Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-07-12
WEAVER Is HELD FOR SECOND
DEGREE MURDER AND FOR
MISUSE OF THE MAILS.

At the hearing before Probate
Judge Fuller, Ray Weaver was
held to answer to the charge Of
second degree murder in connection
with the death from poison Of
Lena Speers. The examination Of
witnesses was conducted by County
Attorney Boutwell,, who introduced
a letter received by the family Of
the dead girl after her death from
the accused, in which he wrote
that he was sending what he called
dope" in box of candy to re-
lieve her. The witnesses after
wards found she had received in a
box of candy a bottle containing oil
of tansy from which she died three
hours afterwards. The epistle
was as follows:
Dearest: I am going to send
you that dope told you about.
Take about two-thirds of a tea
spoonful and you will be o. K. 1t
isn't hard to take so don't be
afraid of it. | will be down just
as soon as I possibly can. will
send that dope in box Of candy,but
you had better not let Irene see
it. Bye bye, dearest; will write
more next time. R. w"
Edna Weaver, a sister, gave dam
aging testimony against her brother
saying that at his request before
his departure for the state of
Washington she mailed a package |
for him from the Bull postoffice adj
dressed to the dead girl; that she /
called at the office after mailing |
it, and out Of curiosity opened it, I
found the poison inside and then
mailed it again.
Half a dozen witnesses testified 70
the circumstances of the mailing
and receipt of the package by the
girl, Dr.. J. L. Bensen to the fact
of the death and Dr.. Chas. F.
Zeller to the fact Of finding oil
of tansy in her stomach. The de-
fense offered no evidence, although
attorney w. G. Bissell was present
in behalf of the accused. The
latter sat through the hearing
with a hand over his face most Of
the ,ime. Judge Fuller sat in the
District Court room for the accom-
mediation Of an expected crowd,
which, however, did not materialize
at the hearing.
Pauline Maple, a young woman Of
Buhl, testified that she walked a
part of the way home with Ray /:
just before he left for the state
of Washington, when he told her !
that he was in trouble and that he /
said he intended to go away to
avoid scandal, mentioning the oil {
of talnsy that he had sent to his {
sweetheart. Miss Alma E. Lingham 5
and Miss Betsy Jane Parker, both I
clerks in the Buhl postoffiee, cor t
federated Miss Weaver's testimony /
as to the mailing Of the fatal pack {
age. t
After hearing argument on Tues e
day Judge Fuller stated that the t
prisoner could be admitted to bail 1
in the sum of $1,000. The priv i
ilege was not availed of, however,
because of the fact that in the
event of Weaver's release he might c
be arrested by the United States o
for violating the pos T.
al laws in transmitting poison L
through the mails. 5
Weaver in Jail. u
When seen in jail, Weaver said "
o a reporter: I never should I
lave attempted to leave the
country and l know that this is
he only serious reason to think L
hat | deliberately tried to poison Il
.ena, but | didn't leave because | u
vas afraid of the poison but be- :
ause didn't want that there
hould be any scandal raised for the
iris sake in case her condition
hould have been discovered.
This was my motive for leaving III
nd I could prove this by another X
irl friend at Bull, but l don't wan hi
0 bring her name into it. am l.
7illing to face the consequences W
nd would not run away if they W
Tould turn nee out. l would have of
married. her if the oil if tansy had Ja
OF given relief and made no at ra
smpt to keep the fact secret that us