New-York tribune., 1911-01-19
mrs. SCHENK'S ORDEAL
CAUSES HER COLLAPSE
Recess Is Taken as Alleged
Poisoner Is Led,0ut'of
Courtroom.
WOMEN BARRED FR0MtTR'AL
Anger Has No Effect on Judge-'
Defence Will Call Every
Physician in Wheeling
to the Stand,

wheeling. W. Va, Jan. lS-Mrs. LauI >
Farnsworth Schenk collapsed To-Day u'",
the ordeal Of the trial in Whl'h SIC -
charged with administering poison 10 Hei
wealthy husband, John Q. SchenN. an
noyr before the usual hour for ADJOURN
ro,n, she had 10 be led 10 her room IN 'he
Vail unable 10 withstand the strain. Noul'
.ooL a recess. and the trial was tempo
rarily suspended.
-rbro,,sho,t the trial and since Mrs.
s,bonI,s arrest. on November 9, she mas
,6isplavel a nerve that has repeatedly 'een
remarked When apparently oaHlfA'" :
tes,irony was being offered against her II
failed 10 disturb her beyond Shght eN-
bibirion Of nervousness. She has smiled
a various physicians declared that S'"e"A
was in because he drank poisoned miherdl
water. and displayed apparent indihereh'e
when expert chemists told hat the water
contained arsenic and that other medicines
were charged with lead poison. Wnen
detective nurse testified that the accused
woman offered 70 pay her $LcoJ 70 admin
lister roiscned pill Mrs Schenk met the
c,ances Of the witness with sneers.
Nothing q the previous startling nature
was brought out in court to-day. only phy'
siciars being examined.
Asks for Drink Of Water.
MIS-. scherk had not been looking as vel
all day as on previous days Of the cour'
sessions and suddenly toward the closing
hour she leaned over 10 Frank O'Brien. one
Of her attorneys. and asked him TO get her
a glass oc water. She gulped it down. and
Il was only few moments before she SAID
10 another attorney. For Gods sake. get a
IeT minutes recess
TIE request was granted, and Mrs.
Scnerk was taken 10 the county jail, Where
she became violently nauseated and showed
symptoms of fainting. \ county physician
was called. but II was fifteen minutes be-
fore she was able 10 return 20 the court
room. and she was weak and nervous dur
ing the short interval between her return
and the adjournment OF court.
on two occasions during the afternoon
she vept and her handkerchief was kept
almost constantly 10 her eyes.
When asked as 70 the illness OF Mrs.
Scherk J. J. p. O'Brien. chief counsel for
the defence. said: The attack tonight
was nothing serious The courtroom was
simply stUfty the woman was annoyed by
the constant stare day after day Of hun
Greds Of curious persons and she became i'll
through the strain She is not worried at
the outcome OF the trial. and will 5c all
right tomorrow"
Mrs Schenk herself would not discuss her
sudden illness.
Hundreds Of curious women were sorely
disappointed at the announcement Of Judge
L. S. Jordan to-day that he deemed II best
for the moral interests of the community
that women should be excluded from tht
trial hereafter The orders were carried
out this afternoon, and aside frome Mrs
Schenk there was AT no time a woman ir
the courtroom. Many harsh things were
said 10 the deputy sheriffs when the womer
were informed that they must step out OF
line, as they would not be admitted
More Than 100 Doctors to Testify.
Mr.. ORrien announced just before ad
tournment tonight that every physician il
the Wheeling district would be summoned
by the defence. Or J W Myers declared
on the stand Tuesday that he had sold lead
poison 70 Mrs. Schenk. and that she haG
todd him on the night she is alleged 10 have
attempted 10 hribe the detective nurse tha'
she had bought two ounces Of Fowler:
solution OF arsenic from another source
i is the-purpose Of the defence in summon
ing over one hundred doctors to show thai
none Of them sold poison 10 Mrs S-henk.