The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-13
MATTHEW'S MURDER TRIAL

Noted Case is Nearing End-TakingI
of Testimony In G~reensboro's Wife,
Murder Trial Ends LameIy-Dr.l
Crothers, OF Hartford. Conn.,. Intro
duced by Defense as Expert on Men,
tai and Nervous DiseaseS-Ex-Judge
Bynum Opens Argument for Prose-
cution, Followed by Major Guthrie
for Defense
Greensboro, March 6.-The taking
Of testimony In the trial of Dr.. j. 81
Matthews, charged with murderingl
his wife by poisoning her, ended veryl
tamely and rather Unexpectedly att
1910 o'clock this afternoon, both sidesl
announcing that it was a case for tnel
jury. The first witness called thisl
morning was DR.. T. D. Crother5, of
Hartford, Conn, who said he was al
specialist on mental and nervous 1is-l
eases and was president of Walnut
Lodge hospital After qualifying asI
an expert ne said that the constant usel
of morphine slows the heart, siowSI
the mind, impairs it and finally Gel
stroys it; it impairs the will. pOwerl
and Injuries it more seriously than itl
does brain power; that morphia all
fects the higher brain centers morel
than the lower ones, causing capacity
to distinguish between truthfulness|
and falsehood to be lost. Major Guth
RE propounded a long hypothetical
question to the witness and he an
swered it by saying that he considered
DR.. Matthews a. insane person. On
cross examination he stood to thisI
position. At the conclusion of his tes-l
timOny the defense rested and Captain|
j. w. Fry and Neil Ellington Werel
examined by the prosecution as char
acter witnesses for the three pnySi-E
clans who attended Mrs. Matthews.
Mile Watts, the colored cook at the
Matthews home on the day Mrs. Mat
thews died, was recalled and testified
that on the morning of last December
first, while Mrs. Matthews was very
Ill, DR.. Matthews asked her if his wife
had any company while he was in
Durham Thanksgiving Day and tha.
she replied a gentleman took break
fast and dinner with her, leaving after
dinner.
w. A. Hogan, who has an Office
across the hall from DIR. Matthews;
office, said the prisoner came up town
the morning of last December first
and he talked with him and hat he
seemed rational.
David Wise, a tailor, in the same
building, said he heard the conversa-
ton and that DR.. Matthews seemed
to be in his right mind.
DR.. q. T. Brooks, one of the phys:-'
clans who attended Mrs. Matthews on
the day she died, was recalled to testi-
fly to two or three minor details and
when he left the stand both sides an
nOunced that it was a case for the
jury.
When court re-convened this after
noon ex-Judge w. P. Bynum, Jr.,
opened the argument for the prose-
cutiOn, making a strong and fOrcefui
appeal to the jury TO convict. He was
followed by Major w. A. Guthrie, of
Durham, in a powerful speech in be-
half of the defense and court adjourned
at 7 o'clock this evening till 9 o'clock
tomorrow morning, when H. A. Fou-
shee, of Durham, will speak for the
prosecution, followed by A. ". Cooke
and Major C. M. Stedman for the de-
Tense. The closing argument for the
prosecution will be made by Solicitor
A. l.. Brooks and the case will go to
the jury tomorrow evening.-Special to
The Observer.