The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1910-03-16
A Legal Picture
Puzzle
By ANNA BENTLEY
Copyright, 1910 by 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:
IL once had such a case. aud it
showed me how difficult 1t Is to 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
in law is like picture puzzle-all the
parts must be present and fit in their
places to show the design.
Mrs. Hockaday was the wife of old
Hockaday, who made big fortune on
the Stock Exchange. She was twenty
and he sixty when he married her.
Nevertheless they seemed to get on
very well together, and the young
wife appeared to be very fond of her
old husband. But one day Mr.. Hocka-
day died very suddenly of a disease
his 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 at places of amuse-
ment. and her participation at balls
and other such functions soon fol-
lowed
Had she been more circumsp6ct 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 Q public
clamor get up something they call a
case. and there is a preliminary exam
ination. So they did in the Hockaday
affair. But nothing was proved, and
the lady was not held for trial.
This 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 q
statement to a 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 his property had the
uncle not married. This fred the
nephew. who came out with state
ment that he believed the millionaire
had been poisoned and demanded that
the body be disinterred and tested by
experts.
This was done, and heavy dose of
poisonous substance was found in
the dead mans stomach.
1T was now plain to those who were
amusing themselves solving the puzzle
of the Hockaway case that 1t would
turn out to be a representation of a
young widow with one hand poison
ing an old man and with the other
grasping money bags.
"Mrs. Hockaday was arrested and
placed ON trial. was her counsel.
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
sums to an attorney Of bad repute for
services connected with her husbands
property. On the day of his death the
millionaire went to this attorneys Of
fee. drank a glass Of wine, went
home and died in a few hours.
1.-THE picture puzzle changed. There
was now a rich old man. a shyster
lawyer pouring out dose with one
hand and receiving bag of gold from
his widow.
THE shyster attorney testified that
he received fees from Mrs. Hockaday
for legitimate services connected with
her prospective interest in her hus-
bands estate. her object being to Sc
cure all the property herself and pre-
vent any of it going to any one OF her
husbands relatives. The prosecutor
endeavored by cross examination &c
make him reveal more exactly the ma
ture of these services. but failed.
"Seeing that it behooved me to ex
onerate this attorney, who had beer
receiving money from my client ant
was accused of poisoning her husband
In return for his fees. urged him Il
go back to the day Mr.. Hockaday was
supposed to have been poisoned anC
discover his whereabouts at the houi
the millionaire visited his office Th'
result was the proving of an abb
When Mr.. Hockaday called ON the at
torney the latter was in the Office OF
man from whom be was endeavorini
to extort some money under sort o
blackmail.
by this time the puzzle frameri
were ready to give up all but youni
wife making way somehow or othe
with rich old husband aud a set o
rascaIs helping her.
'sThere was central piece TO tn
picture. without which it was insolva
BILE. one might put all the other piece
together. but nothing would come o
il without this central block. Ru
when it WAS inserted the puzzle stoo'
out complete. the picture being plat
rs day. In the examination Of th
shysier lawyer it came out that ,h
nephew, young Hockaday. was int
mate With him. And finally proves
that the nephew had met his uncle i
the shyster's Office on the day Of hi
death and the two had drunk glas
Of wine together.
"The nephew was the central piec
IN the puzzle. and the picture was
itch uncle and nephew. the latte
putting poison into the old man
| glass.
"Young Hockaday next intended I
poison the widow and get the prof.
egty. but she was afraid of him an
Kept out of his way"