| Show ROUGH ON RATS the trial of mrs sweeney for poisoning her husband the trial of mrs bridget sweeney for unlawfully poisoning food lor for her husband 1 was commenced yesterday after afternoon noo n in the third district court the opening statement was made by assistant district attorney clarke who said that the prosecution expected to prove that the husband of ahe the defendant bad had previous to november ot r 1887 been a hale strong man but that thai a mysterious illness seized mm him and came very near terminating his life that this illness was caused by the defendant poisoning his food with preparation known as rough bough on rats and that she also mixed the poison in tea and in milk and water the mo any there was was the securing of her husbands insurance policy in some working mens protective association annie M martin was the first witness called she testified stifled te I 1 live at at park city and am 16 years of age at one time last fall I 1 lived with mrs sweeney whom I 1 have known as long as I 1 can remember lived with them three deebs we s or er maybe may be a 41 little over Swe sweeney etley olas afas ill the most of the t time me I 1 wis waa there sometimes he was so ul ill as to be conflated to his bed and at other times he would oe be able to go to work I 1 he be worked three or lour shifts while I 1 was wai there whenever he ae was atle able to do so he would eat at the table with the rest of the family aud nd when too ill to do this his food was prepared by mrs sweeney and taken into ills his room I 1 saw mrs sweeney pre preparing p aring meals for lihn and on three diff different arent occasions I 1 saw her mix some rough on rats fiats with the food I 1 am certain it was rough hough on rats because I 1 read the label on the box I 1 bought one of the boxes of poison for herbut I 1 did not see her use any of the stuff out of the box because I 1 left that da day I 1 took away aay a sample of the and gave it to my sister sinter I 1 bought the second box it at mr sharps drug store the food sue she first put the poison in was oatmeal mush at after ter sweeney bad eaten it he be became very UT ill the tha second time I 1 saw her with the poison she put it iu in his tea and the third time in some willand water I 1 asked her what she was putting in the mush and she said it was wa pepper mrs sweeney went f for or the doctors one day when her husband was in and while doing so she remained at my sisters house one and a half hours and when she went home the doctors were there it was mrs sweeney who sent we me to purchase the rough on rats I 1 never any difficulty between mrs sweeney and her bar husband while I 1 lived with them the day I 1 left I 1 told sweeney that his wife bad been food I 1 left because of the actions accious of Mrs Sweeney in aftem attempting pt to poison her husband I 1 could not sa say y exactly how bow much poison she used A rigid cross examination failed to shake the girls testimony dr lecompte testified dr gregor analyzed some rough on rats it is a bluish colored powder put up in a round wooden box and labeled when I 1 was called callea upon to attend terrence sweeney in november last he be was suffering very much and I 1 thought he be was going to die he was sinking fast but ut we managed to resuscitate hun bun by prompt and energetic action he was so weak that he coul dat raise his hands and wan wanted ed me to send for the boys lie he said it was no good that medicine could not save him his eyes and face were very much puffed and swollen and his hands bands and feet were in the same condition he was evidently suffering from poison of some kind the next day I 1 came to see him and he told me he had bad caught the thief thi efI I 1 thought he was delirious but he was much better and finally he called in annie and she told me about athis it his symptoms were such as might have resulted from an overdose of arsenic symptoms of arsenical poison ing are puffy eyelids sickness at the stomach and prickly sen sensation seAlon about the hands and feet dr gregor was then called in and we put him under 1 treatment for arsenical poisoning and and he soon after recovered the see sec day I 1 was there I 1 asked sweeney how bow his appetite was and he said he be had bad none that everything tasted bitter to him mrs sweeney had bad some soup prepared and she gave some to her husband saying this Is in elegant you ought to enjoy this 11 ife he tasted it and complained co m that it was bitter 11 I 1 then too took k a cup and found it was quite bitter I 1 thought there might have been something in the cup and I 1 asked for another one I 1 got it but there was the same bitter taste and I 1 looked around for or a peace to spit it out I 1 did not see a good vace place however and swallowed it T the e result was that I 1 was deathly sick this morning dr le compte was cross examined and stated that the time he tasted the soup was several months before mr sweeney was so seriously ill other than that there was nothing new elicited dr G D gregor E H M allison Al irson jr W S sharp john B sullivan and E M AM 5 on sr ar were also placed on the witness ss stand lor for the prosecution and corroborated mainly the facts related but nothing ne new was learned okiu owns to the absence of a material wit witness nesi the trial was continued till manaay bongay |
