Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-19
G. 7. Twyman Swope Family
Physician, SucCumbS in Kan
saS City Hospital
PROSECUTOR FLAYS ACCUSED
Defendant Scored as Man Whose
Greed for Gold Made Him
Cunning PoiSoner
Associated Pressl

II ANSAS CITY, April l8.-Scarcely
~ had the state completed its OPEN
IA ing statement in the murder trial
OF DR.. B. C. Hyde today when DR.. G..
T. Twyman, one of the prosecutions
most important witnesses, died in a
local hospital He was stricken last
Saturday. Acute diverticulitis caused
DEATH
DR.. Twyman was for years the Swope
family physician. When the nurses
struck at the residence and accused
Dr. Hyde they carried their complaint
to Dr. Nv yman. On him the state de-
pended largely TO prove DIR. Hyde bled
James Moss Hunton to death. lie was
also expected to testify regarding the
alleged attempt OF DR.. Hyde to poison
Miss Margaret Swope. Miss Swope
was DR.. Twyman's patient when, it is
said DR.. Hyde tried TO kill her.
So valuable did the state consider
the testimony of DIR. Twyman that at
one time Prosecutor Conkling thought
of dismissing the jury which had been
chosen, but not sworn, and awaiting
the recovery of the physician before
beginning the trial.
HYDE Is EXOORIATED
Dr. Hyde sat calmly between his
wife and his father in the criminal
court room today and heard himself
described as a man whose greed for
gold had made him a poisoner and
murderer.
1t was Attorney James d. Reed who
in the course of his opening statement
for the state, thus painted the ply
sician.
Throughout the long ordeal of the
excoriating address, Hyde listened at
tentively. At no time did he reveal a
sign of perturbation. When Mr.. Reed
closed, Mrs. Hyde turned, patted her
husband on the shoulder, and said;
"You did fine"
few feet behind the Hydes sat
Mrs. Logan o. Swope, mother of Mrs.
Hyde, and employer of Attorney Reed.
She, too, paid strict attention to the
address, but displayed no emotion.
Many members of the Swope family
were present when court opened. The
state objected to the presence of Mrs.
Hyde, and Judge Latshaw ruled that
all witnesses in the case except Mrs.
Hyde and Mrs. Swope should be ex-
cluded from the room.
ATTACKS STATES WITNESSES
Clashes between the attorneys kept
spectators alert. The defense made
early and active objection to the state
telling the jury of any incidents in the
Swope home not directly connected
with the death of Col. Swope The
court decided to admit all circum-
stances the state AYERS will tend to
show plot existed to exterminate the
entire Swope family.
At one time Frank p. Walsh, chief
counsel for DR.. Hyde, became so eX-
ercised over this point that he made a
vicious attack on the states witnesses,
characterizing some of them as liars"
and "thieves."
AS result of the courts decision re-
garding the introduction OF this testi-
mony, the whole panorama of Incl
dents in the Swope home from the first
illness of Col. Swope was displayed.
Every death in the house, every illness
of members of the Swope family and
others which the state alleges DIR.
Hyde caused, was reviewed.
RATTLE FAMILY SKELETON
At one time it seemed that the In
nermost secrets of warfare in the
Swope family would be exposed. When
Mr.. Reed launched on the history of
the courtship of DIR. and Mrs. Hyde,
which ended in an elopement and for
years caused family estrangement,
spectators leaned forward eagerly.
Mr. Walsh quickly objected to this
story and the court sustained him.
Hundreds of people were unable to
get into the courtroom. The seats
were filed an hour before the session
started. Later the aisles filled. Many
spectators brought lunch with them.
The crowd was quiet and orderly.
The charge that Dr. Hyde poisoned
Colonel Swope and Chrisman Swope by
cyanide of potassium as we'll as strych-
nine was the only new feature brought
out in Mr.. Reeds address. DR.. Hyde
purchased large quantities of cyanide
of potassium capsules at a local drug
store, which recently was burned, it
was said. According to Mr.. Reed, how
ever the poison books of the drug
glst containing records of Hyde's pur-
chases, We're saved.
simultaneously with the buying of
the cyanide capsules, said Mr.. Reed,
the physician obtained a quantity of
Hollenden digestive tablets, similar in
appearance to the poison BY the use
of the digestive tablets. the attorney
charged, DR.. Hyde hoped to cover up
the fact that he had administered poi
.on to hfc victims