Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-02-05
Los ANGELES
POISON Case
up FOR TRIAL

Los Angeles, Cal, Feb. 3.-The
Grondin case, n of the most battling
cases Of alleged murder with which
the police Of Los Angeles have had
to deal in a long time was given. its
first airing in court today, when
John H. Grondin was arraigned for a
preliminary hearing on a charge Of
having murdered his wife by poison.
The hearing was q necessary formal.
ity incidental to holding the accused
husband to await the action of the
grand jury. Meanwhile both sides
are going forward with preparations
for what promises to be one of the
most sensational and hardest fought
legal battles in the court records of
this county. +
/ Mrs. Grondin was found dead on
Oct. 30, last, and it is now learned
that ar investigation into the circum.
stances of her death was begun a
few weeks later, hut it was not until
January "a that the husband was
taken into custodyaand awcharge Sof
wife murder laid against him.
Both the accused and his alleged
victim we're natives of Waterville,
Me-, and lived in the state Of Maine
from the time of their marriage until
about Year ago, when they removed
to Los Angeles because of Mrs. Gron'
din's health. John H. Grondin at.
tended school in Waterville and for
some years vas employed by a pub
fishing firm in that city. Later he
studied medicine and then attended
an enbalming school in New York.
Mrs. Grondin, who was 81 years OF
age, was the daughter of George A,
Davinu, a druggist Of W~atervllle. AT.
ter their marriage the couple resided
for some years in Lewiston, Me Two
children were born, both of whom are
now with the parents of the accused
husband in Watcrville.
When Mrs. Grondin was found dead
Grondin made public a note, which,
he said. had been written by his
wife, and left as an explanation of
her alleged suicide. It contained an
admission Of infldelity. and the hope
that he would be happy with "the wo-
man who truly loved him." The cor
oner's jury that investigated Mrs.
Grondin's death accepted the note as
genuine and reported that her death
was due to asphyxiation with suicidal
intent"
When Nj. Daviau, father of the
dead woman, learned of the note he
Immediately begun an investigation.
About tile same time there arrived
here from Maine a widow, in whom
.Grondin was said to be interested.
This led the authorities to reopen
the case. Meanwhile Grondin was
under surveillance and was arrested
when the district attorney announced
that poison had been found in Mrs.
Grondin's body, which was exhumed,
a week or ten days ago.
The day after Grondin S arrest his
attorneys caused something of a SEN
sation by declaring that the third
Degree" with a ghost" as the central
figure. had been applied by the police
in a futile attempt to obtain a confess
sion from the accused husband. The
police denied that they had used the
so.called third degree on GrQndin.
Attorneys say that when the case
comes to trial it will be a battle be.
tween handwriting experts, who have
examined the Suicide note" which
Grondil alleges his wife wrote. OF
two handwriting experts who exam.
ined the note, one declared positively
that it had been written by Grondin,
while the other was equally positive
that it had been written by Mrs.
Grondin. One of the experts repre-
scented the prosecution and the other
the defense.