The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-28
SERIOUS PROBLEMS
 FACED BY DR. HYDE All His Hope Is Centered in
 His Wife's Testimony POINTS ARE AGAINST HIM Death of Col. Swope Followed Con- vuInion and Other Deaths of Ills
 Patients in swope Family Pre-
 ceded By Convulsions
POINTS ARE AGAINST HIM

Kansas City, Mo, April 27.-(Special.)- pr. Bennett Clark Hyde. charged with being one of the greatest criminals of this or any other age. is face to face with one of the most perplexing and trying problems, in many respects, that a hu- man being was ever called upon to solve. | The problem confronting this young, apparently unruffled, grim, determined man of science and medicine is this: How best can I convince those F men in the jury box that I am innocent of these awful charges that are hanging over my head like the sword of Damoca- | les? How can I convince them of my innocence in the face of the clrcum- stantial evidence that enmeshes me?"
 Today hand lightly touched his arm. The doctor looked. He looked down into the smiling, upturned face of 8 little woman by his side. And in that face and in that wstful, grave little smile of | hope and encouragement and of good cheer the accused man read the answer to his problem.
 For after the last shred of the masses of testimony shall have been threshed out to the last degree. after the final words for and against the man accused of an almost unparalleled series of crimes shall have been spoken, and long after | the jury shall have retired to It's room | to ponder upon it's verdict, 1t will be the face of Mrs. Frances Swope Hyde that will finger longest in the memory of every man of the 12, and it will be her testimony that will have the great est effect upon the doctor's case.
 The Trend of Things
 It is very easy. as one sits in the crowd in the court room day after day, watching the everchanging events that will mean either life or ignominious death to the prisoner at bar-it is very easy to observe the trend of things and 1t is easy to in what direction the clever, resourceful attorneys for pr. Hyde are attempting to turn the thoughts of the inscrutable men in the jury box. pr. Hydes name Is spoken by these lawyers in their cross-examination of the witnesses only when absolutely necessary. But the name of Mrs. Hyde is almost continually upon the lips of the lawyers of the defense.
 Was Mrs. Hyde In the room at the timer" What did Mrs. Hyde say to you at such and such timer" are the ques- tions asked most frequently, and at the mention of the name the voice of the lawyer is lowered perceptibly and there comes a tenderness of infection that of ha | untarily to the faithful little woman, and their faces soften as they look at her. Her face Is deadly white, with the ap- proach of motherhood. Today there were cruel lines in the face; there were dark rings under the eyes; there were deep ridges extending from the corners of the mouth down toward the chin. The suffering is telling on the little woman.
 Smile of Confidence
 She smiles, not continually but fre- quently; at times her black gloved hand is placed confidently on her husbands arm or about his neck. She is always trustful, loving wife and her devotion to the man on trial Is most marked.
 Her own mother. her sisters and her only living brother will take the stand, probably before the present week has end ed and will by their testimony do their best toward starting Bennett Clark Hyde on the walk that shall end at the scaf- folds top.
 Then Mrs. Francis Swope Hyde will take the stand and by her testimony do her best to have restored to her and to the child that soon will be hers, the hus- band and father
 One week has been taken in the presen- tation of the testimony of the states case against Dr. Hyde. Half a dozen wit <ha and Thn ofafa will put 40 or 50 men and women on the stand before they rest their case Two witnesses only-both of them women have given important testimony. These witnesses have been Pearl Kellar and An nie Houlihan, both trained nurses. These are the most important points that have been brought:
 Adverse Points 1. That Col. Thomas H. Swope died fol- lowing a convusion. and that the con vulsion followed within 15 or 20 minutes of the time of a capsule given by Dr. Hyde was taken.
 2. That Moss Hunton had something closely resembling convuson before he died.
 3. That Chrisman Swope. apparently on the road to recovery, was seized with convulsion soon after Dr. Hyde an nounced that he had given the patient capsule.
 4. That some hours later another cap- sue was given Chrisman Swope at Dr. Hyde's order: that 15 minutes later Chris man Swope was seized with a convulsion in all respects similar to that suffered by Colonel Swope and that Chrisman Swope died within period of a few hours.
 5. That Margaret Swope, i'll with typhoid fever, took capsule at pr. Hyde's or der. and that she, too, had a convulsion that, while not severe as those suffered by the Colonel and Chrsnan Swope was in all respects very like them.
 6. That Stella Swopeo, then in perfect health, was given box of candy by pr. Hyde, that exactly seven days later she was stricken with typhoid fever. the con- tention of the state being that the candy was inoculated with typhoid fever germs.
 :. That Dr. Hyde was active in his min istrations upon the patients, although he was not the doctor in charge.