Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-07-08
.DUEL Of WORDS
MARKS REbUTTAL
in ORPET CASE


WAUKEGAN, July 7.-Dr. Ralph w |
Webster, toXicologist, engaged in a
prolonged duel of verbal rapier thrusts
today with Ralph F. Potter, who, with
Thomas H. Wilkerson is defending Will
H. Orpet, a college student, against a
charge of numbering Marion Lambert,
a high school girl. with potassium cy-
anide on February last.
The defense rested its case during
the forenoon and rebuttal began. Mrs.
Margaret Youker rebutted the testi-
mony of her sister, Dorothy Mason, who
testified for the defense. and for the
rest of the day DR.. Webster was en-
gagged in defending the testimony which
he gave for the prosecution early in
the trial.
Hours were consumed in the most
delicate play of words and phrases. Mr..
Potter was trying to get the witness
to admit that he had not known" alb
solutely when he testified that poison
found in the Orpet ash heap was cyan
ide of potassium.
The technical point involved was the
sufficiency of the analysis of which
DR.. Webster based his statement that
the substance was 40 per cent potas-
SUM cyanide. He analysed for cyanide
and found it. Also he found trace of
| potassium. He ascertained by analysis,
| the quantity of cyanide, and from that
merely calculated the amount of po-
| tassium The calculation proved
| wrong, according to testimony of three
| chemists introduced yesterday by the
defense. DR.. Webster did not look for
sodium in the substance but they did
and they found that it was really cy-
anide of sodium. with only a trace Of
| potassium.
| Il had no interest in whether there
was potassium or sodium; | was ana
| lying for cyanide" said the witness.
What l testified to as a states wit
ness was what l knew then, and what
| believe now are two different things"
Answering a hypothetical question in
which the analysis of the defense chem
lists was assumed to be correct, witness
said that to get the cyanide of potas-
SUM which was found in Marion's
stomach she would have had to have
taken more than two pounds of the
| substance taken from the OTpel ASH
heap, or to have drunk a two quart
solution made of it.
Mrs. Youker admitted having aided
in an attempt by States Attorney Dady
and his associate, David r. Josly, to
trap Orpet in a confession shortly after
his arrest. She is married to brother
of Miss Celestia Youker, with whom
Orpet testified he had an understanding
in the nature of an engagement.
Attorney Joslyn, she admitted, draft
ed letter to Orpet. 1t was copied with
little change by Celestia, who signed
her name and dispatched it by Mrs
Youker to Orpet at the Waukegan jail
The letter requested him for the good
of all concerned, if he were guilty, to
make a clean breast of it. Orpet re-
piled as follows:
Dear Celestia:
Your letter is all bunk Whatever
Ioslyn says is n - lie. | am awfully
sorry you fell for it. Even if your
faith is not enough to counterfeit the
states attorneys story | can still fight
it out alone. Goodbye, then. l an
sorry for the trouble this has caused
you and I'm glad you have showed me
this now. Don't come near here. I've
got enough to stand without having
you dragged into the papers. l hav,
told the truth