Set forth below in alphabetical order are the abstracts of the testimony of the witnesses in the trial of Jane and Theodore Anderson for the murder of George Anderson. The articles from which these abstracts are taken are cited at the end of each witness's testimony. Photocopies of these articles can be found at the Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each citation are the document numbers by which you can look up the articles on the LPAL website. Better copies of these articles can be found at the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections.
001
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ANDERSON, ABIJAH: George Anderson was an
uncle of Witness; Theodore and witness were cousins; had been at the house of
George Anderson frequently before he was sick and also afterwards; thought
they lived very nicely together,; he had not seen anything of any
misunderstanding between them; the day preceding the death of George Anderson
Mrs. Anderson was at Charles Anderson’s; witness saw her there about two
o’clock; witness remained there long enough to eat his dinner; witness went
with her home from there; when she got home she got a paper and commenced
cutting a basque pattern; witness thought it was five minutes after she got
home before she commenced cutting the patter; it was about half past two when
witness went from Charles Anderson’s home with Mrs. Anderson; witness saw her
again that evening about six o’clock in the front yard; Theodore’s character
in New jersey was very good.
Cross-examined: Theodore Anderson was not at Charles Anderson’s on
the day that witness went home with her; that was the day of his death;
Theodore was at Charles Anderson’s that night at supper; could not say what
time Theodore came home that night; saw Mr. Vaughn get up; witness and
Theodore got up at the same time; did not notice any flurry about Theodore at
the time; Mrs. Todd, witness, and Theodore went down together; Theodore went
into the house with them; they went into the room and looked at George and
the went out into the yard to look at the ground; someone went out with them;
did not see anything in Theodore’s conduct that attracted his attention;
Theodore was twenty three and Mary was thirteen or fourteen. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination
of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
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002
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ANDERSON, CHARLES: George Anderson was his
uncle; knew Theodore in New Jersey; his character there was very good; he
came to the house of witness to board after he left George Anderson’s; it was
about the 28th of March; had been quite intimate in the family of George
Anderson’ thought that they lived very affectionately together; witness was
at the house of deceased every day while he was sick; witness saw him in one
of his spells; it came on between twelve and one; Dr. Lord was there in the
fore part of the evening but had gone away before the spasm came on; Mrs.
Todd was there at the time; Mrs. Todd gave deceased the medicine that night
and no one else; Mrs. Anderson was in the adjoining room on the sofa when the
spell came on; she went in there about nine o’clock; Mrs. Todd had given him
the medicine two or three times before the spell came on; Mrs. Anderson was
in bed three or four hours before the spell came on; he complained of a pain
in his stomach and commenced vomiting; Mrs. Anderson was called up as soon as
the spell came on and she told witness to go right away after the doctor;
witness went immediately for Dr. Lord; that was the same night that Dr.
Fowler was called; Mr. Anderson told Dr. Lord that it was no use of his
doctoring with him any longer; that his medicine was only making him worse
and he would have to get another physician; Dr. Fowler said he did not like
to be turned off in that way, and asked George if he would have any
objections to having Dr. Lord called, and he said he would not; after Dr.
Fowler came he had but one or two of the spells; witness was not there when
he had the spell after breakfast, nor did he set up with him that night;
witness had left some money with George Anderson to invest in some land for
him; had never heard anything against her character; George Anderson and Mrs.
Anderson were at his house the Sunday before his death; they came about ten
o’clock and left about four; Theodore Anderson was there most of the time
that Sunday; he boarded there; George and Theodore conversed together there;
witness slept at home the night of the murder; was asleep when Theodore came
home that night; he woke up when his wife came to bed; Mrs. Todd was going to
bed or had gone at the time he woke up; had a watch hanging in the room; was
generally consulted in regard to the time; witness did not go to sleep after
his wife came to bed until the alarm of George’s death was brought]. No one
could have come in or gone out of the house after he woke up without his
knowledge; witness saw Abijah Anderson and Mrs. Anderson on the street the
afternoon of the day that the murder was committed; they were coming from
towards his house in the southeast part of the city and going to ward the
house of George Anderson; witness was not at home at the regular dinner time,
but was going to his dinner when he met them it was near half past two when
he met them; Theodore he believe eat his dinner at day about half past
twelve. “The Anderson Murder Trial:
Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
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003
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ANDERSON, MRS. CHARLES,
Recalled: Was
wife of Charles Anderson; recollected the time of George Anderson’s death;
Mrs. Anderson was at her house the day of his death; she came there about one
o’clock and went away about half past two; she came after a basque pattern;
she went away with Abijah Anderson; the hands were all gone away when she
came there; Theodore was not there any of the time that she was there; it
would require about fifteen minutes to cut a basque pattern. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination
of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
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004
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ANDERSON, WILLIAM: Was brother of George
Anderson; they had always lived on good terms with each other; was at the
house the night or day after his death; had always been intimate in his
brother’s family, and so far as witness ever saw, they lived very peaceably
and happily together; were always very affectionate toward each other; Mrs.
Anderson’s character was as good as that of anybody.
Cross-examined: The stomach had not been taken out when witness got
there; had never told anyone that all was not right, and the sooner they
buried him the better. “The Anderson
Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal,
November 27, 1856 (122624)
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005
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ARMSTRONG, JOHN: Was acquainted with
George Anderson; witness had resided here about nineteen years; was a
carpenter by trade; his shop was in the rear of George Anderson’s house. [Mr.
Armstrong here presented a drawing of the entire premises of the deceased,
and the grounds adjacent. The jury, in charge of the Sheriff, and the counsel
on both sides, repaired to the premises and made an examination of the
grounds at the place where the body of George Anderson was found; also an
examination of the house and the room where Mr. and Mrs. Anderson slept, and
that where young Morgan slept.] His shop was north of George Anderson’s
house; from the platform of his shop you can see all about Anderson’s back
yard; recollected the time that George Anderson was killed; it was in May,
about the 15th; had noticed Theodore two or three months before that about
his ship; noticed him first late last fall; George Anderson and he were
laying pavement in front of George Anderson’s house; Theodore was about the
house of George Anderson until March; after that he was away; he come about
the shop of witness; he was there a week or two before the murder of
deceased; he would come to the shop of witness from almost all directions; he
came in from the south more frequently than from any other; never noticed him
coming up the back part of the alley; saw him at the shop two or three times
a week for two or three weeks; might have been there more or less; one time
that witness saw him at his shop he was talking to the boys about getting a
straightedge; witness thought there was something peculiar about his visits;
seemed as if he wanted some place to stay; he would stand in the lower door
and look over into Anderson’s lot; saw him upstairs once; his conduct was so
peculiar that it caused remarks from the boys at work in the shop; witness at
the time thought Theodore was a brother of Mrs. Anderson who had lately come
on; when witness saw them talking together in the yard, it was while Theodore
boarded with deceased; saw them talking very frequently; saw them talking at
the gate together; saw nothing improper in their conduct; never saw the
deceased and Mrs. Anderson and Theodore talking together, had seen Mrs.
Anderson and Theodore in the back yard talking together; Theodore did not
come into the shop until after witness noticed that he had quit boarding at
George Anderson’s; saw Theodore go into Anderson’s yard once while he was
sick’ he went to the door and gave someone a letter, and then went away; it
was both before and after this that witness saw Theodore at his shop; witness
noticed that Theodore did not go in to see the deceased while he was sick; it
was before and after the delivery of the letter at the door that Theodore was
at the shop of witness; had seen Theodore at his shop standing in the south
door frequently; would stand there a long time; he appeared to be looking
over into Anderson’s yard more than in any other direction; he would
sometimes come into the shop and talk to the boys, and then go and stand in
the door; he would sometimes come in and the go out and come back again;
witness never had any talk with him.
Cross-examined: He stood in the lower front door the most; thought
he stood in the door about half of the time that he would be there; did not
go upstairs every time he came to the shop; the business of witness was out
of doors most of the time; saw Mrs. Anderson in the back yard once while
Theodore was standing in the shop door; thought she went to the pump; saw no
signs of recognition pass between them; Mrs. Anderson did not appear to
notice Theodore at all; witness thought at the time that he was noticing Mrs.
Anderson; Theodore was a bricklayer by trade; bricklaying commenced about the
time he first commenced coming to the shop; would not be certain, though, of
this; Theodore, witness though, was engaged in laying brick about that time;
he would come to the shop more frequently in wet weather than in dry; had
seen him at the post office corner, and at the church east of Anderson’s
house; had seen him at these places as frequently as at the shop; could not
see George Anderson’s house from the corner of the church, and also the back
yard; had seen him standing about at other places as well as these; never saw
any one at the house make any signs toward Theodore Anderson when he would be
standing around; could not say how long he would stay at the shop; saw
Theodore and Mrs. Anderson talking together very frequently while he boarded
with the deceased; saw nothing unusual in their conversation; had seen them
in the f4ront yard and on the porch walking about; it was in the winter and
spring.
Re-examined: Could see the whole of the front part of the yard and
part of the back yard of the premises of deceased from the corner of the
church; he would generally be looking in the direction of Anderson’s house;
had not seen her in the back yard but once; had seen them at the gate
talking. “The Anderson Murder Trial,”
Illinois State Journal, November 22,
1856 (122621)
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006
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BELL, DR.: Knew the little bottle
in court as the one handed him by Mr. McWilliams; there was strychnine in it;
he had tested some of the contents; it was the same bottle as it had a
private mark on it.
Cross-examined: Used a very small quantity in making the tests. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
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007
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CAMPBELL, C.M.: Was
acquainted with George Anderson and his wife; witness was at his house last
March; he and his wife, witness thought, lived very happily and comfortably
together; witness remarked to deceased at the time that he was glad to see
him so well settled, and he replied that he was very comfortably fixed; he
spoke very highly of his wife to witness. “The Anderson Murder
Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal,
November 27, 1856 (122624)
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008
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CAMPBELL, THOMAS H.: [Mr. Campbell’s
testimony was in regard to the nature of the ground about the privy. He gave
it as his opinion that if struck while coming out of the privy door, he might
have fallen in the position in which he was found; thought a man standing
where the tracks were could have struck him as he was coming out of the privy
door; if struck as he was passing out, the blow would have been on the back
part of his head, on the right side; he might, from the nature of the ground,
have rolled over and straightened out.
