The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-25
HOSE
FATAL, ODD
DEFENSE
Stockings and Impure Water
Figure in Peculiar Way in
Case in Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 25.-That ar
senic arrives in the human system
mainly through the mediums of black
stockings, Schuylkill water and COM
mercial glucose will be the contention
that will be put forward by the de-
Tense in the trial of Mrs. Bridget Carey,
charged with murder, when the ex-
perts for the commonwealth take the
stand this week.
All the experts called by Assistant
District Attorney William A. Gray will
be questioned along this line by Attor-
ney Edwin M. Abbott, counsel for the
defense. An attempt will be made to
show that the presence of arsenic in
the human body has become common
and that a large numbe of cadavers
taken to the big hospitals have been
found to contain several grains of the
poison.
The defense, in questioning the ex-
perts for the commonwealth, will raise
the question whether arsenic Is not to
be found in all water from the Schuyl-
kill below the paper mills. They will
also be asked whether all dyes do not
contain arsenic and whether the
human system does not frequently alb
sorb the poison from black stockings.
Solely by cross-examination, counsel
for Mrs. Carey will then try to show
that the arsenic that vas found in the
bodies of the two children, Annie and
Mary Carey, might have got there in
any of a number of ways-from their
stockings, from Schuylkill water, or
from the endless quantities of cheap
candy hat they ate. All Of h candy,
it will be suggested, contained glucose.
The strange fact that eight persons
should nave died in Mrs. Carey's family
since 1903 will be offset by frequent
references to the fact that stranger CO.
medicines have happened many times
of late. Six members of the italian
Cabinet. it will be pointed out, all died,
one after another. In a Western rail-
road corporation nearly all the MEM
bers of the directorate died about the
same time.
If the defense can get admissions
from the commemorative experts as to
the ways in which arsenic might have
arrived in the bodies, 1t will have
scored an important point, for, accord
ing to the laws of evidence, when more
than one hypothesis is possible the
one in favor of the defendant must al
ways be taken.
Norah Carey, Of 1S45 Noble street, has
been subpoenaed by Attorney Abbott
to testify in case it is deemed advisable
to offer any defense. According to the
defense, Norah Carey is ready to tes-
tify that she bought some rat
poison at McConoty's drug store on or
about the date upon which the de-
PENDANT is supposed to have bought 1t.
1t will be commended that 1t was No
rah Carey, who did not even know the
defendant or her children or had moth
ing to do with the case, who bought
the rat poison for use upon her own
floors.
AS soon as the commonwealth closes
it's case. however, the defense will ask
the court to give binding instructions to
the Jury for an acquittal. Attorney Abb
bolt will argue that a case has not
been made out against Mrs. Carey, and
that she should not be put to the
trouble of offering a defense.
In CITY Hall the twelve men who will
decide Mrs. Carsy's fate, should Judge
Barratt not take the case from them,
spent most Of the day walking about the
corridors. In the morning the jurors had
services. one of them reading portions or
the Bible to the others. This was all that
they could do. Magazines a been de-
MED them be tause of the number of ar
t.cles concerning pure food that have been
appearing of late, and cards have been
tabooed. since a verdict in an upstate
court was overturned by the higher court
when it was learned that the jurymen
had been playing cards.
Francis c. Batenan. the twelfth Juror
drawn. is the youngest man on the jury
and the most restless. When asked by
Assistant District Attorney Gray last
Thursday whether there was any reason
why he should not serve, he said that
there was rome, excepting his own dis
inclination to serve. He has been married
only six weeks and had just gone to
housekeeping at 5525 Upland street. Court
officers had to telephone to the bride to
send for her mother.