The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-01-12
THE SCHENK TRIAL
Jury Quickly Secured in
Case Against Wife.
HER DEFENSE is OUTLINED
Declares She is Victim of Conspiracy
and Has Been Hounded by
Brother.in-Law in Endeav-
or TO Part Them.
HER DEFENSE IS OUTLINED

Wheeling, w. Va. Jan. 10. - The
Jury was quickly secured to try Mrs
Laura Farnsworth Schenk, charged
with attempting to poison her hus
band, a millionaire pork packer, John
/ o. Schenk.
The opening statement to the jury
for the defense was made by J. p.
OBrien, while Prosecutor Handlan
spoke for the prosecution.
Laura Schenk Is the victim OF a
conspiracy. and the head Of that con
splracy has been Albert Schenk. the
brother OF John o. Schenk." said j.
p. O'Brlen in his opening statement
to the jury.
Wife Hounded BY His Brother.
Continuing, he said: This weak
woman has been bounded by Albert
Schenk, and her arrest for a crime OF
which she Is not guilty was at the In.
stigation Of her brotherin-law. Ever
since Laura Schenk and her husband
were united In marriage Albert
/ Schenk has endeavored to part them.
On more than one occasion he has
I forced her to leave the Schenk meat
store when she stopped to see her
husband. We know that Mrs Schenk
Is not guilty of the crime for which
she Is being tried. II is true, we ad-
nit. that poison was administered to
John o. Schenk, but his wife knew
nothing OF II. 1t was given him, but
Mrs. Schenk's hand was not the one
that gave It.
Mrs. Schenk was compelled to go
on; into the world and earn her own
living when she was eight years OF
age. When a girl Of but sixteen she
fell in love with John o. Schenk. and
the couple we're married in Chicago
but 1t was a year after that when
John o. Schenk let his people know
that he had married Laura Farms
worth"
Albert Schenk, whom Mr.. O'Brien
charges with being the head OF the
conspiracy, IS himself a millionaire,
and several years ago was a candidate
for the United States senate against
Senator n. B. Scott.
Says State VIII Prove Charge.
In his opening address to the jury
]. b. Handlan, prosecuting attorney
said that the state would prove that
Mrs. Schenk not only administered ar
senic to her husband, but also sugar Of
lead, and that the motive she had for
killing him was that she might secure
all the money he had.
I'VE will also prove" he declared
that she made an agreement with an
attendant of Mr.. Schenk whereby she
was to pay this attendant a certain
sum Of money II the attendant would
administer a certain poison pill, suffi-
Client to have killed him Immediately.
The defense will claim that this
woman is the victim Of a base con-
spiracy, but such is not the case. The
defense will say that Mrs. Schenk is
insane, but this Is preposterous. For
sixteen years she has lived in this
city, and never once has she shown
signs OF insanity. SO desperate was
she that she did not hesitate to poison
her husband and place poison in such
places that It might have been the
cause OF the death of attendants OF
Mr.. Schenk and even Of her own two
children.
"The state will prove that a year
ago John o. Schenk was a man OF
more than ordinary physique. but to-
day he is the wreck Of man. his VI
tails having been eaten away by the
poison that was given him by his
wife"