“The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois
State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
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009
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COLEMAN, A.W.: Had been intimately
acquainted with George Anderson for two years; deceased came to witness one
day to borrow a pistol; witness told him he could have it, and asked him if
he was going to kill anyone, or was he in danger; deceased said he was; said
there was a man prowling around his house, and that he wanted it for him;
said he knew the man very well; witness took the pistol to him; could not say
how long it was after he borrowed the pistol until he took sick, probably
from three to ten days; witness was at the house once while deceased was
sick; could not say who was there; thought William Anderson was there; William
Anderson introduced witness to Mrs. George Anderson; witness remained there
probably twenty minutes or half an hour; deceased had the pistol at that
time; witness was at the house the morning after the death of Mr. Anderson’
saw Mrs. Anderson there; there was no one but her in the room with the corpse
at the time; witness was at the house during the post mortem examination; saw
Mrs. Anderson while it was going on; witness and her had a conversation about
his death; she said he must have went out while in one of his fits and fell
down and killed himself, she could not thing than anyone had killed him, that
he had not an enemy in the world; she said to witness that the pistol was
there and he could have it; that poor George would not need it anymore; Mrs.
Anderson objected to their making a post mortem examination; she said they
had no right to cut her husband all to pieces; that she would prosecute them
for doing so; she said she could not bear to hear the grating of the saw
while they were sawing his head, and that they were going to take out his
stomach; witness told her that they were only going to examine the head and
that they would not take out the stomach; she then became calm; witness told
her that it was according to law, and that she had better submit to it;
Willis Johnson was there at that time; Mrs. Anderson appeared like someone
deranged; witness first suggested the propriety of having the stomach
examined; it was not in her presence; it was after the conversation with her
that witness made the suggestion about opening the stomach; witness was
acquainted with George Anderson as a Mason and as a friend; when witness went
there in the morning Mr. Latham was with him; Mrs. Anderson received them and
seated them; it was in the room where the corpse was; witness asked her some
questions; she appeared to be calm and cool; witness said something about the
pistol and she smiled, and appeared to be somewhat moved; witness made a
remark at the time that was calculated to call for mirth, and it was then that
she smiled; she only smiled and did not laugh; witness could not tell what
the remark was; witness was not in the room when the head was operated upon.
Cross-examined: Witness could not tell what the remark was that
called forth the smile; witness thought there was a difference in the smiles
of different persons; witness thought it was a hysterical smile at the time;
that was just his opinion; witness knew nothing of an foul play at the time;
it was before the sawing of the head that the witness noticed her smile. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
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010
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CONANT, LEVI: Was acquainted with
George Anderson; witness had heard the testimony of Mr. Conner. The back part
of the shop where witness works, stands facing the east part of deceased’s
yard; there is a window and door in the back part of the shop; the back door
of Armstrong’s shop was on a line with George Anderson’s lot; from the front
of Armstrong’s you can see into Anderson’s yard, also from the shop where witness
worked; it was about half past ten, when witness was first informed of the
death of Mr. Anderson; he was in Geo. Wood’s clothing store at the time;
Harry Watson and Mr. Dean told him of it; witness then went and told Mr.
Conner; Mr. Conner and witness had sat up with deceased; did not see John
Morgan that evening; the body of deceased was lying three or four feet from
the privy door; the head was towards the south; Mr. Conner and Dr. Fowler
were there when witness went; the body was lying in front of the privy door;
thinks door was open; did not remember whether the deceased had on shoes and
stockings; he had on a coat and pants; they were buttoned up; witness did not
help undress him; did not notice the wound in his head until after he was
carried in the house; had no personal acquaintance with Theodore Anderson;
noticed him about Anderson’s could not say how often; had seen him at house
of deceased sometime before his death; had seen him at Armstrong’s shop; saw
him there frequently; did not know what his business was; did not recollect
of his ever being in shop where witness worked; when witness saw him he would
be generally walking; had seen him there in the morning and after-
Cross-examined—Had no fire in the store at the time; witness was at
the Court House that night attending a military meeting; went from there to
Clarke & Henkle’s store; went from there to Wood’s clothing store;
thought the cars were in at the time; the omnibuses had gone to the depot
some time before; that was what made him think it was about ten o’clock; when
witness got to the house of deceased Mr. Conner, Dr. Fowler and one or two
others were there; Dr. Fowler was stooping over the body of the deceased when
witness got there; the body was in a straight position; could not say how the
arms were lying; did not touch him while he was being carried into the house;
the person who carried his head remarked that it was warm; witness did not
notice that his head was bleeding; there was two pieces of scantling lying
close to the privy door and near to the head of the deceased; they were used
as a kind of step; the door was three or four inches from the ground; could
not say or not whether it was dry; Mrs. Anderson was in her room; she did not
come into the room where the body was while witness was there; did not think
she was in the room while the deceased was being dressed; heard Mr. Conner
tell her she had better retire to another room; that was before the body was
taken into the room; when witness saw Theodore Anderson about Armstrong’s
shop he was in the lumber yard in front of the door; saw him in the door
once; saw him passing about frequently; it was a week or two before his death
that witness noticed him there; sometimes he would come up the alley from the
north and pass through unto the pavement; did not notice him go into the
shop; had seen him stop at the shop and had seen him pass on; did not see him
very often; never saw him doing anything particular; he would just stop a
little while and then go on. There was a board fence between Anderson’s and
Armstrong’s shop; the fence was five and a half or six feet high; a tall man
could see into the yard from the outside; there was always a good many people
passing through the alley; and seen a good many stop; never noticed anything
more particular in the conduct of Theodore Anderson than others; did not
think anything of his stopping there at the time; it did not excite any
suspicions in the mind of witness.
Re-examined.—The alley was a necessary passway; had seen others do
the same as Anderson. “The Anderson
Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
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011
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CONNELLY SR., JOHN: Was Mr. Armstrong’s
partner; testified in regard to Theodore Anderson being in their shop some
half dozen times or more, but no facts, other than those already brought out,
were intimated by the witness.
Cross-examined: The first time witness saw Theodore at the shop he
spoke to him about getting a plumb rule made. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
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012
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CONNER, THOMAS: recollected the
transactions of the case; the murder happened sometime in the first part of
June; witness resided in the city; was a chair maker; there was a vacant lot
between the shop where he worked and Mr. Anderson’s house; it was about
eleven o’clock at night when witness got to the house of deceased; witness
had just gone to bed when Levi Conant came in and said that Geo. Anderson was
found in his yard dead; Mrs. Anderson met witness at the door and said Mr.
Anderson was dead; did not go to the body; Dr. Fowler came in about two
minutes after witness got there; the Dr. and witness went out to the body;
the doctor said that he was dead; the witness was the first one there; the
body had on its night clothes except a jacket; did not examine his pockets;
he was with his head towards the south; he was lying on his back; he was
lying out straight with one of his arms lying by his side on the ground; was
positive as to this; there was no appearance of any struggle having taken
place to witness; did not have any hand in the examination of the deceased;
it was about eleven o’clock; the body was cold; it was about ten or fifteen
minutes after witness arrived at the house of deceased until the body was
removed; did not know how his feet were clothed, whether he had on boots or
not; did not see the would upon the head until the doctor commenced operating
upon the head.
[ILLEGIBLE] when witness went to bed; was not positive as to the
time he got there; it was about eleven o’clock went near enough to the body
to recognize it; thought it was a moonlight night; there was no one at the
body at the time; did not stoop down to see if he was dead; there was no
reason why he did not stoop down to see if he was dead; did not think it was
necessary; did not know that Dr. Fowler had been sent for; did not touch the
body until after the doctor came; Mrs. Anderson met witness at the door; she
retired to her room after the body had been taken into the house; witness
told her to step into another room while they were dressing him; she then
went into another room; witness had sat up with deceased while he was sick;
the last time he sat up with him was a few days before his death; the feeling
exhibited between the deceased and his wife was o an affectionate nature; she
appeared to pay every attention to him that was necessary; saw no signs of
distrust on his part towards Mrs. Anderson; witness requested Mrs. Anderson
to go to bed; and that deceased remarked that his wife could not sleep; when
she returned to the room she remarked that she had heard all that was said,
and the deceased said “he knew she would;” never saw a sick man have more
confidence in his wife than deceased had in the accused; never saw any ill
feeling on his part towards her; witness was a brother Mason with the
deceased; witness had examined the ground in daylight; there was some blood
on the ground; there was a slight impression in the ground where the head lay
and in that there was some blood; did not know if it was dry or not; there
was quite an impression in the ground such as would be made by a man falling
while standing in an upright position; he was three or four feet from the
privy; did not know whether the privy door was open or not; sat up with
deceased two or three nights; did not see Theodore Anderson at the house of
deceased during those times; saw Theodore there the night that deceased was
killed; did not know when the deceased was first taken sick; Mr. Van Doren
was there one night; did not recollect the other witness gave deceased his
medicine when there; did not know what the medicine was; one kind as a fluid
in a two ounce vial; and the other one or two powders; Dr. Fowler or Lord
told him how to give the medicine; the fluid was of a reddish color’ did not
know what the powders were; they were small powders; did not recollect the
color; did not recollect how long that was before the death of the deceased,
it was probably five or six days; was not positive that he gave him medicine
more than one night; saw deceased on the street after witness sat up with
him; was not aware of his having a pistol; the medicines were on the bureau;
the doctor showed him what medicines to give; witness followed the doctor’s
directions in giving the medicine. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
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013
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CORNEAU, STEPHEN: Saw the tracks where
someone had stood up against the privy; they were from four to six inches
from the northeast corner of the privy; a man standing in that position would
be entirely hid from the observation of anyone coming from the house or
coming out of the privy door; had seen the stick that was said to have been
found there; it was about an inch and a quarter thick and about two and a
quarter inches wide, and four feet eight inches long; would not like to say
positively that you could kill a man with it, but could strike a very hard
blow with it; a person standing where the tracks were could strike a man
coming out of the privy door; would hit the person coming out of the privy
door on the right side of the head, in the identical spot or as near as could
be that the wound was upon the head; was present while the post mortem
examination was going on; the physicians put the stomach into a glass gar and
set it down on the floor; it was not covered while it was setting there;
after they got through with the examination they covered it up with a
newspaper and carried it off; could not say how long it remained sitting on
the floor.
