tried to arouse her but
could not. DIR. Matthews came up
from breakfast and said he was go
ing out to a drug store, that she
begged him to send for another ply
sician but he would no do so, that
when Dr. Matthews came back he
went to his wife's roo mand Capt
Gilman arrived and also went to her
room but came down at once and sent
DR.. Matthews little son, Ben, after
Mrs. Hay, neighbor, going himself
!. after doctor.
, Mrs. Hay on the Stand.
Mrs. A. M. Hay was the next wit
ness and she said that she lived
short distance from the Matthew'S
home and had known Mrs. Matthews
for four years. DR.. Matthews had
attended her. When Ben Matthews
came after her she hurried to Mrs.
Matthews bedside and found Dr.
Matthews there with syringe in his
hand. He stated to her that his wife
had taken enough strychnine to kill
> two people and that he had been
working with her all night. He would
not have another physician and did
not want the affair to get out. Mrs.
Hay recited the occurrences of the
day and said that, in the afternoon
the defendant came into the room
and asked those present to leave, as
he wanted to have private prayer
with his wife. All of them did leave
o but herself, she remaining because
y her suspicious against DR.. Matthews
$ had been aroused. He got on the bed
: beside his wife and kissing her, said:
y "Poor little thing, she is gone, but
r can get another" Watching him
G closely, she grew more suspicious of
). his actions and pulled him off the
., bed. Later in the afternoon when
:. she returned to the room, after hav-
! ing been called out to see some la
f dies who had dropped in, new pune
+ ture was found in MIS-. Matthews
y arm and, in a short time, she began
having commissions and died.
Death Chamber Scenes.
l. DR.. J. P. Turner was the next.wit-
$ ness. He began by saying that he
u had been practicing medicine contin-
n uously since April of Maryland, Bal
Z timore, and had been county coroner
9 six years. When hs responded to the
e call to the Matthews home on Decem-
~ Der first last he was met at the door
/ by Capt. Gilman. Upstairs he found
Il Drs. NJ. r. Farrar and z. 7. Brooks
treating Mrs. Matthews for what he
. had and the other two physicians
t diagnosed as opium or morphine pois
d oning. He explained the effect of
r certain poisons and the antldotes us
s ed by physicians and related, in
n graphic style, the circumstances and
incidents of the day, telling of the
7. entrance Of DIR. Matthews about 5
S. clock in the afternoon and asking
st all to leave so that he could pray
r. privately with his wife, this request
being made repeatedly. He had de-
cided to watch the movements of the
# defendant more closely and declined
n, to leave DR.. Matthews went to the
d bedside Of his wife and, while pre-
tending to pray, put his hand under
y the cover. Just then the witness
r rushed across the room and caught
e the prisoner by the arm. finding that
ii the hand held hypodernic syringe,
a one-third of its cylinder being filled
p with white powder. DIR. Matthews
e. refused to say what he was trying
is to do and asked DIR. Turner and 9th
in ers to keep the affair quiet because
,f | it would ruin him.
lc DIR. z. T. Brooks, another one OF
b. the physicians who attended Mrs
Matthews, was the next witness, his