Evening star., 1934-12-12
P[EA Of INSANITY
H|NTED FOR BELL
AS DEFENSE OPENS
Medicine Bottles Taken Into
Court by Prosecution
in Poison Trial.
CIVIC LEADER DISEASED
HIS ATTORNEY SAYS
Attempt on Life of Wife Charged
to Fredericksburg Man by
States Attorney.
BY staf Correspondent of The Star.

BY Stan Correspondent of The Star.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va, Decem-
Der IA plea of insanity was indi-
Gated by the defense today for Edward
c. Bell. wealthy business leader and
former Baptist deacon who is on trial
here charged with six poison attempts
upon the life of his invalid wife, Mrs
Madge w. Bell
In his opening statement this morn
ing, Defense Attorney c. O'Conor
Goolrick declared lay and medical
testimony would be offered to show
the defendant was diseased in mind
and BODY for several years past
On the other hand, the 60-year-old
civic leader was described by the prose-
eution this morning as hiding under
the cloak of respectability to make
crafty, deliberate and skillful attempt
upon the life of his invalid wife by
feeding her various poisons bought
under the pretense that they were to
eXterminate rats"
Bell Shows Strain.
Bell. former Sunday school super
intendent and one of the city's
wealthiest citizens, with numerous
business, political and civic connec-
tions. appeared worn and strained
when he stood before the crowded
court room while the indictment
against him was read The indict-
ment contained six counts of attempt
ing to poison and six counts of poi
soning his wife. Judge Coleman in
structed the jury, which was picked
late last night. that Bell could not
be found guilty on all IL of the
counts, since the indictment specified
only six occasions on which attempts
were made on Mrs. Bells life.
On a table placed before Judge
Frederick Coleman, the prosecution
today exhibited a score of various
medicine bottles, packages and con-
tainers said to have contained poison
intended for the invalid.
Sergeant Is Heard.
The first witness, City Sergt. j. c.
Chichester, said he obtained some Of
the bottles from Mrs. Bells nurse
and others from the Bell residence
after the arrest of the civic leader in
October. Chichester testified he took
the bottles to the State chemist at
Richmond for an analysis.
Commonwealth Attorney Albert v.
Bryan of Alexandria declared in his
opening statement that Bell employed
the very medicine bottles in murder
attempt which had been given to his
;o;a iy, 70
store her health.
In view of the fact that Mrs. Bell
loyalty believes in the innocence of
her husband" Bryan declared, "the
defendants crime was committed
against the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia rather than any individual. We
will show a well-laid plan conceived
many months ago in the crafty mind
of the prisoner before the bar.
Under cloak of apparent respect
ability, business and civic prominence,
he undertook to do away with his
wife by slowly administering deadly
poison while she lay in an invalid bed"
Cunning Plan" Charged.
I'VE will show this mans intended
victim fell i'll last January, appar-
entity from a nervous shock Shortly
later the defendant developed a plan
to dispose of the invalid. From then
on until his arrest in october, he cum
ningly contrived to feed poison to his
wife. In the furtherance of this
scheme he poisoned the medicines and
foods prescribed for his wife by phy-
sicians He sent a young employe TO
the local drug stores for poison under
the guise it was to be served to rats.
I'VE will show that about the first
of August the two nurses in attend
ance upon Mrs. Bell noted that meat
extracts intended for her were myste-
riously discolored and had a bad odor
Shortly thereafter the patient COM
planned of burning lips, a parched
throat, and a creeping numbness
which deprived her of the use of her
limbs.
These weird symptoms were notel
by doctors and nurses alike. Much o.
the contaminated medicine was an
alyzed by State chemist and fou~'
to contain deadly poison.
Held a Past Master.
I'VE will show the defendant COM
planned of the slowness of the poison
and then dosed his wife's medicine
with one of the most lethal doses
known to science. The defendant be-
came past master of poisoning.
why did he do this? We will show
that the defendants affections were
no longer vested in his wife and that
he therefore plotted to destroy the
invalid"
Three panels of almost a hundred
veniremen we're exhausted at the
opening of the trial yesterday before
II jurors could be found. who denied
having fixed opinions" in the case.
The 20 tentative jurors we're not found
until late last night and for a time
the trial judge was convinced he would
have to obtain another panel from
country districts. Venireman after
venireman declared he entertained an
unalterable opinion as to the de-
fendant's guilt or innocence.
The jury was composed wholly OF
men, although women were in the ma
jority among the spectators who pack
ed the court room. The jury follows:
w. c. Schoonover, automobile sup
ply salesman; H. Blaine Cox, depot
employe; L. A. Dodd, bookkeeper; G.
Fred Cooke, jr., sales manager of an
electrical supply company; Brewer
Beckwith, service station manager;
j. T. Hearn, proprietor of an automo- =
bile agency; Lafayette H. Biscoe, bank
clerk; j. Edward Tompkins, automo-
bile salesman; B. L. Lucas, contrac-
tor; Thomas B. Doggett, carpenter;
Edward T. Peyton, freight agent, and