Cross-Examined: Saw no one touch the jar while it was sitting on the
floor; it was near midnight when the examination was going on; there were
candles burning in the room. “The
Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State
Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
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014
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DEAN, P.I.: Was acquainted with
George Anderson; witness first saw the dead body at ten minutes past eleven;
the deceased was lying on his back opposite the privy door, about three feet
from the door; there was nothing on the ground in the vicinity of the body
that would cause his death, unless it was one of the steps; there was no
indications of any struggle; the ground was perfectly smooth and hard; the
deceased had on drawers, socks, undershirt and coat; witness was first told
of the death of deceased by Harry Watson and Henry Able; there was not much
heat about the body of deceased, except the head; the limbs were released and
loose; there was a small clot of blood lying by his head; witness examined
the ground afterwards and saw no signs of any struggle; his left hand was
lying by his thigh and his right hand about six inches off; the doctor was
there examining the body when witness got there; witness remained with the
corpse all night; in the morning when witness went into the parlor where the body
was, Mrs. Anderson was there; did not hear her give any suppositions as to
the cause of his death; heard Theodore Anderson say he thought deceased must
have fallen and hit his head on one of the steps; Theodore was at the house
of deceased that night; witness first saw him in the kitchen door; witness
had a conversation with Theodore Anderson that morning, and he still
contended that George Anderson must have fallen and hit his head upon the
steps; witness found a pistol in the pocket of the deceased it was a five
barrel one; thought it was loaded; did not removed the coat of deceased until
after he was taken into the house; when conversing with Theodore the next
morning about the death of Mr. Anderson, Theodore remarked that George’s hair
was very thick and that probably his head bounced off before the blood had
time to get through it; when witness remarked that some of the hair would
have stuck to the step, he said George’s hair was very strong and would not
pull out easy.
Cross Examined—Did not examine the hammer; the coat deceased had on
was an ordinary business one; his limbs were loose and released; they were
not stiff; saw Mrs. Anderson that night about half past two; she came into
the room where the corpse was; she bowed her head upon the bureau and
appeared to be very much affected; witness thought she said she did not
believe that George had any enemy that would kill him; it was a beautiful
moonlight night; the moon was pretty well up; there was a dense shade between
the privy and wood shed; the privy cast a shade to the north it was five or
six feet between the privy and wood shed; it was right in front of the privy;
there was a stick about five feet long, two inches wide and half an inch
thick found lying close to the body; the stick was some part of a window
casing; one end of it was jagged and had some hairs on it; witness thought a
calf or something had rubbed against it, which accounted for the hairs being
there; they were short white hairs; the wood was a different one from one
that could have been made by the stick; the corpse did not bleed much until
they got it into the house and commenced dressing it; witness left the house
of deceased about half past six; went from there to breakfast; witness
noticed the blood before the body was removed.
Re-examined—It might have been possible for him to have fallen upon
the steps, but witness thought it quite improbable that such was the way by
which he came to his death; there was no indications of his having moved
after he fell. “The Anderson Murder Trial,”
Illinois State Journal, November 22,
1856 (122621)
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015
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DUNNING, M.S.: Recollected the time of
the death of George Anderson; Mrs. Anderson came to his house that morning
between ten and eleven o’clock and remained till twelve; she went home, and
came back about three o’clock, he looked at his watch just as she came in,
and it was just three o’clock; he had said to his wife that he did not
believe she would come back, and his wife asked him what time it was; she
stayed there until half past five o’clock; she was gone to the store of Yates
Smith & Co. to get some debege to finish her dress with; she was not gone
more than ten minutes. “The Anderson
Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal,
November 27, 1856 (122624)
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016
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DUNNING, REBECCA: Recollected the night
that George Anderson was found dead; Mrs. Anderson was at her house that day
from ten in the morning till twelve; she came back again about three o’clock
in the afternoon; she remained there about an hour and went to the store of
Yates & Smith to get some debege to finish her dress; after she came from
the store she stayed till half past five; it was just three o’clock when she
came in the afternoon; knew it was three o’clock because her husband looked
at his watch at the time; she was not gone to the store over ten minutes; had
known Mrs. Anderson two years and could not be mistaken as to being there
that afternoon. “The Anderson Murder
Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal,
November 27, 1856 (122624)
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017
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FORSYTHE, MARY: Was acquainted with George and Jane Anderson
and slightly acquainted with Theodore Anderson; had a conversation with Mrs.
Anderson the next day after the murder about two o’clock; asked her if she
knew that she was accused of the murder; she said she knew of it but that she
was not afraid for she knew she was innocent, and could stand her ground;
after the first examination witness told her that she could just write her
testimony off from the paper and then she would not have to go to the court
to give it in; Mrs. Todd said she could give the same testimony as before;
there was no proposition made to her to testify to anything that she did not
know only that it would be easier for her than to come into court. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 26, 1856 (122623)
|
018
|
FOWLER, DR.: Was a practicing
physician in this city; got acquainted with GEORGE ANDERSON in May last; did
not recollect when he first called to see him; probably one or two weeks
before his death; when witness first called to see him, found him quite comfortable,
but complaining of a slight tingling in his limbs; witness noticed that he
had a very peculiar tongue; the first spasm witness knew of his having was in
the first part of the night; deceased insisted upon witness to remain with
him, and he did so until after midnight; when he had the spasms he would
complain of a severe pain in his stomach, and of his hands being numb; after
witness went home that night he had one of the spasms; did not have any signs
of one while he remained there, but rested very comfortably; the next night
witness remained there until six in the morning; after he went home was
shortly sent for to come and see Mr. Anderson; he had taken his breakfast and
had immediately one of the spasms; gave him some camphor; told Mr. Anderson in
the presence of Mrs. Anderson that he suspected there was something wrong,
and gave them to understand that he would find out if there was; gave the
camphor as an antidote for strychnine, and it had the desired effect; the
paroxysms would come one, deceased said, like an electric shock; after
witness told deceased that he suspected something was wrong he had no spasms;
this was ten or twelve days before his death; saw him occasionally on the
street after that; witness had been with him in his carriage once or twice;
he had taken no medicine for ten or twelve days before his death; it was
about 11 o'clock when witness first got to the house on the night of the
murder; found Mrs. Anderson standing in the door leading from the dining room
to the bedroom; she said Mr. Anderson had got up during the night and gone
out, and died, and no one knew it; witness found him five or six feet from
the privy door, lying across the path; his legs were straight, and his hands
drawn up to his side; his limbs were relaxed, and not rigid, and the body
partially warm; witness thought there had been foul play somewhere; the privy
door was open and a chamber lying in the door, witness went in and told her
he was dead; she said that after she had gone to bed he complained of the pain
in his legs, and that she had got up and rubbed him, and asked him if she
should not stay up, and he told her to lie down and take her rest, that he
would call her if he felt any worse; was of the impression that his boots
were not on at the time.
[The doctor here related the tests that had been made with the
contents of the stomach, which corroborated Dr. Lord’s testimony in regard to
them. He also described the symptoms of GEORGE ANDERSON’s sickness, and the
manner of conducting the post mortem examinations.]
Cross-examined: Had not preserved any of the crystals that were
found in the stomach; during the post mortem examination she was in another
room, and was screaming and carrying on a good deal, and said she did not
want her husband cut all up; witness told her that he should not be
disfigured, and she then quieted down; the sawing on the head was enough to
excite anyone—to cause horror in any woman.
[The rest of the examination of witness consisted merely of the
different symptoms produced by strychnine and other poisons.] “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 26, 1856 (122623)
|
019
|
GOLTRA, DR.: Had been a practicing
physician for ten or twelve years; was a regular graduate; had heard a
description of the wound upon the head of deceased, and he gave it as his
professional opinion that death might occur immediately from such a blow; the
concussion caused by such a blow would be so great as to cause immediate
death. “The Anderson Murder Trial:
Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
020
|
GREEN, BENJAMIN: Had known Theodore
Anderson for three years; knew him in New Jersey; was not a relative of his;
his character in New Jersey was very good; he bore a good [illegible] there
and [illegible]pany; witness recollected the night of the death of George
Anderson; saw Theodore that evening about six o’clock at tea at Charles
Anderson’s; witness was with him until half past eight the evening of the
death of George Anderson; he had on a light drab coat and hat; after tea
witness, Mr. Vaughn, and Theodore took a walk around town; it was rather a
light night; were together one and a half or two hours; witness left Theodore
at Spath’s corner; he went north from there and witness went to the post office
and then home; Mrs. Todd, Charles Anderson and his wife were in the house
when witness went home; witness went immediately to bed after getting there;
thought he went to sleep immediately; was not awake when Theodore came in;
did not wake up until the alarm was given of the death of George Anderson;
witness did not get up and go down to the house of deceased; saw George
Anderson and his wife at Charles Anderson’s the Sunday before his death; they
were there to dinner; they appeared to be very affectionate towards each
other; Theodore was there also.
Cross-examined: Witness was certain about Mrs. Anderson being there;
was certain that Theodore was there, and talking with them; saw nothing of
any ill feeling on the part of George Anderson towards Theodore. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination
of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
021
|
GROSEBACK, CORNELIUS: Had never saw Theodore
Anderson but a few times; never saw him to recognize him until after the
death of George Anderson; had a conversation with Theodore the next morning
after the murder in jail; Theodore said that night he was around the square
as usual and went from Freman’s corner to the post office on some business,
and then round by the American House home; said that he stopped in the alley
to do a job; said it was about half past nine when he got home; he did not
say what alley it was he stopped in.
Cross-examined: There was an alley back of the American House;
Theodore said that George must have died in one of his fits; he did not say
that he was there that night; said he went from Freman’s corner to the post
office and then round by the American House home; understood him to mean that
he stopped in the alley before he got to the American House; that was all
that was said. “The Anderson Murder
Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November
26, 1856 (122623)
|
022
|
HALL, LEVI: Was acquainted with
Theodore and George Anderson; was at the house of deceased the morning after
his death; it was about half past six when witness got to the house; there
were a good many persons there at the time; had a conversation with Theodore
Anderson that morning while there; he said almost everybody thought that
George had been murdered but him and Mrs. Anderson; that they thought he had
gone out and died in one of his spasms said that he had complained in the
evening and that we had rubbed him at eight o’clock, and that Mrs. Anderson
had bathed him again before she laid down.
Cross-examined: Did not recollect anyone who was there except Cook
Matheny; thought he was there at the time witness thought he quit talking
with Matheny and went and had conversation with Theodore; was certain that he
said we when speaking of rubbing deceased; George Anderson had recommended
Theodore to him as a plasterer and wanted him to give him a job. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 26, 1856 (122623)
|
023
|
HARVEY, SAMUEL: Witness passed by the
house of the deceased the morning and afternoon preceding the murder; saw
Mrs. Anderson at the front gate talking with some man; did not know who he
was; it was not her husband; could not recognize Theodore Anderson as the
man; did not notice how close they were to each other; she did not appear to
pay attention to witness. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
024
|
JOHNSON, WILLIS: The wife of witness and
Mrs. Anderson were sisters; he had been intimate in the family of deceased,
and they lived as happily as any persons he knew; so far as he knew, they
lived very agreeably together; witness had been intimate with them for
thirteen years, and never knew of any disagreement between them; witness was
at the house of deceased while he had the congestion, as Dr. Lord and the
rest of them called it; that was while he was sick; the congestions would
come on periodically every night; they appeared to come on later and later
every night, until they got into the day time; one time when witness was
there, deceased said he had turned off Dr. Lord, and that Dr. Fowler was
going to take charge of him; deceased said to witness that he had told Dr.
