Evening star., 1916-05-23
Prosecution Shows Effects OF
Arsenic Poisoning on
Millionaire Peck.
PRISONER is NERVOUS
AT TRIAL IN NEW YORK
Strain Is Apparent When Witnesses
Describe Death of Accused Dem
lists Father-in-Law.

NEW YORK, May 23.-The state con-
tinued to pile up medical testimony to-
day as the foundation of it's case
against DR.. Arthur Warren Waite.
charged with numbering his father-in-
law, John E. Peck of Grand Rapids.
Mich. Mr.. Peck was reputed to be a
millionaire, and the theory of the prose-
cution was that the defendant COM
mitted murder so that he might fall heir
to the Peck fortune.
DR.. Albertus A. Moore. the physician
who attended Mr.. Peck before his death
at the Waites' apartment in New York
had not finished his testimony under
cross-examination when the first ses-
sion of the trial adjourned yesterday
Other medical witnesses summoned
by the prosecution today were DR.. Per-
cy Schurtz of Grand Rapids. the Pecks
family physician; Dr. Otto II. Schultze
county medical examiner, who was sent
to Grand Rapids to investigate the
case. and DIR. Victor Vaughn, patholo-
gist of the University of Michigan.
Mrs. Dorothy Van Palmenberg. for
mer intimate friend of Mrs. Margaret
Horton. with whom Waite shared a
studio" apartment, arrived shortly
before court convened. 1t was expect
ed she would be a witness for the
state.
Mrs. Clara Louise Peck Waite, wife
of the prisoner, was not in court when
the hearing was resumed: but 1t was
said she probably would be called soon
to testify against her husband.
Prisoners Relatives in Court.
Percy Peck. son of John E. Peck: his
wife and Miss Catherine Peck, the
aged aunt from whom Waite is alleged
to have obtained more than $4,000 for
purposes of investment" were in
and Frank Waite. respectively father
and brother of the prisoner.
DR.. Vaughn, who made an analysis
of the organs of Mr.. Peck after the
autopsy was ordered at Grand Rapids
was the first witness called today. He
described in minute detail the enects
of the arsenical poisoning on Waite's
victim.
DR.. Waite sat with bowed head and
his gaze directed at the floor while DR.
Vaughn was testifying. His paleness
betrayed his nervous tension wher
John E. Peck's body were produced
DR.. Vaughn swore he found two and a
half grains of arsenic in Mr.. Peck S
stomach and amounts of it too small
10 WolSn III OIueE nc uCSSI iuSO
the effect of the poison upon the body.
DR.. Otto H. Schultze. medical exam
iner for the district attorney of New
York, next testified concerning his visit
to Grand Rapids to investigate Peck's
death.
No Arsenic in Embalming Fluid.
DR.. Stanley R. Benedict, professor of
chemistry at the Cornell Medical School,
who was next called, corroborated the
testimony of DR.. Vaughn as to the pres
ence of arsenic in the body. DR.. Bene-
dict added that in examining a part
of the brain of the dead man he found
an unmistakable trace of chloroform.
Later he examined the embalming fluid
used. but found no trace of chloroform
trict attorney. paid $4,000 to the Peck
undertaken to swear that the embalm-
ing fluid contained arsenic.
Reputed Admissions of Waite.
Aside from the address of the dis
trict attorney, in which he recited
Waite's life history and gave a COM
plete resume of the circumstances
leading up to the crime to which
Waite already has confessed, the out
S1dnQlHS AcdtuIC VI tliC lildi ScSlcI =
day afternoon was the testimony of
DT. Moore. Waite, the witness de-
clared. admitted to him he had pur-
chased arsenic for his seventy-two-
year-old father-in-law because the
old gentleman didn't want to live"
Previously, when suspicion first was
directed to Waite. DIR. Moore said the
accused dentist had telephoned to
him and asked him if he (Dr. Moore)
thought they could hold him lWaite)
for the death of Mr.. Peck because a
nurse had not been engaged to attend
the aged victim"
Waite asked me-" said DIR. Moore,
"if arsenic administered before death
would show in an autopsy. as dis
tinguished from the same poison when
used in embalming fluid"
The witness said he replied that the
poison would be discernible in the
brain If administered before death.
In his opening address District At
torney Swami declared that Waite
hastened his victims last moments by
applying to his nostrils a handker-
chief soaked with chloroform.
Upon crossexamination DR.. Moore
was questioned regarding the mental
condition of the defendant after he
had taken drugs on the night after
Mr.. Peck died.