Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-26
fendsnt Collapses at the Close Of
Hard Ordeal.
JRPosE ASSERTED COLD.BLOoDED
\ ife Denounced in Scsthing Terms
and Bitter Language.
PER ATTORNEYS ASK SYMPATHY
wyers for Defense Dwell on Unre-
liability OF CircumstantiHI Evil
dence-Character of states
witnesses Attacked.

WHEELING, w. Va, Jan. &-When
prosecutor J. B. Hsndlsn concluded his
argument to the jury this afternoon the
end OF the trial Of Mrs. Laura Farnsworth
schenk. charged with poisoning her hus-
band. John o. Schenk, had been reached
and her fate was in the hands of the
jury, which Immediately retired.
At 5 o'clock the jury had not returned
a verdict and when a deputy sheriff went
to the jury room to take the jurors TO sup
per. he found them with their coats off
and apparently In the height OF a heated
discussion. The jury asked half an hour
more before going to supper in which time
they expected TO reach some decision. AT
the end of the half hour they had no def
mite answer TO submit and were taken
out to the evening meal with instructions
to oreturn at I:30 and continue delibeTa-
tions Judge Jordan announced that he
would walt until l am. when, II no YER
Dict was reached the jury would be
locked up
Mrs. Schenk COllapses.
Shortly after Prosecutor Handlan fin
ished his argument and the jury was re-
tiring Mrs. Schenk collapsed and was led
| from the court room between her altar
ney, J, ]. p. O'Brien and Deputy Sheriff
/ Thomas Kelly Her face was swollen and
distorted almost beyond recognition by her
constant sobbng. 1t was only when the
arguments were begun, when sympathy
was asked for her by her attorneys that
she gave way.
She had retained her composure during
the scathing comments upon the states
witnesses by the last OF her attorneys to
speak S. o. Boyce, but again gave way
| under the bitter invective and fierce ar
/ ragnment of Prosecutor Handlan. The
accused woman fell heavily forward on
the table early in the argument.
Mr. Handlan asked the jury to show no
mercy to a woman who had deliberately
violated her marriage VOWS, snaring young
Dan Phillips with her wiles and had then
coldiy. calmly plotted to kill by slow poison
the husband who had given her a name,
had lavishcd upon her automobiles, costly
clothing, Jewels and everything which the
heart OF woman could desire Her heart
is flint" he shouted. utterly incapable
Of human sympathy, love or affection, Give
her back to her children that she may
containinate and degrade them with her
presence? My God, gentlemen, you know
this woman is guilty as hi itself and
there is but one place for her.
Had COId-BIOOded Purpose.
"Ons OF the most horrible things It has
was when this woman looked upon the
murder of her husband in the cold -blooded
light ~ simple proposition. When un.
successful herself she offered another s., ,OOC
to do the work for her
"Coldly calmly, fiendishly she asked the
woman of whom she would have made g
tool to place the poisoned medicine beside
her unsuspectng husbands bedside thai
he might reach out in the dim light OF tn,
sick room in the night and swallow 4
himself
, But even this was not the climax o
the fierdishness of that woman sittinI
there That came when she contemptuouslS
referred to the sisters OF charity at tn,
hospital where her husband was lying a
the point OF death who were going abou
on their erraEds of mercy and charity a.
black yelled hypccrites.' That was tn,
acme of all, a foul mouthed harpy such a
she to speak OF those as far above her a.
heaven is above the underworld as 'hypo
critics while they were doing all in thei
power for him whom she thought to slay
Mr.. Handlan himself was almost over
come with his strenuous day, following
the long strain of the trial and at the con
. cluslon OF his address ne went to his hom
for a rest.
5. o. Boyce concluded the arguments 10
the defense at the morning session an,
! dwelt principally on the untenability O
n | circumstantinl evidence, as well as speak
+ ing In scathing terms OF witnesses whom
y the state had brought into the court room
to convict an innocent woman with a
C alleged tissue Of lies