Lord that he believed it was his medicine that was killing him, and he wanted
to change physicians, and that Dr. Lord complained about his wanting to turn
him off in that way, and wanted him to have his partner, Dr. Fowler, to which
he had consented; after Dr. Fowler took charge of him he commenced to get
better; deceased and Mrs. Anderson both had a great deal of confidence in Dr.
Fowler; witness told deceased that if he would get some camphor and cayenne
pepper and take it, it would cure him; he said afterward that he had
mentioned it to Dr. Fowler, and that he had put it up for him; witness and
deceased and some others went out fishing on Wednesday before his death; Mrs.
Anderson was along with them; witness never saw Deceased in one of the fits
or congestions; he was at the house while the post mortem examination was
going on; Dr. Lord had propo9sed an examination of the stomach, and witness
asked Mrs. Anderson if they were going to do so, and she remarked that she
supposed they were; witness told her she ought to object to having him cut
up, for it was no use, and could have nothing to do with the case; she then
told witness to go into the room and tell Dr. Lord that she did not want him
cut up, and he did so; when the examination was first spoken of she made no
objections that he knew of; it was he who first told her she ought to object
to having him cut up.
Cross-examined: Did not know of deceased having any enemy; he was a
peaceable, quiet man, and well thought of by everyone. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,”
Illinois State Journal, November 27,
1856 (122624)
|
025
|
JONES, JOHN T.: Recognized the letters
as the same he took out of Anderson’s trunk; they were the same ones that
were used on the former trial; witness took them from the trunk and handed
them to B.A. Watson; recognized the two bottles and the picture as those
found in the trunk; knew nothing of the hammer; had a talk with Theodore
about the bottle of strychnine; he said he got in New York to cure the itch;
was in the house while they were examining the head of deceased; saw Mrs.
Anderson there; she was in the bed room walking about; did not hear Mrs.
Anderson say anything about the post mortem examination.
Cross-examined: Witness identified the letters by their general
appearance and the writing; they were not all the letters that were in the
trunk; did not know what had become of the others; he identified them by the
handwriting; had not examined the writing very closely; could not identify
them only by their general appearance; was certain that Anderson said he got
the strychnine in New York; was not positive that he said he got it in York
State; New York City was just across the river from New Jersey. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 22, 1856
(122621)
|
026
|
LATHAM, RICHARD: Was at the house of
George Anderson the morning after his death; Mr. Coleman went there with him;
saw Mrs. Anderson that morning; she met them on the porch and went into the
room with them; was not acquainted with Mrs. Anderson at the time; Mr.
Coleman commenced a conversation with Mrs. Anderson; she said Mr. Anderson
had taken worse in the night, and that she got up and rubbed his limbs, and
that he appeared easier, and told her to lay down—that he could get along;
she fell asleep and did not know how long he had been out, that she was first
awakened by the child crying; she said she woke up to boy and told him to go
out and see where Mr. Anderson was, and that he came in and said he was lying
out in the yard and appeared to be dead; Mr. Coleman said that was thought he
had been murdered; she said she thought he had taken one of his spells and
fallen down in the yard and died; she inquired of Coleman if he knew of
George having any enemies; she said Mr. Anderson never kept any money about
the house; she said she did not think he had an enemy in the world, and did
not think he had any intention of killing anyone, or he would have had the
pistol in his hand when he went out, she looked serious at the time; she did
not appear to be as much excited as witness expected to see her under the
circumstances; noticed her smile in regard to some remark Mr. Coleman made
about the pistol; it was in the room where her husband was lying that the
conversation took place; did not recollect what the remark was; witness had
no conversation with Mrs. Anderson.
Cross-examined: The smile of Mrs. Anderson at the moment he thought
was a mirthful one. “The Anderson
Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
027.1
|
LAW, REBECCA: Was living at George Anderson’s at the time
of his death; Theodore boarded there two or three weeks after he came back
from Jerseyville; the morning before the murder Mr. Anderson went over to
William Anderson’s; before he went he told Mrs. Anderson to come out; after
that Mrs. Anderson took a dress and went to the milliner’s ; when she came
back she went to Abijah Anderson’s to get a basque pattern; she came home and
cut out a basque, and said she was going to Mrs. Dunning’s to get her dress
fitted, she came home from there a little before supper time; witness saw a
man in the yard once while Mr. Anderson was sick; thought he was a low mana’
witness had no one near Springfield paying any attention to her at that time.
James William Donner was waiting on her then.
Cross-examined: Mr. Donner had called to see her while Mr. Anderson
was sick; he came there in the nighttime; witness thought the man she saw in
the yard had on black clothes; he had no appearance of Theodore; witness had
no idea it was him at the time; witness went to bed the night of the murder
about nine o’clock’ John Morgan was not in bed at the time she retired. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
027.2
|
LAW, REBECCA, Recalled:
Remembered
the time that Mr. Anderson had the spasm after breakfast; she got the
breakfast that morning and put it on the table; Mrs. Anderson took the
breakfast from the table from among the rest of the breakfast; Mrs. Anderson
poured out the coffee; she took the sugar out of the sugar bowl and the milk
or season out of the cream mug; it was the same that the rest used; did not
think she could have put anything in it without witness seeing her; did not
notice how much of the breakfast Mr. Anderson left; it was brought out and
set on the tale; saw nothing strange in Mrs. Anderson’s conduct while she was
fixing the breakfast; witness was at the house of deceased the night of his
death; Mr. Talbott was there and stayed till nine o’clock; witness went to
bed; the clock struck nine while witness was going to bed; Morgan was not in
then; she heard nothing more until she was called; the day of the death of Mr.
Anderson Mrs. Anderson eat dinner at home; she went to Charles Anderson’s
in about 15 minutes after dinner; they
eat dinner at the usual time; she went after a basque pattern and came back
with Abijah Anderson about two o’clock or later; she was at home ten or
fifteen minutes and then went to Mrs. Dunning’s to get her dress fit; she did
not appear to be in a hurry; she came home that evening about half past five;
when Mr. Anderson had the spasm in the morning he made a considerable noise;
witness heard him scream down to his shop while she was going for the doctor;
could have heard him all over the house; he struggled a good deal with his
hands; was in the bedroom the night of the death of Mr. Anderson; did not
notice the bed.
Cross-examined: [illegible] o’clock; Mrs. Anderson started to
Charles Anderson’s about fifteen minutes after dinner; it would take five or
ten minutes for her to walk to Charles Anderson’s; did not hear her say
anything about being anywhere else when she came home; Mrs. Anderson while
giving Mr. Anderson his breakfast was standing do witness could see her give
him the coffee; her attention was not particularly called to Mrs. Anderson at
the time; witness stayed in the room until he was done his breakfast and
carried the plate out and put it on the table; if she had anything in her
hand she might have put it into the coffee; could go from Mrs. Anderson’s
bedroom to the parlor and then out at the front door; the door that went out
on the porch was generally locked;’ was not there when the doctor first came;
did not hear what Dr. Fowler told her; Dr. Lord said he would have to be
examined and she replied that it was all right; could not say what took place
between Dr. Fowler and Mrs. Anderson; could not say who were first called;
Theodore was never there while George was sick; recollected of Mrs. Todd
being there several nights; she was there the morning he took sick after
breakfast. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,”
Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856
(122624)
|
028
|
LORD, DR.: Was a practicing
physician in this city; had been the family physician of George Anderson for
three or four years and continued so up to the time of his death; Mr.
