MR. PHELPS WAS POISONED

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, January 11, 1895.

MR. PHELPS WAS POISONED.

VERDICT OF THE CORONER'S JURY.

The Jury Think Mrs. Phelps Administered Poison to Her Husband—She is Arrested.

   The investigation of the coroner's jury in the Phelps' case was continued last Thursday at 1 o'clock. District Attorney Burlingame was present.

   Emmet Finn swore that he was at the house a short time before Phelps died and heard Dr. Hendrick propose giving him some eggs. Mrs. Phelps said she had none. Mrs. Edith Pritchard, who was present said she had some at home and Finn went and brought them. Mrs. Phelps said there was no use giving them to her husband and she put them away in the pantry. Phelps died twenty minutes later.

   Mrs. Adelbert Phelps, wife of deceased's brother, said that she had not been on visiting terms at Loren's house, because she advised the daughter Jennie, to keep better company, and Mrs. Phelps thought she was meddling with matters that did not concern her. She was at the house when Loren died. He told her not long before he died that he had quit chewing tobacco and had been chewing herbs instead and that it might be the herbs that made his stomach feel so bad. She said Loren told her that his wife had rubbed him and done all she could for him.

   Dr. Hendricks swore that he had never told any one that Phelps had typhoid pneumonia. He suffered from severe inflammation of the mouth and stomach.

   Mrs. Deville S. Brown testified that Jennie came to her house on the afternoon of Dec. 8, and said mice were destroying their popcorn and she wanted to borrow some strychnine to give them.

   Mrs. Florence Pritchard testified that Jennie was at her house twice while her father was ill and said she must hurry home and help her mother as her father tried to push the spoon away every time they undertook to give him milk.

   Mrs. Edith Pritchard swore that Jennie came to her house between 3 and 4 o'clock the morning after her father was taken sick. She wanted my husband to go to McGrawville after the doctor as Herbert wouldn't go. Her husband went. She agreed with Finn about the eggs. Finn told witness that Phelps' people had often borrowed rough-on-rats at his house to kill mice. When Dr. Hendrick told Mrs. Phelps that her husband could not live through the night, she did not seem to feel badly.

   Frank Pritchard, husband of the last witness, swore that he went after the doctor and that the story about the eggs was correct. He said that Mrs. Phelps referred to her husband in his presence on Dec. 11, as "an old fool.'' Did not think she felt very bad over her husband's death.

   Willis Smith testified. First saw Mrs. Phelps in spring of 1894. She came to Irving Phelps where I worked to clean house. Delivered some hay at her home shortly after and saw her there. Next saw her in June when I went there to see a colt Phelps was keeping for me. Went to see the colt once in three weeks for some time. Took dinner there in July. Saw Mrs. Phelps at Irving Phelps' in October but did not go home with her. Took dinner at Loren Phelps' one Sunday in latter part of October. While living in Cortland in November met her twice at Miles Peck's and took her to Solon. The first time she went home she came back to Cortland with me. Left Solon at 5 o'clock and reached Cortland at 9 o'clock. Did not stop anywhere. Left her at Miles Peck's and I did not go in. Sunday before Thanksgiving she went as far as John Byron's where she stopped. She told me to tell Loren she had a spell on and wouldn't go home. I went on to Phelps house to get Jennie to go home with me to spend Thanksgiving at my brother's house in Cortland. Phelps wanted to know if I had come for his wife. Told him, "no, came after the daughter." Went in the house and joined the family at prayers. Am a member of the First M. E. church of Cortland. Know of no reason why Mrs. Phelps should say I was going to run their farm. Never had any thought or intention of doing so.

   John Byron testified that Mrs. Phelps told him she and Loren had some words over the sale of some butter. She had heard the man he sold it to wasn't good pay and she told Loren she would stay in Cortland until she got the money. He was mad and said if she came the next day he would lock the door on her, so she stopped at my house. She came with Smith and returned with him at 4 o'clock. While at my house that day some one inquired if Smith was waiting on Jennie, and Mrs. Phelps answered: "Who would go with that innocent fool?"

   A. H. Atkins, the undertaker, swore that Dr. Smith aroused him at midnight Dec. 14 and said Dr. Hendrick wanted him to take Atkins to Phelps' house. Dr. Smith told him not to inject any preservative fluid inside the body as there would probably be an inquest. Mrs. Phelps asked him if he noticed anything about the body different from others. Told her the red spots were not usually seen on bodies. She asked if there was anything else and I told her not that I wanted to speak about. She said she hoped Brown would call a coroner.

   The jury retired at 1 o'clock P. M and after considering the evidence for some time adjourned to 10 o'clock Friday morning when they presented the following verdict:

   "That Loren Phelps came to his death from arsenical poisoning on Friday, Dec. 14, 1894 at about 9 o'clock in the afternoon of that day and that it is the opinion of this jury that said poison was administered to said Loren Phelps by his wife, Adelia Phelps."

   Friday afternoon Deputy Sheriff James Edwards, armed with the coroner's warrant, went to Solon and arrested Mrs. Phelps and brought her to Cortland jail. Saturday morning she was arraigned before coroner Bradford at police headquarters, plead not guilty, waived an examination and was held to await the action of the grand jury which is now in session. R. Champlin. Esq. appeared for the prisoner and District Attorney Burlingame for the people.

   Deputy Edwards said Mrs. Phelps did not exhibit much surprise when informed of his errand, but the daughter Jennie was overcome. The son Herbert seemed quite indifferent.

A Meddlesome Reporter.

