Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-01-18
Famous Trials
MRS. ROBERT RAY HAMILTON

MRS. ROBERT RAY HAMILTON
It is not often that a domestic squab
BILE among the socially prominent ap-
proaches near to the tragic. This was
the case when Aug. %, 1889, Mrs.
Robert Ray Hamilton seriously stabbed
her nurse with a dagger while they were
residing is Atlantic City at a fashionable
hotel. This was brought about because
the nurse had interfered while Mrs Ham
ilton was brutally beating her husband
with an un1brell a. Mr. Hamilton was an
aristocratic New Yorker, and was for
tight years a member of the Assembly,
from that state. Ht was a great-grand-
son # Alexander Hamilton, the victim of
the fatal bullet fired by Aaron Burr in
the historical due.
The wourded nurse was Mary Ann
Donnely. ard the wound inflicted upon
her by the Infatuated Mrs. Hamilton for
meGGinA in wha4 tht wife considtred her
own / 5rs0hai rights, came very neSr
proving fatal The. unfortunate wotnans
boy was s'ashed open below the ri s
! AMI fearful CASH three inches lorg was
theft5y made
! The sta Cing affary eausfd a erea:
sensation in the weil-knowa city BY tag
| eea, afl the city officials place both
! the husband aud VIE under !o-iS anc
/ key. Mrs hamilton had ben - c!efe
| / nher secretirg OF the dagger that it re
Guired d org ae rc1 before it was f:nr!-
| " founl fifi-, in The closet in the bed
roG'n, With the blood removed carefully
from the ba.te.
For some time the nurse hay bet77qa7
/ HE and d5aih. vii le Mrs Rob r. Ray
was confined st Mays Landing In
county scat. The husband made every
possI>lo effort 70 obtain hail. but "Jer-
sey Justice" would not permit Of his
| laT rt1I7, ,st,a -
| indictment C. Mrs TaTiton on sept Is
On the opening day Of tire rial, q t. S
| Hamilton testified Cir city in his wifc's
favcsr and to the fact that the ntlr-e ll9el
been extremely aggressive il ADDITION t.
being urtIer the influence Of liquor.
Tie calling of Mrs Hamilton furn .sa-
cd the opportunity of cern-oninz ner to
tell sofne very interesting thinsi4 :tbout
her personal career. To heigllten this sen
satienal stabbirg the nurse. during TIE
trial testified that the baby Beatrice
was not the child of Mrs. Harnilt,o-i
tut Instead the woman had purchase6
it in order to carry out certain pro
ftable design
Mary Donnery's testimony rurthel
brought cut that the Hamitons ha(
quarretI On the day of the stabbing. a:
10 which Of the franks was to leave the
house first, they intended leaving At
I n.
, when she entered the room she foun
, that Mrs. Hamilton had torn her hus
bands clothes from his body and tina
he had wrapped himhelf in a sheet Will,
the Infatuated wife administered her UNI
brella blows
Mrs. Hamiton's defense was that sh.
was afraid that the nurse was going t.
D kill her When the husband was called il
, his wife's defense there was a sensatfc1
| Or,
. facing Mrs Hamilton, and a.wavs re
ferred to her as the defendant He flat
ly contradicted the purses testimony Il
a number Of particulars. He added tina
when the nurse came in she was irtoxt
Gated and called the defendant a vii
4 When the prosecuting attorney aske
: Hamilton what was the cause of the GUAR
, rel between himself and his wife, he re
: piled II had Bought two tickets for Ne1
York, one return ticket for my wifi
: and tine other for myself and she object
ed to my having bought two tickets"
r When she and Nurse DonneIly," con
d tinued Hamilton, each had her finger i
i the ether ones mouth. I ordered til
! nurse out Of the room. Because the de
PENDENT had discharged her 1 told he
she must go and she refused Mrs. Hamil
n ton afterward showed me number
d bruises on her arms and body which Mr.
Z DC nheily must nave inflicted In the strus
gle"
Mrs. Hamilton was called to testif
in her own defense. She claimed tbs
l. the nurse had threatened t. kill he
y not once but repeatedly The presecu
i ing attorney gave her an urnnercifl
cross examination, bringing out all IL
seaIny side Of her career up to the tin
she had met Hamilton previous to II
y stabbing. When the prosecuting attornt
II asked her the uestion. Are you the m,
= Their of Beatrice Hamilton?" she refuse
to answer
It required only two days testimor
to conclude the case, and on Sent.
after the jury had found her guilty. jude
j. Reade sentenced Mrs. E1vangeline Har1i
W ton, as he called her, to two years ii
J. prisonment in the penitentiary at Trel
"a ten on the conviction Of atroeious a
saallt upon her nurse Robert Ray Han
y nton was drowned in YELLOWSTONE Par
Ion Aiig. "a. 1871