Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-18
CASE AGAINST DR.. HYDE
OPENING FOR THE PROSECU-
TON IN MURDER TRIAL.
Attorney for the State Claims That
Physician Planned to Gain Wealth
by Slaughter Of swope Heirs.

KANSAS CITY. April 1s.-Before a
courtroom that was crowded to Its ut
most capacity long before the regular
opening hour James A. Reed today de-
livered the opening statement Of the
prosecution In the trial Of DR.. Hyde,
charged with the murder Of Col. Thomas
H. Swope
The opening OF the case was marked by
a sharp clash between attorneys for the
two sides. The defense waged a hard
fight on the court permitting Mr. Reed
as special counsel, to deliver the opening
statement
Judge Latshaw held that it was entirely
legal, but as a precautionary move sug-
gested that Mr.. Reed be appointed q spe-
cial prosecuting attorney.
This was done. Before Mr.. Reed was
fairly launched upon his address Frank
P. Walsh. leading counsel for the de-
tense, interposed objection to the prose-
! cution introducing statements regarding
any feature Of the case except that deal
ing directly with the death of Col. Swope,
for whose alleged murder DR.. Hyde is
now being tried.
He was overruled.
Mr.. Walsh spoke in a loud tone of
! voice, and branded many Of the persons
who had gathered evidence against DR..
Mr.. Reed sought later to tell the story
Of the courtship Of DIR. Hyde and Mrs.
Hyde. Mr.. Walsh objected and was sus-
tanned by Judge Latshaw.
The deaths in the household were
taken up chronologically, Mr.. Reed at
tempting to show that Dr. Hyde had
planned his conquest Of the wealth of
the Swope heirs with cunning. The first
step. according to Mr.. Reed. was to do
away with Hunton, an executor of the
GvxyrFH a "a nd 10
himself. Therefore. said Reed. the physi-
clan drew two quarts Of blood from Hun
tons body after he had been stricken by
apoplexy, and in four minutes Hunton
was dead.
Within an hour after Hunton died he
! requested Miss Kellar, a nurse. to in
tercede with Col. Swope. said Reed, Ito
the end that he, Hyde, be made executor
IN MI aun tons place This was declined by
Details Of Col Swope's death were then
entered into. 1t was raheareed how, at
DR.. Hyde's orders, Miss KeNar gave Col
Swope a capsule. Again at Hyde's orders,
a hypodermic injection was given Death
followed. Having completed the history
of the case to this point, Mr.. Reed said :
THE foregoing evidence might be said to
be the first evidential chapter that makes
plain the plap and the scheme Of DIR.
Hyde to accomplish an acquisition of
large part of the Swope fortune.
Warfare on Swope Family.
THE next testimony that will be in
troduced will be Indicative of the fact
that the next move In the carrying out of
his plan and purpose was to remove as
many members OF the Swope family as
possible to the end that the fall of each
would swell the fortune that he, through
his wife, would be able to control
long recital of how DR.. Hyde OBJ
tanned the typhoid and dfphtheria germs
of DR.. q. L. Stewart and the appearan nee
Of typhoid fever in the Swope residence
followed. This typhoid could not have
come from the water used. it was said,
because the water came from a cistern
and was we'll filtered. 1t was on the &C.
casion OF DIR. Hyde taking dinner with
the Swope family November % that he
is thought to have spread the germs. il
was said.
The alleged attempt of Dr. HYDE to
] poison Margaret Swope was then taken
up. Reed said: "One night while the girl
was supposed to be almost recovered
| from typhoid, a nurse learned that HYDE
had given her a hypodermic injection
When asked why he had made the
| injection Hyde replied he had given her
only some oil of campher for fntermif-
tent pulse. Miss Swope denied the nhy
stefan felt her pulse and the nurse found
odor not like oil of camphor.
"A sore has recently developed upon
| the girls arm and the state believes II
| is due to the physicians injecting some
Of the germs he obtained from DR..
Stewart into this member"
Drug Store Burned, Books Saved.
a significant feature of that section Of