The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-03-21
A Legal Picture
uzzle
BY ANNA BENTLEY
Copyright. 1910 o. American Press
Association

A number Of gentlemen were speak
ING Of the many cases Of poisoning
that have occurred in which young
wives have been accused Of getting
rid Of old and rich husbands when one
Of the party. an attorney, told the fol-
lowing story:
II once had such cnse. and 81
showed me how difficult It IS 10 arrive
at the truth when certain persons are
interested IN hiding an important part
of the truth. This Withholding Of facts
makes US see very plainly as true
what Is really false A criminal case
fl law "a Ike picture puzale-all the
parts must be present and dt ID their
places 10 show the design.
"afrs. Hockaday was the wife Of old
Hockaday who made a big fortune on
the Stock Exchange She was twenty
and he sixty when be married her.
Nevertheless they seemed to get on
very well together, and the young
wife appeared 10 be very fond IL her
old husband But one day Mr.. Hocka-
day died very suddenly Of a disease
bis doctor could not make out. No
suspicious were cast upon his wife at
the time. But Mrs Hockaday did not
wait very long after her husbands
demise to appear az places Of amuse
ment and her participation at balls
and other such functions soon fol.
lowed.
"flad she been more circumspect IN
this regard probably the celebrated
case Of which she was the central fig
ure would have never occurred. The
police in order to satisfy a public
clamor get up something they can o
case. and there IS d preliminary exam
snaiion 50 theg did Ia the Hoekaday
affair But nothing was proved. and
Che lady was not held for trial
"Thia Is the beginning. where a few
scattered parts Of the picture puzzle
are furnished, but the picture IS not
even conceived Of.
Unfortunately this disposition Of the
case did not satisfy the takers, who
still insisted that Mrs. Hockaday had
poisoned her husband. She made a
statement to & reporter that she would
not rest until she had proved herself /
innocent Then she stirred up the
matter rejecting on Peter Hockaday,
a nephew Of her husband, who would
have inherited bis property had the
uncle not married. This fired the
nephew, who came out With a state.
meat that be believed the millionaire
had been poisoned and demanded that
the body be disintemed and tested by
experts
This was done and a heavy dose of /
a poisonous substance was found II
the dead mans stomach.
1T was now plain to those who were 1
amusing themselves solving the puzzle /
OF the Hockaway case that It would /
turn out to be a representation Of a |
young widow with one hand poison I
ing an old man and with the other
grasping money bags.
''SIrs. Hockaday was arrested and 4
placed on trial ] was her counsel 4
The prosecution brought out an i'm
portant fact that tended to prove her
guilt 1t was proved that she had /
paid from time to time considerable 4
sums to an attorney Of bad repute for
services connected with her husbands
property. on the day 81 his death the
millionaire went to this attorneys o.
zee. drank . glass Of wine, went
home and died IN few hours.
sThe picture puzzle changed. There
was now rich cid man. shyster
LAWYER pouring out dose with one
hand and receiving a bag Of gold from
his widow
eThe shyster attorney testified that
be- received fees from Mrs Hoekaday
for legitimate services connected with
her prospective interest ia her nus
bands estate. her object being 70 Sc
cure all the property herself and pre-
vent any Of # going TO any one Of her
husbands relatives. The prosecutor
endeavored by cross examination e
make him reveal more exactly the ma
ture Of these services, but failed.
nseein4 that # behooved me to ex
onerate this attorney, who had been
RECEIVING money from my client and
was accused Of poisoning her husband
Az return for his fees, urged him to
~ back Ia the day Mr. Hockaday was
supposed To have been poisoned and
discover his whereabouts at the hour
the millionaire visited bis Office. The