The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-09-28
A IrdCeIess Poison
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"a person desiring to kin another
would be more likely TO use a poison
that would leave no trace" where,
upon the prosecuting attorney asked
me II there was such poison. / hav.
Ing replied that there was, he asked
me to name IT, The Judge forbade ME
10 do So The prosecutor insisted, but
the Judge was immoyable. He would
not permit me to name publicly a pol.
son that would leave no trace.
Immediately after my testimony was
published l was deluged with letters
inquiring the name of the poison that
left ne trace. Most Of them doubtless
came from idle curiosity. but was as.
tonlshed at the number of those which
showed plainly, from the pains the
writer's took TO conceal their identity,
that they were written for an evil pur-
pose.
One day received call from n wo-
man who asked for the secret. She
said she had made a bet with her
brother. who was scientist. OF 81 900
that there was such a poison, and she
desired to prove II TO him by trying It
on a dog. II would give her the name
or the poison and she won she would
give me half the amount.
questioned her. then, going into an
other room, returned with tiny pill,
which l gave her. saying that IL Il
killed the dog and left no trace she
might refer her brother to me for eyI.
,dence that she had won the bet. When
she left sent n housemaid to follow
her, who brought me her address.
Sending for a detective, directed him
10 establish some sort of a watch on
the house where she lived. 10 shadow
her when she went out and report TO
me any case of illness that might occur
TO any one with whom she might be
connected.
In few days my man reported that
the lady's husband had died suddenly.
1t had been given out that he had suf-
fered an apoplectic stroke and had not
lived an hour after.
was thunderstruck. l alone knew
the nature of the pill | had given the
woman, and Of course she would keep
the secret. Nevertheless | was very
much troubled at the result. | directed
the detective to keep her under strict
surveillance. Later he reported TO me
that she had visited the Office of a
life Insurance company. Upon inquiry |
he had learned that her husband had |
been insured for $4,000. hurried to |
the insurance Office, called on the pres
ident and advised him before paying
the claim to make sure that there was
no trickery connected with 1t. But |
would answer no questions.
The next / heard of the case was /
that upon examination of the body
exhuned for the purpose-it was dis
covered that 1t was the remains of the
bre.3Yr of the man insured The in
sufed himself had disappeared. Pay
ment was refused, and the woman was
arrested on charge of fraud. TO which
was added charge of murder.
The body of the deceased was given
over to physicians with view to dis
covering If the man had died natural
Death One reported apoplexy as the
cause, another heart trouble and an
other kidney disease. Three different
experts reported three different poisons
found in the body. There was opium,
arsenic and one other, the name of
which / have forgotten. ! was sum
moned as witness for the prosecution
and produced sensation by refusing
to testify on the ground of self incrim
ination.
Afterward consented to give my
evidence. | informed the court of the
woman's visit to me. of her request for
a poison that would leave no trace and
the use she proposed to make of it.
Then / told them that had given her
the pill At this point technical OBJ
lection was interposed by the defend
ants counsel, and the judge sustained
him. / was forbidden to tell what was
In the pill, the reason being that it had
not been proved that the pill had been
used. This left me in very unfortu-
nate position.
After long trial the woman was ac-
quilted of the charge of murder. and
the charge of fraud was never pressed.
The prosecution had failed to prove
she knew that the man who was buried
was her husbands brother or that she
had poisoned him. Her counsel con
trived to throw all the blame on her
husband, who had disappeared.
After her acquittal the woman came
to see me- She was curious to know IL
/ had been deceived by her story about
the bet and If had really given her
traceless pill. Before replying asked
her to explain the case to me, and. aft
Ter solemn promise on my part to
keep her secret, she did so.
Her husbands life was largely in
sured, and since they were an i'll mated
couple she resolved to poison him.
Just as she was about to give him the
pill had furnished her her husbands
brother came to the house for visit |
His health had been broken down by
excuses, especially drugs that he had
taken in large quantities. While at
their house he suddenly died. probably
of heart failure The woman proposed
to her husband that he disappear and
his brother, who resembled him close
". be buried in his stead. This was
done.
| told her she would find an explana- I
ton Of my part in the matter in the 4
paper the next morning. /
My explanation recited my expert i
ences as to a traceless poison and my $
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