Anderson was taken sick about the 22nd of April last; he complained of a
burning pain in his stomach and a pain in his back and at the back part of
his neck; he had feverish symptoms and also vomiting; the sickness came on in
the night; it was sometime in the night when witness was called to see him;
witness did not now recollect what he administered but knew at the time;
witness called to see deceased the next day; did not recollect whether he
changed the prescription or not, thought he did not; was called the next
night and found Mr. Anderson suffering considerable; he said at that time
that he was subject to the cramp in his stomach when sick; the third day
witness called Mr. Anderson was a good deal better and quite cheerful;
deceased said at that time that he had concluded to throw physic to the dogs;
witness advised him to continue taking the medicine as there might be a recurrence
of the disease; he remarked that if he did not get better he would send for
witness; on the fifth day he was sent for; this time his symptoms were the
same as before, only a little more severe; he complained then of a pain in
his neck, back and stomach; he was very feverish also; his tongue was a
peculiar one, it was very red and checkered; witness attributed it to some
eruptive disease he had while young, which Mr. Anderson said was the case;
the tongue had no coat upon it, and witness thought it very peculiar with
such a fever; at that time witness told deceased that it would do to trifle
with anything but sickness, that witness wanted him to tend right up to his
directions, and he said he would; witness thought at the time that he had
intermittent fever and prescribed for that; administered the American
Hellibore and the sulphate of quinine which had the desired effect; the night
following this deceased had one of the spasms about ten or eleven o’clock;
witness was not there while the paroxysm was on him, but shortly after;
deceased gave witness a statement of his symptoms, also Mrs. Anderson
described them; the paroxysm came on with a considerable pain in his stomach;
he also complained of a tingling and numbness in his limbs; made an
application of mustard to his stomach and neck and administered some
morphine; his skin was moist at the time; commenced a new preparation of
quinine; witness went to Fossleman’s drugstore and prepared it himself; this
he commenced giving him the next day; also told him to send around that day
to the office after some morphine; witness left a prescription at his office
which the student put up; his symptoms were the same every night; was called
that night again, and the messenger said he was very bad; it was about eleven
o’clock; it then occurred to witness that the student might have put
strychnine in place of the morphine; witness went immediately to the office
and found that the strychnine bottle had not been moved and that the one
containing morphine had; witness then went immediately to Mr. Anderson’s and
when he got there deceased said my God, doctor, do you intend to kill me;
told him nothing of the kind; he said immediately after he had taken the
powder he had the most violent cramps and sickness at the stomach; witness
did not know who gave him the medicine; Mrs. Anderson was his constant nurse;
witness then took one of the powders and threw it into a tumbler with some
water in it and was satisfied that it was not strychnine but the same kind of
medicine he had been taking; the student who put up the medicine was a very
careful and well informed man; witness told deceased that he [witness] was
not satisfied with his case or the manner of treating it and would like to
call in counsel; to which he assented and named Dr. Helm; witness then sent
for Dr. Helm and they talked the matter over together; thought Dr. Helm did
not make any new suggestions as to the treatment of deceased; the next night
witness remained there until one hour after the time of the last paroxysm, and
none came on, but after he went home he had one of the spasms; medicine was
being administered to him during the time every three or four hours; was
confident it was the intermittent fever that he had; witness thought at the
time that the spasms resembled tetanic spasms; thought there might have been
medicine administered that night after he left; witness left that night about
twelve and was sent for between one and half past two; remarked to Dr. Fowler
the next day that it was a very singular case and was it not for his full and
implicit confidence in Mrs. Anderson he should have thought that strychnine
was being administered; but his confidence was such in Mrs. Anderson that he
did not think it possible for it to have been administered to him; had never seen
deceased in one of his spasms; deceased said that it seemed as if he would
suffocate, that he could not move his limbs, and that his head wanted to draw
backwards; the next night witness remained there till late; was called back
the same night before daylight; did not recollect how long he stayed there;
Mrs. Anderson was generally up with him when witness would get
there—incessantly so; William Anderson was there during his sickness and also
several others by the name of Anderson ; did not to his knowledge recollect
of seeing Theodore there during the time George Anderson was sick but saw him
there night or morning of his death; Theodore had frequently inquired of
witness about the health of deceased; the spasms were generally pretty well
over when the witness would get to the house; gave deceased one or two of the
occasions morphine and camphor as an anti-spasmodic, it is an antidote for
strychnine, it had the desired effect; after the third or fourth spasm
witness told Dr. Fowler that he was getting discouraged about the case of
deceased, and that he thought the symptoms resembled those of strychnine, but
that Mrs. Anderson was his nurse and always there, and for that reason he
thought there could be nothing wrong; Dr. Fowler thought witness was only frightened
and said that as long as there was life there was a chance; the next time
witness saw deceased after this he was discouraged; witness proposed to him
to have Dr. Fowler called into see him to which he consented; deceased said
something at the time about dying that he could not live if he had another of
the spasms; witness told him that he was hard to kill and not to be
discouraged; Dr. Fowler then took charge of him; at the time he had the spasm
in the morning the hired girl came for witness; it was after Dr. Fowler had
left that it came on; witness got there in time to see him in a part of the
paroxysm; he was sweating profusely and complained of a cramp in his hands;
his feet were rigid and turned in and his hands partly arched; he grasped the
hand of witness and had his wife’s hand also’ he complained of his stomach
and feet; remained there until he got over it; left Dr. Fowler there with
him; it was the last paroxysm he had while they attended him; he continued
after that to improve; it was ten or twelve days after that until his death;
witness visited him, in company with Dr., Fowler, several times after he
commenced to get well; he still complained of a tingling and numbness in his
hands, but that otherwise he felt a good deal better and said something about
how much he could eat &c.; the camphor and morphine which witness gave
deceased quieted the spasms; gave it as an anti-spasmodic; witness graduated
at the University of New York and had been a practicing physician for fifteen
years; witness was called up the night of the death of deceased; did not see
the body in the yard; the wound was on the occipital bone on the right side
of the head just above the ear; the wound was a ragged one, and witness
thought it was made by some rough instrument; there was some hemorrhage that
night from the wound; witness was at the post mortem
[The doctor here described the mode of the post mortem examination
and also gave a minute description of the wound on the head; also a full and
complete description of the various tests with the contents of the stomach,
in regard to ascertaining if there was strychnine in it, and gave as his
professional opinion that there was strychnine in the stomach; though he
could not be mistaken as to the stomach containing strychnine, as they had
reduced it to the crystal. The doctor also gave a description of the spasms
produced upon the frogs and cats with which they had experimented. The full
description of the manner I which the tests were made, and the experiments,
would occupy too much space to give them; and as the same was taken down by
the judge and counsel for their own use, our reporter has not seen fit to
write it out.]
The spasms of George Anderson resembled those produced by
strychnine, but they might have been produced by other causes; nox vomica and
brusha would produce the same peculiar tetanic spasms—the American hellebore
was a poison, and might be given in doses to cause death; witness had
administered it to deceased while sick; gave it to him in the early part of
his sickness; he was up and about after witness gave it to him; thought the
hellebore would not produce the same spasms as strychnine; there are some of
the common diseases of the country that might produce the same effects as
strychnine; from all the symptoms of George Anderson while sick, witness
thought they were caused by strychnine.
Cross-examined: The last and only time witness saw deceased in one
of the spasms was shortly after breakfast; knew of his having no other one
the night previous; Mrs. Anderson was always with deceased when witness got
there; Rebecca Law was there also; the last spasm he had before the last one
came on between one and three o’clock in the morning; never knew of his
having but one in twenty-four hours; Mr. Anderson said to witness that he
always had cramps in his stomach when sick; deceased said there had always
been a peculiarity about his tongue; did not recollect how many days he
administered the hellebore; gave it one day in doses of six drops every three
hours; it was a poison when given in large doses; it was used as a medicine,
and so was strychnine; it affected the circulating system, and reduced the
pulse; could not say how it operated upon the stomach; could not say from
experience what its effects upon the stomach were; from the authorities which
he had read, he thought it reddened
and corroded the stomach, producing red patches; could not say what
authorities he had read on the subject, probably the London Lancet; it was a
work of high character, more so than the American Journal of Medical Science;
when witness saw deceased I he spasm, his feet were turned in and his hands
arched, still he had the use of his hands; did not know that he did not have
the use of his feet; knew of no difference between his feet and hands; his
hands appeared more arched than his feet; did not think there was any
distinction in the effect upon the feet and hands from strychnine spasms;
thought he spasms might have been caused by a diseased stomach, and so stated
on the former examination; thought now that this was improbable; they might
be accounted for on general principles; hellebore and strychnine were both
narcotic poisons, and might be ranked in the same class; this was the only
case, if one, that he had seen, where a person had died from the effects of
strychnine; the stomach was in a highly inflamed condition; there were
patches on the coats of the stomach of an ashy or dark lead color; and I was
more diseased about those places than at others; the patches on the stomach
were evidently diseased places.
[The witness here again described the various symptoms occasioned by
strychnine upon the different animals upon which he had made tests.]
Mrs. Anderson was very assiduous in her attentions to deceased while
sick, and he appeared to receive her attentions very kindly; never saw
anything like a misunderstanding between Mr. Anderson and his wife; had
always noticed the very marked affection existing between them all the time,
both before and after his sickness; deceased wished witness to talk with her,
and urge her to take some rest, she always made every effort to relieve his
pain; witness knew of no attacks when he was not sent for; deceased always
manifested the utmost affection for his wife; he spoke twice of having a
pistol, and said there was a man lurking about his house, and he was prepared
for him; one of the spasms deceased attributed to the fright of the hired
girl, who had seen a man in the yard; and he said if he got a sight at him he
would kill him; deceased said there was a man who was knowing of his having
received a considerable sum of money from one of his relatives, and they
might think he had it in the house, but they were mistaken; witness thought
the wound upon the head was sufficient to have caused death; thought it was
strange that there was no appearance of a struggle; the concussion of the
blow upon his head must have been the immediate cause of his death; witness
found a stick or piece of plank upon the ground near where the body was
found, it was about three feet long, and very heavy at one end; seemed
singularly adapted to inflict a heavy low; the small part of it was as large
as a chair post; found a bit of a block there; examined all around for blood;
the club was heavy enough to make such a wound, and also to kill any man; the
club some seven or eight feet from the body; in a south-east direction; there
was no blood on it, but some hairs were on the end of it; two of the hairs
were human hairs and they compared with the hair of George Anderson; did not
think that blood would immediately follow a blow of that kind so as to be
seen on the club; thought that some of the hairs might have stuck to the
club; it was not common for blood to flow from a wound inflicted after death;
had a conversation with Mrs. Anderson about the post mortem examination; she
made no objection to it at the time; it is not usual for women to consent to
have their husbands cut up it is considered a horrid think here in this
state; public opinion was against it; Mr. Anderson’s confidence in his wife
was so great that he could not bear the idea of not having her to wait upon
him; the stomach was taken out the next night after his death; Mrs. Anderson
was always very prompt in sending for medical aid when Mr. Anderson would be
taken with one of the spasms. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 26, 1856 (122623)
|
029
|
MATHENY, JAMES H.: Recollected very well
the night of the death of George Anderson; witness had to get up that night
and go to the office and issue a writ for some parties from Ohio; it was a
very bright moonlight night, so much so that witness could see a man across
the square very readily. “The Anderson
Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal,
November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
030
|
McWILLIAMS, A: The letters are the
same that he got out of the package given him by Mr. Watson; he selected the
letters out of the package; Mr. Watson also gave him the bottle with the
strychnine, and also the picture; they were the same ones. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 22, 1856
(122621)
|
031
|
MORGAN, JOHN: Was eighteen years old; was an apprentice
and worked for George Anderson two years before his death and lived in his
house up to the time of his death; slept in the dining room at the northeast
side of the room; in going from Mrs. Anderson’s room to the kitchen or back
yard would have to go close to the bed where witness slept; the hired girl
and the children slept in the room east of the dining room; Mr. and Mrs.
Anderson slept in the room west of the dining room; in the morning of the day
he was killed, he came to the shop and then went to Mr. Adams’s office to get
some money, then came back and went to the house; when witness went to dinner
they told him that George had gone over to William Anderson’s; while witness
was at supper that evening Mr. Anderson came home ; when he came in Mrs.
Anderson said “You have got back” and Mr. Anderson said “Yes, but you did not
come out there as you agreed;” Mrs. Anderson said “no;” “but you could go off
someplace else;” she remarked that she could’ Mr. Anderson said “If you are
above going any place with me you can go where you have been and stay;” Mrs.
Anderson smiled and said she would; witness then went up in town and remained
until near nine o’clock’ after he got home he went to bed; George Anderson
was in bed at the time, and Mrs. Anderson went to bed shortly after witness
did; after Mrs. Anderson went to bed they had a talk about a house that
Willis Johnson had for sale for nine hundred dollars; Mr. Anderson thought it
was very cheap; it was about eleven o’clock when Mrs. Anderson called him and
said that Mr. Anderson had got up and gone out, and for witness to go out and
see where he was; witness got up and went to the door and saw him lying on
his back near the privy; went in and told Mrs. Anderson that he was lying out
there and that he must be dead; she wanted witness to go out and see; witness
was so frightened that he could not go out; Mrs. Anderson got up and went to
the window and commenced crying and taking considerable; she wanted the hired
girl woke up, and still kept urging witness to go out to him; Mrs. Anderson
then told witness to go for a doctor; went immediately for Dr. Fowler; then
went to Charles Anderson’s and woke them up; Charles Anderson, Mr. Vaughn and
witness came down to the house of deceased together; when he got there Dr.
