Year: 1879

arsenic permeate the whole body OF the dead woman
as to completely upset the theory that she was
poi soned by taking medicines which, according
to the scientific evidence already given in the case
would leave only the very slightest traces Of poison


The City Court did not convene until ten o'clock
The court room filed. however. before nine
O'Clock by the usual crowd of loungers. the bitter
cold weather serving apparently to swell the audi
ence.


Mr.. Riddle and his counsel came into the
room at half-past nine and the prosecution few
minutes later. Riddle accompanied by his son.
On the opposite side of the bar sat Mrs. Foster and
her husband and the aged mother Of the deceased
Mrs. Riddle.


RIDDLES ATTENTIONS TO MISS DRIscoLL.


Michael Sheedy, the first witness. testified that two
years before he had been in the employ Riddle in
the cord factory Otis street for seven or eight
months; Nellie Driscoll, Riddles present wife
worked in the establishment 'spooler;" was
kept from work some time by injuring of my
fingers. and when returned to the mill the Driscol
girl had left and staying at her home ON North
Cliff street; this in the fall of 1877 remember
that Riddle used to talk to her than to the rest
of the hands; after returned to the mill. which
managed wholly by young Riddle. the father several
times gave me basket containing balls of cord in
paper boxes, together with labels, and told me
to carry Nellie Driscolls house, the basket was
always covered with a piece OF sacking also
sent after the boxes cord young Riddle never to
INV knowjedpe overheard the ,lirections given nv
the father to these occasions. Riddle, ut this
point, for the first time in the trial, drew out u
capacious memorandum book and began to take
notes.l Witness continued Tho labels spoken of
were to pasted the boxes of cord and the work
could be done by any one. even an unskied person;
Riddle never gave me any verbal message for the
Driscoll girl, nor did he ever send me ut night.


In the brief cross-examination by Mr.. Wait the
witness testified that he often delivered the basket
to other members OF the Driscoll family, and that
far he knew the work of pasting the labels was
done by all of them; Riddle sent notes by him.


Joel NJ Foster, brother-n-aw OF the deceased
woman, next presented by the State. and testi-
fed that the remains in the coffin which
humed in Yantic Cemetery on the ID day Of October
were those OF Mrs. Abbie j. Riddle.


The State here rested their case. and almost imme-
diately Mr.. Wait said, 1--WE rest" 1t was now ten
minutes past ten o'clock.


COUNSEL TALK FOR THE STATE


Mr.. Ripley at once opened his argument, which
occupied fifty minutes He said the conduct of the
defence was virtually waiver of further examine
tion. The case was one OF strange circumstantial
evidence. Beginning at the death Of the woman
the 22d day May 1878. it exhibited all of the symp-
toms resulting from fatal poisoning. In the scientific
examination of the .yitals the quantity of poison
found suggested the presence of much
what what had been thrown OF by vomiting
fatal dose of arsenic It is find in the dead
body of arsenically poisoned person enough of
the poison to Kill another individual owing to the
process of elimination, &c. Absolute presence of
poison existed here, enough to kill another live per-
son. The scientific men he had summoned in tho
case had concurred that these symptoms were
shown the day of her death and arsenic was SUBJ
found in her body, death must have re-
suited from arsenicai poisoning Everything leads
me to believe that this lady to her death
feioniously. On whom can suspicion rest? Crimes
of this character always arise from domestic in
tunity to carry out their designs and relieve
themselves of their Objectionable partner. Mr. Rip
ley then alluded to the Ess; Eastern Point affair The
vious and both he and his wife drank from it; on
the folio wing morning he left it in her possession.
and when she drank Of the contents about noon she
was immediately taken sick. When Riddle entered
her apartment that evening after his hasty walk
from where he left the slowly moving sailboat which
contained the valued family physician his first
thought after ascertsining that she better was
to inquire as to the cause of her illness. Learning
until the trusted physician could arrive and ascer-
tain what was in it? The physician was then almost
within ernshos Oft Of the house NO. he stepped % to an
out upon the ground shaking out seemed the very
last drop. He could not get at the tumbler.
coldness in Mr.. Riddles feelings which
took place toward the wife after he be-
came acquainted with the Drscoll girl, and also
the silent Of his wife during the winter
of 1S77-7S. and until she again taken sick in
April. He described common domestic alienation.
and alluded to the profane language which Riddle
had used toward the now dead woman. He assumed
that the Driscol girl removed from the factory
by Riddle because while there she in contact
with girls and men OF lower walk in life. He called
attention to her rank in society and spoke of the
OF love- and consequently from his attentions to her
prior to his wies death. it evident that she
singled out by him then mis- future wife, His last
marriage was not made known to his relatives. Mr..
Ripley claimed the proofs of the womans death by
arsenic to be perfectly clear.


RIDDLES SIDE OF THE CASE


Mr.. Wait followed the Prosecuting Attorney in q
strong argument Of an hours duration. The de-
ceased woman. he maintained, had been an invalid
for years and especially troubled with q stomach
body physicians agree can be taken with impunty
Medical authorities say bismuth Is impure from
presence OF arsenic. The symptoms claimed to
arise from cholera morbus from any dis
ease involving derangement of the bowels.
In the Eastern Point affair Mr. Wait said Riddle
would not have attempted to have poisoned the
wine flask 1t too public place. II he re-
moved the Driscoll girl from the mill that he
might meet her privately for the indulgence of
Illicit love why did he send the little boy with tho
baskets of cord? These would both have made an
No one him with her before his wife's
death. He always had treated his wfe's mother
kindly. and his conduct toward his wife was such
that she. on her death bed wished her mother to
always live with him.


After Mr. Wait had dwelt at length upon these
several points in the case he sat down, and Judge
Kellogg said that the circumstances OF the case were
such that he felt justified i'll holding William Il.
facts in the rendered the duty Of the Court
plain. Riddle was Immediately taken to jail.


RIDDLE TO BIZ INDICTED.


Attorney Ripley said tonight that Riddles case
would come before the Grand Jury at the present
term or the superior Court, ana they would prob
ably find an Indictment against him and his trial
would be before the January term of the Superior
Court. which is the criminal term. and which will
be held at New London. The indictment would
probably be found as soon as state Attorney Waller
finished with the Hayden trial.


Mr.. John r. Wait. Of the defence, was interviewed
and said that without doubt the would come up
early in January. He should be ready to proceed
shortly after his return from Congress at Christmas
IL is regarded strange that the State did put
the negro Williams OH the witness stand to-day, as
he was the who directly caused Riddle arrest.
1t is thought he can furnish damaging evidence
against Riddle he claims TO have witnessed ques-
tonable actions of that person through hole which
he bored III the foor above his engine room at Otis
street factory.