Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-14

again and again. why? Whve Wbv2
Why did YOU come? You brought no
relief; YOU brought no medicine: Won
brought no tenderness words OF
love Why did you Gomez"
Left Letters Ia BE Mailed.
On Feb S Orpet at Madison left
thre" letters. post-dated Feb ., with
his friend, Otto Peterson. to he mailed
on the latter date. One was to his
mother, one to Marian, and the third
70 Marian's friend. Josephine Davis
Ihey we're woTded to make il appear
that the writer was in Madison on
FEB. 9, the DAY he kept his tryst in the
woods with Marian, and she came to
her death
Orpet explained on the stand that
the alibi letters. as they came TO he
known. were written so that if by acct
dent he were seen al Lake Forest and
word OF the fact reached Marian's par
onts, who objected to him. or his own
parents. who expected him to remain
faithful 10 college duties at Madison,
theN would accept the letters as con
elusive evidence to the contrary. The
letter 10 Josephine was to corroborate
that 10 Marian. Josephine testified
that she never received it.
on the afternoon Of the eighth, in a
dark overcoat which he said he had
borrowed TO wear with a dress suit
TO party which he expected to attend
on the 18th, carrying the bottle of mo-
lasses and water in his pocket and
leaving behind him the alibi letters
and bed rumpled TO deceive his land
lady. the student proceeded by way Of
Milwaukee. where he spent half hour
or so between trains, to Lake Forest.
Arriving there ne arranged by tele-
phone 10 meet Marian on her way 10
school the next morning. walked about
for a while to make certain that his
parents had retired. and entered the
Mccormick garage where he spent the
night on a cot.
Met in the Woods.
In the morning he and Marian met
and walked through the snow into the
woods. Orpet testified that there was
,ittle conversation, and he could recol-
lect only the purport of it. He offered
her the medicine" and she refused it.
He started to leave but she called him
back and asked if he was going to
write to her any more. He said there
seemed to be no use of it, and started
away again
Something made me look around
I don't know what-and | saw Marian
lying in the snow" related the defend
ant on the stand Il returned, kneeIed
over her for maybe a minute. | no
ticed the moist powder in the lines of
her hand. Her eyes were glazed Then
a kind OF fog came on my brain and l
don't remember much after that except
that on reaching the road threw away
the medicine and made my way on
foot to Highland Park, caught train.
and that evening arrived back at
Madison"
Marian was missed that night and
her body found the next morning.
Orpet was arrested and told numerous
conflicting stories prior to the trial,
these being used against him at the
trial During his cross eX. N7inatiOn, !
which lasted three DAYS, he rd1eatedly !
took refuge in Il don't remember He
spoke in d low voice, with apparently
studied effort. but nevertheless became
involved at times and extricated him
self by correcting my previous testi
mOny" His manner was nervous, and
he rarely looked at his inquisiOr, At
tOrnev JOslvn.
Early in the case the state developed
the theory that Orpet purchased a two
ounce bottle from Charles Hassinger,
friend employed in a drug store at
Madison, obtained cyanide of potassium
from an dileSVu supply III the SIttii- ,
house on the Mccormick estate. and
made d solution Of it before retiring to
bed in the garage. It was charged that
he either forced Marian TO take it, or
deceived her with the explanation that
il was medicine.
The fact that young Orpet might
have obtained the greenhouse cyanide
had its parallel in the laboratory Of the
DeerGCld high school attended by Mar
ian. The instrument of murder and the
instrument of suicide were equally ,
available. The laboratory substance I
was 81 per cent pure cyanide of pOtas-
SUM Marian, on the day before her
death. was alone in the laboratory, out .
of hours. in violation Of a school rule .
The parallel of knowledge of cyanide .
did not run so straight Orpet. accord /
ing to his testimony, had not looked .
at a chemistry text book for two years I
while Marian's next lesson, which she .
was preparing. included the subject Of
cyanide Of potassium. Orpet. however
knew Of its use in the greenhouse a IS a .
fumigator. and had read an article on
its use in horticulture.