South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-10
MRS. COFFEEN BACK ON
STAND IN SUHL CASE
Dauqhter of Defendant Fails to
Recall Her Remarks After
Fathers Death.

Mrs. Coffeen. daughter of Mrs. Au-
gusta Suhl, was placed on the wit
ness stand for further cross-eXamina-
ton Thursday morning in the trial of
her mother. At the time of her direct
examination and first cross-examina-
ton Mrs Coffeen had been indefinite
in her answers as TO what she knew
concerning the possibility of Mrs. Suhl
having poisoned her father. Her an
swers were much the same Thursday
morning.
Pros. Montgomery asked her if she
did not remember having told MN
and the coroner, previous TO the
autopsy over the body OF her father,
that if arsenic were found in his stom- !
ach she and her husband were ready |
TO furnish proof that he had been
poisoned. She replied that she may
have said that
She Can't Remember.
She was asked also if she did not
remember that after the autopsy
when the prosecutor AMI the coroner
had visited her and told of the re
suits of the autopsy and had said
that they had come for the proof that
she had promised that she had an
swered that she had nothing TO say as
il was her mother. The witness re- !
piled that she may have said that.
She was asked if she did not re-
member having told a neighbor that |
she could tell a lot about her mother /
but Ser the fact that she was her {
mother The witness replied 10 this |
also that she might have said it. TO |
other questions bearing on other de- |
tails that had been brought out in |
the course of the trial her answer for |
the most part was that she did not |
remember.
Mrs. Eli Hickey testified for the de- |
fense that she had accompanied Mrs. !
Suhl on a trip TO town at about the |
time when Ed. Higgins had talked /
with Mrs. Suhl at her home accord |
ing TO his testimony for the state |
on cross examination the witness said |
that she could not be certain concern |
ing the time and that the trip to I
town may have been made the follow /
ing day or perhaps two days later |
than had been brought out in the di- /
rect examination.
Undertaken Used No Arsenic.
Considerable time was spent in the |
direct examination and the cross-ex
animation of Harry Yerrick, under /
taker. who had prepared the body of !
Mr.. Suhl for burial. He testified that !
when the embalming fluid was inject /
ed into the abdominal cavity IL was |
sought to inject it into the stomach.
He said that about a quart of fluid |
had been used in the abdominal |
cavity and a gallon had been injected /
into he arteries. He testified also
that Mrs. SuhI had purchased a ceme-
terry lot from him and that she had |
made at one time a payment of S14
on this lot. The inference on this
statement was that this payment was
made with the money which Mrs. Suhl /
had received from employees of the
Singer Co. for the purpose of buying
flowers and which she had received
with the declared intention OF putting
'on a lot"
II was sought TO show by the testi-
mOny Of Yerrick and also by the tcsti-
mony of Otto Arnold his assistant.
that there might have been arsenic
in the embalming fluid which was
used by them on Mr.. SuhFs body
Their testimony was 10 the effect that
there were arsenical and nOn-arsenic-
al embalming fluids but that so far
as they knew they had never used the
former kind. Details were also gone
into 10 show the possibility OF arsenic
having been in the receptacle in
which the embalming fluid had been
diluted and mixed at the Suhl home.
but nothing specific was gained by the
defense on that point.
DIT. f. 3. Eastman. DR.. L. G. Gallo
way and Or. +. X. Myers were put on
the stand as impeaching witnesses
concerning DR. II. A. Fink. who at
tended Mr. Suhl.
Whisky and Arsenic
Mrs Rosie NJ G. Warner testified
that she had been acquainted with
MIR. Suhl from having bought milk
from him. She said that on one Oc-
casion. when he was delivering milk.
she had told him OF an ailment which
her husband had and that he had
then advised her to use arsenic and
whisky which he said he knew
would be a good medicine for her
husband. She said that he advised
the use Of a teaspoon nearly full OF
arsenic 10 a pint OF whisky and that
ne offered TO get the whisky for her
She declared however. that she did
not let him get the whisky for she
was not willing TO use the remedy.