Fowler and some other persons were there; Mrs. Anderson then sent him for Mr.
Talbott; when witness got back from Talbott’s they were crying him into the
house; Mrs. Anderson then told witness to go after Willis Johnson and his
wife; did not know what the hired girl said to Mrs. Anderson at the time;
witness was not there when Rebecca Law dressed and came out into the room;
did not know of any quarrel between Theodore and George Anderson before he
went to Jerseyville; the kitchen door was shut when witness went to bed; did
not know whether the door from the bedroom to the parlor was open or not; the
outside front door was locked when witness went home; Mrs. Anderson unlocked
it; when Mrs. Anderson went to bed she left the door from his room to where
she slept open; she did not go out.
Cross examined: Witness eat his supper about half past six that
evening; went from the house to Hall’s Bakery; walked round the square after
he left Hall’s; as he was going home looked in at Hall’s to see what time it
was; it was not far from nine o’clock; went directly home from there; it was
a little over a block from Hall’s to Mr. Anderson’s; went immediately to bed
when he got home; it was after witness went to bed that Mrs. Anderson
retired; witness went to sleep soon after he got in bed; from the time he
left Hall’s the last time until he went to sleep it might have been half an
hour; Mrs. Anderson called him three or four times before he got fully awake;
she said it was about eleven o’clock’ when witness got back from the doctor’s
Mrs. Anderson was in the dining room and appeared to be considerably
distressed; did not think George was angry in the evening when he told her if
she was above going with him she could go where she had been and stay; did
not hear and ore words pass between them; they lived as happy as any man and
wife witness ever knew; witness was treated as one of the children while
there; never heard him make any complaints about her neglecting hi; she
waited on him when sick as much as any woman could; he often urged her to
take more rest; thought she had on her night clothes when witness went in and
told her that Mr. Anderson was lying in the yard; when Mrs. Anderson went to
be she blew the candle out; Theodore Anderson commenced boarding there late
in the fall.
He had been talking in the family, some time before he went, about
going down to Jerseyville to see a friend; did not know how he got the
moneyto go with’ noticed no appearance of a quarrel before he went away; he
was gone two or three weeks; might be longer; when he came back he came to
the house of deceased and boarded some little time; they all aprared to trat
him the same as before he went away; George Anderson told Theodore he would
have to get another place to board as he did not intend to keep any more
boarders; Cyrus Youst, one of Mr. Anderson’s hands, quit about the same time
or a little after; Mr. Anderson said his wife was not stout enough to do the
work, and thus he would rather pay the board of his hands than to keep them
any longer; the children were very fond of Theodore; he was always, when at
the house, playing with them; after he quit boarding there, saw no change in
George’s demeanor toward Theodore; could not say how long it was before his
death; Theodore would stop at the shop frequently and talk with George; in
going to the back yard, persons would have to pass right by the bed of
witness; witness was in the bedroom of Mrs. Anderson after the body was
found; noticed the bed; saw nothing unusual in it; saw no blood there; there
were no signs of any struggle having taken place; the sheets were on the bed.
Re-examined by prosecution: Did not think of looking for blood on the
sheets; Theodore came from New Jersey; it was after Theodore quit boarding
there that George borrowed the pistol; witness saw someone in the yard and
told George about it; it was after that that he borrowed the pistol; the man
he saw in the yard was a tall man, and had on a lack slouch hat and a black
coat; he was not clothed like Theodore; George got up at the time and went
out to look for the man; witness was well acquainted with Theodore and had no
idea it was him; when witness saw the man he was in the front yard, walking
between the front window and one of the trees; he was going east, and went
around the house; told George what kind of a man it was; could see him very
plainly; that was on Sunday night, and he borrowed the pistol on Monday or
Tuesday; witness was acquainted with Theodore’s walk and the man did not walk
like him; did not know of Theodore having borrowed any money or of his giving
George his note; thought Theodore had not paid all his board bill.
Re-examined by Counsel for Defense: Might have been deceived about
the color of the man’s clothes, but was under the impression that they were
black; never knew of Mr. Anderson’s being solicitous for his wife to go to
bed before him; when he felt as if he would need no assistance he would urge her
to lay down and rest; Mrs. Anderson would sometimes go in the room by which
he saw the man and lay down on the sofa; the sofa did not sit near the
window; the hired girl slept in that room at the time. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
032
|
MOWREY, WILLIAM: Witness resides in this
city; was a carpenter by trade; worked for John Armstrong; he knew Theodore
Anderson when he saw him, but had no personal acquaintance with him; the
first time he saw him to know him was in Armstrong’s shop; he was standing in
the door doing nothing at the time particularly; had noticed him there after
that; he was round the shop a good deal; George Anderson’s children would
come out and sit on the lumber with him; could not say how many times he was
there; first noticed him at the shop about the first of April; he was doing
nothing there at the time; witness did not notice him particularly at that
time; noticed him at the shop frequently after witness commenced working for
Armstrong noticed him there two or three times a week; saw him upstairs
twice; he wanted to get a plumb rule made; came there twice after that to get
it; never saw him upstairs after the plumb rule was made; when witness saw
him downstairs he was generally looking towards George Anderson’s yard;
though he was regarding something there with interest; the attention of
witness was certainly called to his conduct, so much so that he inquired of
the children who he was; never saw Theodore Anderson and Mrs. Anderson together
except the morning after the murder; thought they were on the porch together;
there were persons all around them on the porch it was on the front porch;
there was a hundred around there at that time.
Cross-examined: Saw Mrs. Anderson in the back yard once while
Theodore was in the door; she went in and out several times; she would not
stand in any one place when she came out; witness thought she did not see
Theodore; witness saw no communications pass between them; saw nothing in the
part of Theodore at the time to attract her attention; could not say that he
would look as intent others ways as he would into the yard of deceased; he
would cast his eyes over that way and then in some other direction; thought
he would not be looking over there half of the time he was standing in the
door; saw him standing there six times, probably more; when standing in the
door he would have to turn his head round a little to see in the yard of
Anderson ; did not see him look out from the door upstairs ; he stayed upstairs
but a short time; when witness would see him on the lumber he would be
talking with all the children; sometimes one, two and all of the children
would be there with him; did not recollect particularly of seeing the oldest
girl there alone with him; the children appeared to be very fond of him;
witness should think Mary Anderson was fourteen or fifteen years old; was not
certain that Mrs. Anderson was in the porch the morning after the murder;
thought she was; they met casually and said something and passed on; she came
out of the room and met Theodore and spoke and passed on. Would not say
positively that it was her. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
|
033
|
NORTHERNER, GIDEON: Had seen Theodore
Anderson and Mrs. Anderson at the front gate once; it was the evening of the
murder; saw them but a short time; when witness got within a short distance
of them he started away and she called him back; it was five minutes after
six; when witness got quite close to the he left; there was no one else there
at the time.
Cross-examined: Witness was passing along nearly opposite to them;
when Theodore got back to the gate witness was even with them; it was a
public street and people were passing all the time; it was after people had
quit work; Theodore went towards the post office; could not say that they
were in close conversation; she called Theodore and he came back; they were
standing at the gate, the fence only between them; she stepped off some five
or six steps; could not say they noticed witness; they were fifteen or twenty
steps apart when Theodore went away ; did not notice anything in their
conduct to excite suspicion or attract his attention; they were talking just
like other people who meet in that way. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
|
034
|
PILCHER, MOSES: Had known Mrs. Anderson since she was three
months old; he was particularly acquainted with her; she lived in his family
for about three years previous to her marriage; she was his wife’s sister she
lived with Mr. Ellis for about five years; she was a poor girl, and had to
work for her living; her character was good; she was, when a girl, of a
quiet, kind and affectionate disposition; never heard any imputations against
her; never heard of any difficulty between her and her husband; her character
for integrity and virtue was as good as anyone’s; thought she and her husband
lived as quietly and happily together as it was possible for any two persons
to do; while she lived with witness she was a very good girl. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination
of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
035
|
PLANK, WILLIAM E.: Remembered the night of
the death of George Anderson; witness passed through the alley back of the
residence of deceased that night about half past ten; the train on the Great
Western road had got in and the omnibus got back to the Chenery House before
witness started up the alley; while witness was going up the alley east he
saw a man step out from the lot of Owen’s directly opposite to the lot of
George Anderson; just before he met witness he stepped into the back part of
Rayburn’s lot; after witness passed the man, he turned back to look and he
had turned around and was looking at witness; he looked rather suspiciously
at witness as he passed; he could not help but see witness when he first
stepped out from Owen’s lot; was not dark in the l9t where the man stepped
when witness passed him; he stepped off into the lot some twelve or fifteen
feet; all of his clothes looked dark to witness; the moon was up and he could
see pretty easily how a man was dressed; he had on a black slouch hat, black
frock coat; witness was certain that it was more than a quarter past ten when
he saw the man in the alley.
Cross-examined: Could not say positively that his clothes were
black; but thought they were; the man corresponded in size with Theodore
Anderson; could not distinguish between a dark brown and a black coat; the
hat of Theodore Anderson was not the color of the one the man had on. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination
of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
036
|
PRIDE, CHARLES: Knew Mrs. Anderson;
knew Theodore Anderson; saw her and Theodore on the opposite side of the
street from the court house on the day that the murder was committed; they
were walking along only as persons generally walk along a street; they were
going east at the time; it was about two or three o’clock in the afternoon’
could not be mistaken about it being them; saw nothing in their conduct that
particularly attracted his attention; noticed them first only a few steps off
at Milikins store; they first passed by the door of his father’s store’
thought they were talking together; they were about as close as a gentleman
and lady generally walk on the street together; she did not have his arm; did
not notice how she was dressed; did not see them but a little while.
