Trial of Mrs. Hannah Kinney for the alleged murder of her husband, George T. Kinney, by poison : before the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, Judges Shaw, Putnam, and Wilde, present : sitting at Boston, from Dec. 21st to Dec. 26th, with the arguments of counsel, and the charge of the chief justice fully reported : counsel for the prosecution, J.T. Austin, attorney general, and S.D. Parker, commonwealth's attorney : for the prisoner, Franklin Dexter and George T. Curtis / by a member of the bar.

  • Kinney, Hannah
Date:
1840
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Trial of Mrs. Hannah Kinney for the alleged murder of her husband, George T. Kinney, by poison : before the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, Judges Shaw, Putnam, and Wilde, present : sitting at Boston, from Dec. 21st to Dec. 26th, with the arguments of counsel, and the charge of the chief justice fully reported : counsel for the prosecution, J.T. Austin, attorney general, and S.D. Parker, commonwealth's attorney : for the prisoner, Franklin Dexter and George T. Curtis / by a member of the bar. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    K. after this at 10 o'cloek. He was on the bed. I assisted him to get up in the chair. He was very weak. We lifted his feet up at his request. I left before he died, about 10 o'- clock. Did not see him again. I was in the room once with Dr. Storer. Mrs. Kinney sent for me in the morning, and requested me to go for a nurse. Cross-examined. Went for Deacon Bachelder at Mrs Kinney's request. It was Sunday morning. The nurse I went for I suppose to be Mrs Bachelder, but am not positive. That was my understanding. Mr. and Mrs Bachelder, I understand, were friends of Mrs Kinney. Mrs. Harriet Bingham. Was not in the room ' when Mr. K. died Saw Mrs. Kinney on Sat- urday before he died. She told me her husband was sick, and kept vomiting and was faint, and she did not know what to do for him, and asked me. I asked if she had a doctor, she said no.— This was 2 or 3 o'clock. I told her sage tea was very good. I had this conversation at the pump, near the sink room, I was in the adjoining part of the house. Saw her again in the afternoon, half past 5. She said George was worse. Again saw her at 8 o'clock at a grocery, in Brom- field street. She said George was worse, she feared he sould not live. She appeared agitat- ed. I understood the doctor had not been sent for. I offered to go for the doctor, and went for Dr. Bachelder. Saw her the day her husband died. She appeared much affected. Said she had all her life been afflicted with sudden deaths. That she knew George would not live, and that he had died for all the world like Mr. Freeman. Two or three ladies were present. Do not recol- lect any other particulars of that conversation. Saw her the day after the funeral, in the eve ning. She had attended the funeral. It was a military funeral. Her conversation was princi- pally, how strange it was that one and another was so suddenly taken from her. She said George was a fine husband and treated her well. I again saw her on Thursday afternoon, at her house. Heard she was sick ; that they were all sick. She said they were. She said she did not know what it was, but the bread was very strong of saleratus so strong that it was red. She tried to vomit. She said they had eaten cucumbers, mentioned in partic- ular the sour milk. Said that she had had a phy- sician, Miss Collins one and she another. Saw her again Monday after. Conversed whether she should continue house keeping or not. She said nothing aboutany medicine Mr Kinney had taken. She said George had been a fine husband to her, and every thing reminded her of him. Cross-examined. Don't recollect any reason Mrs K. gave why a doctor had not been called Saturday afternoon, when I offered to have Mr. Bingham go for one. Thomas G. Bradford. In August last lived with Charles Mead, an apothecary, tended his shop. A lady called in the afternoon, and asked what the article was we sold to kill rats with.— Told her arsenic. Asked how much it would take. I told her not a great deal. She said she would have three cents worth, a quarter of an ounce, 120 grains. I put it into two wrappers of papers, and wrote on the outside poison.— Cannot remember the paper. Recollect both wrappers were of the same color. We never use white wrapping paper, used to use all colors. I told her we did not usually sell arsenic without a recipe from a physician. Mr Mead was out.— The lady was about five and thirty should think. Small size. Never saw her before. Had sold arsenic before, about that time. I went away the 11th of August, to Augusta. It was about a fortnight before this, that I sold the arsenic in the afternoon. I sold arsenic at another time in the forenoon, to a lady—marked it in the same way—don't re- collect the quantity—don't recollect selling ar- senic to any other persons. I did not notice the lady who bought the three cent's worth—can- not say it was the prisoner, Mrs K. Think I should recognise my hand writing then—it has changed since. £The Atiorney General here offered some slips of paper—not the blue paper —with the word poison written on it.] Mr Dexter objects to this trial of the witness, as an attempt of the Attorney General to show his own witness cannot recognise his hand writing. Judge Shaw. The Court think it inadmissible, and the papers were withdrawn. The blue paper is shown to the witness with the word poison. Witness—I did not write that —I am certain of it. There is no general resem- blance to my hand writing. Mr Dexter objected to a cross examination by the government of its own witness. Attorney General proposed by compnrison with other hand writing of witness, to show that he could not he certain as to his own hand writing. Had not the Government a righi to show that the witness was not right in declaring this not to be his hand writing, and thus either convince the witness he was wrong, or to satisfy the jury of it. Mr. Parker cited two cases at Nisi Prius trials for counterfeit bills, where the President of the Banks called by the government declared their signatures were called to shew they were forged signatures, and it was shown the Presidents of the banks were mistaken. Mr Dexter replied that this was nothing else than a cross-examination by the government, of its own witness, and therefore inadmissible. Chief Justice. The object is to show the genuineness of the hand writing, and it is not competent to show it by cross-examination. The best evidence, the witness himself, denies it, and there his examination by the side pro- ducing him must stop. It is competent for the government to prove it by other witnesses, and then the principal witness may be re-examined, as in the case of proving hand writing of a deed. Ruled out. The examination proceeded. Witness has changed his hand writing from fancy, since last August. Has not been to writing school. Mr. Curtis objects to this form of examination. Chief Justice. It is incompetent, in this form of examination. Attorney General. Then we must take the answer as conclusive.