Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-04-19
STATE Witness
in HYDE. Case
Died MONDAY:
FAMILY PHYSICIAN TO THE FAM.
NV DIED As CASE WAS
OPENED.
WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR
DEFENSE HAS SECURED A STATE.
MENT FAVORABLE TO THEIR
SIDE.
Was AN IMPORTANT FACTOR
Dr.. Truman Was Expected to Give
Some Sensational Testimony at the
Trial -; Was in the Confidence OF
the Swope Family in More Than
Physical Affair.

Kansas Cit, April 1S.-Scarcely
had the state completed it's open
ing statement in the murder trial
of DR.. c. c. Hyde today, when DR..
G. T. Twyman, one Of the prosecu-
died at local hospital. He was
stricken last Saturday. Acute diver
ticulitis caused death. DR.. Twyman
was for years the Swope family pay
sician. When the nurses struck at
the residence and accused Hyde,
they carried their complain to DR..
Twyman. He called DR.. Hyde to his
Office and told him he was suspect
Cd. In other matters than those per-
tanning to his duties as a phsician,
DR.. Twyman was In the confidence
of the Swope family, and upon him
the state depended largely to prove
DR.. Hide bled James Moss Hunton to
death. He'll was also asked to tes-
tify regarding the alleged attempt
of DR.. Hyde to poison Miss Margaret
Swope. When DR.. Hyde's attorneys
took a deposition from DR.. Twyman,
he refused to criticise DR.. Hyde.
Without going into detail, DR.. Twy-
man said he approved in general DR..
tyde's work in connection with the
illness of the various members of
the Sw0pe family.
So valuable did the state consider
the testimony of DR.. Twyman that
at one time Prosecutor COnnling
thought of dismissing the jury which
has been chosen but not sworn, and
awaiting the recovery of the physi-
clan before beginning the trial.
DR.. Hyde sat calmly between his
wife and his father in criminal court
today and heard himself described
as man whose greed for gold had
made him a poisoner and a murder
er. 1t was Attorney James u Reed
who in the course of his opening
statement for prosecution thus
painted the physician.
Throughout the long ordeals of the
address, DR.. Hyde listen
ed attentively. At no time did he
reveal sign Of perturbation. When
Mr.. Reed closed, Mrs. Reed turned,
patted her husband on the shoulder
and said, you did f1ne." A few feet
behind the Hydes sat Mrs. Logan o |
Swope, mother of Mrs. Hyde and en-
ployer of Attorney Reed. She dis
plaed no emotion.
Many members of Swope family !
we're present when court opened.
The state objected to the presence
If Mrs. Hyde, and Judge Latshaw
'uled that all witnesses in the case,
except Mrs. Hyde and Mrs. Swope,
should be excluded from the room.
Che defense made early and active
objection to the state telling the
Jury of any incidents in the Swope
lOme not directly concerned with
he death of Colonel swope The
'ourt decided to admit all circum-
tances. The state will try to show
plot existed to exterminate the
ntire Swope family.
At one time it seemed the inner
most secrets of domestic affairs in
he Swope family would be exposed.
When Mr.. Reed launched on the
istory of the courtsh1pof DR.. and
1rs. Hyde, which ended in an elope-
lent and for years caused family
the spectators leaned
onward eagerly. Mr.. Walsh quick l
Y interposed an objection to this
>ory and the court sustained him.
he charge hat DR.. Hyde poisoned
olonel Swope and Chrisman Swope
Y cyanide Of potassium as well as
was the only new feature
rought out in Mr.. Reeds address.
r. Hyde purchased large quantities
cyanide Of potassium capsules at
local drug store, which was recent
burned, it was said. According
Mr.. Reed, however, the "Poison''
'oks of the druggist containing the
cords of DR.. Hyde's purchase were =
we'd.
Simultaneous with the buying of
e capsules, said Mr.. Reed, the
lysician obtained quantity of
ollenden digestive tablets similar
appearance to the poison BY the
e used of the digestive capsules, la
e attorney charged, DR.. Hyde be
ped to cover up the fact that he G.
d administered poison to his VIC
QS.