Cross-examined: Thought it was between two and three when he saw
them; probably nearer two than three; saw nothing in their appearance or
conduct that excited any suspicion in his mind. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
037
|
PRIEST, JOHN W.: Was present at the post
mortem examination of George Anderson; Mrs. Anderson was taking on a great
deal about the examination and death of her husband; Mr. Ruth requested
witness to go in the room where she was and try to quiet her; she said the
doctors were cutting her poor husband all to pieces, and taking out his
stomach and bowels for their own gratification, and she would make them pay
for it; witness told her that it was only his head they were examining; she
said, “is that all?” and then quieted down some. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 26, 1856 (122623)
|
038
|
RAMES, SARAH: Was acquainted with Mr.
and Mrs. Anderson; they lived in part of her house after they were married;
she was as intimate with them as could be; their intimacy had been kept up
till the time of his death; never seen anything but affection and good
feeling between them; never knew of any difficulty between them; Mr.
Anderson’s character was as good as anyone’s had seen and known considerable
of her and never saw anything improper in her conduct. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,”
Illinois State Journal, November 27,
1856 (122624)
|
039
|
RHOADES, JOHN T.: Had no acquaintance
with Theodore; first saw him in Anderson’s yard; it was about a month before
he came to get the rule made; was under the impression that he had seen them
together at the gate; they might have stopped at the gate 10or 12 minutes,
probably not so long; Theodore came once to get a plumb rule made; came after
it once and it was not done; the third time he got it and paid for it; he
came upstairs and asked me to make it and went away; the third time he came
he got it and paid for it; sometimes while there he would be standing round
talking to the hands; had noticed him looking in the yard of the deceased.
Cross-examined: Saw Theodore upstairs only when he came to get the
ruler made; he remained no longer than was necessary for him to do his
business; saw him but once at the gate talking to Mrs. Anderson; that
attracted his attention about his looking over into the yard; never had heard
him say anything in regard to Mrs. Anderson when at the shop; could not say
how long he would look over into the yard. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
|
040
|
RYAN, DR.: [The doctor’s testimony
only corroborated what the other physicians had stated in regard to the
symptoms of strychnine.]
Witness did not think the blow on the head caused his death, but
that he had died from the effects of strychnine; did not think death followed
a blow of that kind immediately; did not think the blow caused his death,
still it might have done so. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 26, 1856 (122623)
|
041
|
SAMPSON, COUNCIL: Passed by the house of
deceased in the morning, about eight o’clock, preceding the murder; saw Mrs.
Anderson and a man talking at the gate; when witness first saw them they were
five or six feet apart; at that time witness was fifty yards from them; as
witness first saw them, Mrs. Anderson stepped off three or four steps as if
to go away but continued talking to the man; as witness approached nearer she
again stepped back and stooped down and picked up something; witness asked
Mrs. Anderson how George was and she replied that he was down to the shop;
could not tell who the man was.
Cross-examined: Thought the man who he saw at the gate with Mrs.
Anderson was a tolerably young man; witness could not hear anything thtey
said; could not recognize Theodore Anderson as the man. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
042
|
SMITH, C.M.: Knew George Anderson
and his wife; they appeared, so far as witness ever saw, to exhibit the
utmost confidence in each other; he had tried to sell Mrs. Anderson a silk
dress, but she declined buying on the ground that Mr. Anderson’s health was
not good, and she would not take it until he got well; Mr. Anderson came in
the store the same evening and he tried to sell him the dress pattern, but he
said he had given Mrs. Anderson the money to buy it with; and if she did not
get it it was her own fault; Mrs. Anderson was at the store the afternoon
before the murder of Mr. Anderson; she came to the store to get some stuff to
finish out a dress pattern she had purchased there; it was the middle of the
afternoon. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of
Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
043
|
SMITHERS, E.: Recognized the picture
as the one he took for Mrs. Anderson; he took the one with the light dress on
first; he took the second one three or four days after that; Theodore was
there when the first picture was taken; he came to the room first, and said
Mrs. Anderson was coming; Mrs. Anderson cam in five or ten minutes afterward;
they remained there about half an hour; they left the room together; Mrs.
Anderson objected to the firs picture on account of the light dress; witness
had a conversation with George Anderson afterward; he said as soon as he got
into his new shop he would come up and give him a call, and get some work
done with him; witness did not tell him that he had taken the picture for his
wife; there was a man in the room part of the time that Theodore and Mrs.
Anderson were there; his name was Burkhardt; did not recollect how long after
they came in before he left.
Cross-examined: His room was on one of the public streets adjoining
the Court House; it was about ten or eleven o’clock; everyone passing could
see them going in and coming out; there were windows on both sides; they left
the room together; did not request witness to keep the taking of the picture
a secret; laid him under no injunctions to keep it secret; did not know
whether Mrs. Anderson knew witness was acquainted with her husband or not;
witness had been acquainted with deceased for a number of years; Mrs.
Anderson paid for the picture; Mr. Anderson had been in his room several
times; he spoke of having the likeness of his family taken; did not recollect
of her saying anything about having her children’s likenesses taken; noticed
no confusion on their part when Mr. Burkhardt came in; Mrs. Anderson was
alone when she came the second time; one was taken before and the other after
the 14th of February; she brought the first one back and left it with the
witness.
Re-examined: Mr. Anderson never spoke of having his wife’s likeness
taken for Theodore to carry in his trunk; deceased never spoke of sending his
wife up; their looks made no impression upon him while in his room; saw
Theodore looking at Mrs. Anderson; they both sat on the sofa together; there
was room enough between them to put a chair; did not recollect how long it
was after they came in until they sat down on the sofa; witness was not in
the room all the time they were there; witness could not see them when he was
out of the room; they did not remain in the room any longer than was
necessary for them to get the picture; they knew that I might come out in the
room at any moment; Theodore had been in the room of witness several times
previous to that. “The Anderson Murder
Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November
22, 1856 (122621)
|
044
|
STAFFORD, O.N.: Was at the house of
deceased the morning after his death the ground was very hard and dry at that
time; saw the place where the head of deceased was said to have lain; there
was the foot print of a cow there and the head rested on a part of that; saw the
stick that was found there, it was the outside stile of a window blind about
one inch and a quarter thick and two or three inches wide and about four feet
long; the stick was said to have been used to drive the cows out of the lot
close to where it lay; near where the stick lay there was a foot print on the
fence as if someone had got over; some dirt was on the fence ant the pace of
the print; it appeared as if someone had put his foot there and mounted over
the fence into Armstrong’s lumber yard; it was south of the privy that the
foot print was on the fence and about eighteen inches or two feet from the
ground; it was quite a moonlight night that Anderson met with his death; had
observed some tracks by the side of the privy, between that and the hen house;
from the tracks by the privy an man could not be seen my anyone going from
the house to the privy or coming out of it, as it must have been very dark
between the two; the tracks were fresh; persons making an examination of the
ground after the death would not have been likely to have went in there; a
man standing in the position in which the tracks indicated could have struck
a person coming out or going into the privy door; the stick was sufficient to
have mashed in a man’s skull; witness could strike a man with it so as to
save him witness was at the house of deceased frequently while he was sick;
witness never saw any sign s of any misunderstanding between deceased and
Mrs. Anderson, he appeared to have as much confidence in her as any man could
have in his wife; one time when witness called to see him he complained of
the fraternity not attending to him; Mrs. Anderson remarked that he had had
good care taken of him; deceased said
he knew that, but his wife could not stand everything, that she was worn out
and needed rest; had known Mr. and Mrs. Anderson from some years; was
intimate with them for several years, and they had lived very happy together
so far as he knew, as much so as any married couple witness ever knew; during
the sickness of deceased the attention of witness was attracted to the
affection existing between them more than at any other time, it was so much
so on the part of deceased that
witness thought he was foolish; their affection for each other had always
been very great; deceased had told witness a short time before his death that
he was going to discharge his boarders, that there was too much work for his
wife even with the best of a girl; Mr. and Mrs. Anderson lived very agreeable
together both while he was sick and before; had known Mrs. Anderson since and
before her marriage and her character was as good as that of anyone.
Cross-Examined: A person standing where the tracks were by the privy
would only have to turn partly around to strike anyone coming out of the
privy door; deceased was particularly kind to Mrs. Anderson while he was
sick; witness thought deceased was between thirty five and forty years of
age, and that Mrs. Anderson was about thirty five; witness did not know of
deceased having an enemy; knew of his having a difficulty with George K.
Johnson some four or five years ago, but believed it had all been settled;
deceased was a man that done nothing but attend to his business; deceased had
wanted to borrow a pistol of witness; he said that his nephew had left some money
with him to be invested in land, and that some man had been seen lurking
about his house after night, but that he would get mistaken as he never kept
any money about the house. “The
Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State
Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
|
045
|
TALBOTT, WILLIAM: Deceased had not been
unwell for some time before his death; had not heard him complain of any
uneasiness; he did not at any time for a week or two before his death make
any complaints of being unwell; witness did not recollect how long before his
death he got the pistol; witness was a partner of deceased; did not know how
long he was confined to his bed; thought he was taken sick after he got the
pistol; could not say how long he was sick; witness visited him while sick
three or four times, probably more; witness saw Mr. Anderson at the shop
after he had been sick; he complained of his legs being weak, and of a
numbness in his arms; sometimes when at work at the shop he would take the
bucket and go to the well after water; did not notice him going any unusual
number of times; could not say that he saw anything peculiar about his visits
to the well; witness was at the house of deceased the evening of his death,
after supper; at the time Mrs. Anderson was lying on the lounge and Mr.
Anderson sitting on the other; thought it was before candlelight, but it
might have been after; witness remained there about twenty minutes; went
there to see Mr. Anderson about moving into the new shop; Mr. Spear was
anxious for them to move out of the shop where they were; deceased told
witness to tell Mr. Spear to wait till the next week and he would be able to
have the new shop fixed to move into; had not seen George Anderson and
Theodore talking together after the sickness of deceased; had not seen them
talking together before his sickness; never saw Theodore at the house while
he was sick; witness never sat up with deceased.
Cross-examined: When witness called at the house he would only step
in to see how he was, or to talk about their business; did not stay there any
great length of time. “The Anderson
Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 25, 1856 (122622)
|
046
|
TODD, PHEBE: Was a sister of George
Anderson’s; remembered the night of his death; was stopping at Charles
Anderson’s at that time; Theodore was boarding at Charles Anderson’s at the
time; he was there the evening of the death of deceased; he ate his supper
there, and went out a while with Mr. Vaughn and Mr. Green; he came home that
night about half past nine; witness went to bed ten minutes before ten, and
he had been in fifteen or twenty minutes before she went to bed; the way she
knew it was about ten when she went to bed was that she went in the bedroom
of Charles Anderson and locked the front door, and looked at the watch that
was hanging in the room, and it wanted ten minutes of ten; it was not later
than half past nine when he came in that night; he came in and went upstairs,
and then came down and got a pin, and went back upstairs; Charles Anderson
was in bed when witness went in to lock the door, and his wife was going to
bed; no one could have gone out of the house after she locked the door
without Charles knowing it, as they would have to pass through his bedroom;
Theodore went with witness down to the house of deceased that night; she
dined at Charles Anderson’s on the day of the murder; Charles, Theodore, Mr.