   Last Saturday some one of the many decidedly fresh reporters of the Standard interviewed Mrs. Adelia Phelps, who is in jail charged with administering poison to her husband, the late Loren N. Phelps of Solon. The woman has trouble enough on her hands now without being subjected to the ordeal of passing through an interview with a reporter, who is searching after something startling to print, and who is more likely to print something to her injury than to her benefit.

   The reporter has already raised a question as to whether she has retained Mr. Riley Champlin or Messrs. Dougherty and Bronson as her counsel, and in order to help the reporter out of his unpleasant predicament, has seen fit to raise a question of veracity as between this unfortunate woman and Mr. Champlin. To those who are acquainted with Mr. Champlin it is unnecessary to say, that he was never known to urge his services upon any person and that his reputation for truth and veracity is unquestioned.

   By attempting to do something he is incapable of doing, the meddlesome reporter of the Standard has put his foot in it. Mrs. Phelps is in a position where she will serve her own interests best if she declines in future to be interviewed by amateur reporters.

Verdict of the Coroner's Jury.

   The coroner's jury empanelled to inquire into the cause of death of Christopher Benson, who was killed during the late storm on the E. C. & N. road, brought in the following verdict last Saturday:

   "Christopher Benson came to his death on Dec. 27, 1894, in consequence of injuries received by train No. 5 on the E., C. & N. railroad running into him between the river bridge and Loring's station and leaving him in a helpless condition, and negligence on the part of the R. R. Co. and the employees to look after and administer proper care."

Swallowed.

   The Cortland Standard Printing Co. has practically swallowed the McGrawville Sentinel and the printing material in that office is being moved to the Standard office this week. The Sentinel will hereafter be issued from the Standard office with the Standard Company as proprietors. Mr. Berggren, who has conducted the Sentinel for several years past will continue to edit that paper, but in all other respects it will be a Standard paper. The DEMOCRAT wishes the trust a successful career. The new arrangement will undoubtedly be better for the interests of all concerned as the Sentinel can be printed at much less expense.

HERE AND THERE.

   Revival services are being held in the Homer-ave. church all this week.

   Isaac W. Brown, Esq. has been appointed truant officer of the village schools.

   A farmers institute will be held in Marathon. January 31 and February 1.

   Messrs. Kellogg & Curtis announce a fifteen day special sale on our fourth page.

   Pay your taxes on or before Wednesday, January 16th, inst. and save extra fees for collection.

   The city hand will give their minstrel entertainment in Cortland opera house, February 8.

   Mr. C. Eugene Boyden of Marathon has been appointed assistant financial clerk of the Assembly.

   Mr. E. C. Rindge has purchased Hon. L. J. Fitzgerald's milk route and will hereafter serve the latter's customers.

   The boot and shoe stores and the clothing stores in this place close now at 6:30 P. M. except Monday and Saturday night.

   Mr. Ira J. Baker of Scott, Ira Crandall of Cortland and E. L. Dwight of Cincinnatus, have been appointed deputy sheriffs.

   The late Mrs. Francis A. McFarlan left $1000 to the Cortland County Home for Aged Women and $1000 to the Cortland Hospital Association.

   Miss Cora A. Wilbur has moved her dress and cloak making business from Lincoln-ave. to room No. 6, second floor Democrat Building, Railroad-st.

   The Delphi Cornet band have secured the services of Prof. "Mat" Wright the cornet and clarinet virtuoso of Cortland for the winter. A number of the boys are taking private lessons. —Earlville Sentinel.

   While R. H. Beard was driving down Main-st., last Monday afternoon one of the runners of his sleigh was caught in a frog of the [street] railway track and the whiffletrees broke. Mr. Beard was pulled over the dash into the snow, but the horses were stopped.

   Mr. M. E. Sarvay has purchased the interest of his associates in the firm of Passage, Overton & Sarvay, dealers in boots and shoes at 13 Railroad-st., and will hereafter conduct the business alone. Mr. Sarvay has made many friends here by his honorable business methods and has a prosperous business.

   The trolley wires for the electric road are being put up, the cars are nearly ready for delivery and the work at the power house is being pushed as fast as possible. It is predicted that the road will be ready to operate by electricity by the middle of next month.

FROM EVERYWHERE.

   Geneva wants to be a city. They will make application to the next Legislature.

   For the past year a Brockton lady has noticed bees going into her house over a back room. She made an examination and found one hundred pounds of honey.

   On Jan 1st, all conductors on the Central Hudson were required to give bonds in the sum of $1,000, each bond to be signed by at least six freeholders. The position of conductor on a railroad is no longer considered to be a "soft snap."

   Johnnie Van Heest and Solly Smith, the featherweight pugilists, were arraigned as vagabonds in the police court in Buffalo Wednesday afternoon and ordered to leave town.

   And now Binghamton wants a Normal School. Any legislator who votes to locate such a school at Binghamton or anywhere else should be set upon at the earliest opportunity. It is time this Normal School business, which results in making some country politician solid with his constituents, was played out. The State is already burdened with enough institutions of this character to answer all purposes.—South New Berlin Herald.

   Engineer Jones of Oneonta, his crew and train of passengers had a most unusual experience the other clay. His train left Albany for Binghamton at 4:30 P. M. While passing Esperance at the rate of 50 or 60 miles an hour on a down grade, the engineer chanced to put his head out of the cab window and was struck a severe blow by the steel spring mail-catcher just beyond the station. The fireman was attending to his duties and did not notice the accident. The engineer continued to keep his head out of the window. The train should stop at Schoharie Junction but it rushed by at full speed. Then the conductor set the air brakes and stopped the train. With the stopping of the train in this way the fireman noticed the position of the engineer and found that the latter was unconscious and bleeding profusely. He was taken to his home where it was found the wound, though severe, was not dangerous.