Green, and Mr. Vaughn were there for dinner; Mrs. Anderson was not there; she
did not come there until the ordinary dinner was over; Theodore was not there
when she came; he started away as soon as he was done with his diner; she
came there at nearly two, and went away with Abijah Anderson about half past
two; she came after a basque pattern, and got it and went home; witness had been
at the house of deceased a good deal while he was sick; was there a day and
night after he got bad; witness never saw a couple that lived happier than
they did; she stood over him day and night and hardly ate or slept for the
care she had for him; George thought no one could do so well for him as Jane;
witness was there the night he had the spell about one o’clock; that was the
night that Dr. Lord was there the first part of the evening; Dr. Lord was
sent for immediately; he left some powders for George to take; witness gave
him the powders herself; she gave him three or four before the spell came on;
first game them to him about nine o’clock; the spell came on about half past
twelve; witness gave him the powders every time; no one else gave him anything
that night but her, Mrs. Anderson laid down in the adjoining room on the sofa
about eight o’clock and remained there until after the spell came on; the
first word she said after they called was for Charles go to for the Doctor;
when Dr. Lord came George said he would have to change physicians—that his
medicine only made him worse, and would kill him; Dr. Lord said he did not
like to be turned off in that way, and insisted up on his trying Dr. Fowler,
his partner; to which he agreed, and Dr. Fowler was then sent for; Mr.
Anderson said after that if he had not had Dr. Lord to attend to him he would
not have been sick; Dr. Fowler changed the medicine; that was Wednesday
night, and he had no other spell until Friday morning, after breakfast;
witness sat up with him on Thursday night; she gave him medicine out of a
vial about three o’clock; Mrs. Anderson went to bed that night about ten,
behind Mr. Anderson; after three o’clock witness laid down on the lounge in
the dining room; the door was open; she did not go to sleep, but only got
into a kind of snooze; there was no motion or noise of anyone getting up
while she laid on the lounge; if there had been witness would have heard it;
she was confident that no one gave him anything while she was lying on the
lunge; witness got up off the lounge about daylight and went into his room;
his breakfast that morning was a small piece of fried ham, part of a cup of
coffee and a part of a war biscuit; witness saw Mrs. Anderson all of the time
she was preparing the breakfast and if she had put anything in it witness
would have seen her; deceased did not drink all the coffee; he ate but very
little of the biscuit and meat; Mrs. Anderson carried it out and set it on
the table, where the rest of the breakfast was; the children might have eaten
what was left, as they did sometimes, but witness did not see them eat it; it
was about fifteen or twenty minutes after he ate till the spell came on; Mrs.
Anderson set for the Doctor immediately; Dr. Fowler came; Mrs. Anderson and
witness both rubbed him with alcohol; Mrs. Anderson took a cloth and rubbed
his breast; deceased did not say anything about his breakfast having any
peculiar taste; was there before the post mortem examination; the Doctor came
in and told her that they would have to examine him and she said very well;
Willis Johnson told her that she ought to object to it, and said if he were
in her place he would not have it done; she made no objection to the
examination till Mr. Johnson spoke of it; saw Mr. and Mrs. Anderson at Charles
Anderson’s the Sunday before his death; they were there for dinner; Theodore
came in after dinner; saw him and George Anderson talking together while
there; saw no evidence of ill feeling on George’s part toward Theodore while
there.
Cross-examined: Theodore went with her down to the house of deceased
that night; Dr. Fowler was there; thought she could not have mixed anything
with his breakfast without her seeing her do it; she was at Charles
Anderson’s about half an hour the day she came after the basque pattern;
witness asked her how Georg was and she aid he was getting better; Theodore
was not there while she was there; she did not inquire for him; no one come
with her; Mrs. Anderson was there once just before George was taken sick; he
said if he had not changed physicians he would have been a dead man; did not
hear Dr. Fowler say anything improper being given and that he would detect
it; when witness got there the night of the death Mrs. Anderson was sitting
in the rocking chair nearly exhausted; she said the doctors had said he had
gone out and must have fell down and died from exhaustion; she did not cook
the breakfast but only gave it to him; could not say who poured out the
coffee; did not know what became of what was left. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,”
Illinois State Journal, November 27,
1856 (122624)
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047
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VAUGHN, HENRY: Had been acquainted
with Theodore from his boyhood; knew him in New Jersey; his character there
was as good as that of any young man; witness recollected the night of the
death of George Anderson; saw Theodore Anderson that evening at tea time,
about six o’clock; it was at Charles Anderson’s house; witness was with
Theodore that evening until about half past eight o’clock; they went form
Charles Anderson’s to the post office, and from there around the Square; it
was a very light night; witness parted with Theodore at Spaeth’s corner;
Theodore went north, and witness went round to the post office and then home;
looked at his watch at the post office and it was about half past eight;
witness went immediately to bed after he got home; he was not awake a great
while after he went to bed; Theodore came in before he went to sleep; thought
it was not over fifteen or twenty minutes after he went to bed until Theodore
came in and went to bed ; Theodore had on a reddish slouch hat and coat that
he now wears, it was the same dress that he generally wore; it was light
enough that night to distinguish a man’s clothing at a short distance.
Cross-examined: Witness and Theodore and Mr. Green came down in town
together; when Theodore left them at Spaeth’s corner he went north; he did
not say where he was going; [illegible]. “The
Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,” Illinois State
Journal, November 27, 1856 (122624)
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048
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WALLACE, Dr. WILLIAM: Had been a practicing
physician for thirty two years; he had heard all the evidence of the
physicians in the case in regard to the symptoms and disease of George
Anderson, and also the manner of the tests made by them with the contents of
the stomach, and from all the facts, he would give it as his opinion that the
blow on the head caused his death; a blow of that kind would cause immediate
death; the subject might stretch out a little after the blow.
There are many cases where people have been killed immediately by a
blow on the head; from the descriptions of the symptoms and spasms he could
not give it as his opinion that they were caused by strychnine; had no doubt
of the blow being sufficient to cause death immediately. “The Anderson Murder Trial: Examination of Witnesses for Defense,”
Illinois State Journal, November 27,
1856 (122624)
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049
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WATSON, B.A.: Was along with Mr.
Jones when the picture and bottles were found; thought the bottles were the same
ones that were found in the trunk; he put a mark on the picture and it was
the same one “The Anderson Murder
Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November
22, 1856 (122621)
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050
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WEBER, JOHN B.: Witness produced a
package of letters, vials, miniatures and a hammer which he said were the
same that were produced at the trial below. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
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051
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WHITE, DR. J.L.: Resides in Jerseyville;
was slightly acquainted with Theodore Anderson; saw him at Jerseyville;
acquainted with Theodore Anderson; saw him at Jerseyville; he was there about
two weeks; witness had a bottle of strychnine in his office; it was a two
drachm bottle; the bottle that was found in the trunk of Theodore was the
same kind of bottle; the cork was a different one from what witness’s bottle
had in; witness had lost his bottle of strychnine ; witness missed it about
four weeks after Anderson left Jerseyville; had but one occasion to use it;
it was labeled with a paper label with strychnine in English written on
the paper; could not identify the
bottle in court as the same one he had lost; did not remember seeing Anderson
in his office but twice; was satisfied that his bottle was stolen; the bottle
of witness was full; had not taken but two grains out of it; what had been
taken out of the bottle produced in court would kill two or three hundred
men; had never known of it being used externally for the cure of cutaneous
diseases; it would produce death the same as if taken internally if it had a
chance of absorption; the cork in the bottle produced was not such as is
generally used in such bottles.
Cross Examined—The office of witness was in a room by itself; it was
some fifty rods from where he boarded; got acquainted with Theodore Anderson
at the hotel; witness had not seen his bottle of strychnine for some four or
five weeks before Anderson came to Jerseyville; did not miss it for some
three or four weeks after he left there; witness kept that and some other
medicines in a book case; the book case was not locked; the bottle was the
same kind that strychnine is generally brought to the United States in; there
was nothing by which witness could identify it as his bottle; there were
plenty of others who had as good an opportunity to take it as Anderson; there
was no killing of bugs about the place at that time; strychnine is given as a
medicine; a dose is a tenth to a sixteenth part of a grain; a very small
quantity, dissolved in alcohol, and used externally would not produce any
serious effect; strychnine is given sometimes as a stimulant; thought there
might be cases of cutaneous diseases where a stimulus would be necessary;
could not say that it might not be used externally to advantage in some
cases; when taken in doses large enough to produce death, it causes a
rigidity of the muscles and limbs before death; had never seen a case where
the limbs became released immediately after death where the person had died
from the effects of strychnine. “The
Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois State Journal, November 22, 1856 (122621)
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052
|
WILKINSON, A.H.: The hammer, two
bottles, the bonnet and the pictures were the same that were given him during
the former examination; the bottles and pictures were taken from the trunk of
Theodore Anderson by Mr. Jones; witness sent Mr. Jones to examine the trunk
of Theodore to see if there was anything like a slung shot in it; did not
know what the white bottle contained at the time; witness went to the jail on
Monday morning when Theodore asked witness how things looked; told him that
they looked very black; that something had been found in his trunk ; Theodore
said that if witness had come to the jail on Sunday, he would have told him
about the bottle being in the trunk and had him take it out to prevent any
suspicion; he said he had got it in New Jersey or Jersey before he started to
use on his hands to prevent his catching any diseases; the strychnine was
found in the same trunk with the picture of Mrs. Anderson; several letters
were also found in the trunk. Mr. Jones brought the letters to witness;
hadnot examined them particularly; would not be positive that they were the
same that were taken from the trunk
Cross Examined: Could not identify the letters; Theodore gave up the
key of his trunk to witness without any hesitation; he did not appear uneasy
or confused; witness was the officer who arrested him; arrested him in the
lot of deceased; there was a single barrel pistol found in the trunk. “The Anderson Murder Trial,” Illinois
State Journal, November 22, 1856
(122621)
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053
|
WOODS, J.C.: Knew Theodore and Mrs.
Anderson by sight; would not know her on the street; had seen him at
Armstrong’s shop several times, two or three weeks before the death of George
Anderson; Theodore first came to the shop to get a plumb rule made; the
second time he came the rule was not done; the third time he came to the shop
he got the rule; had seen him at the shop after that; thought he saw him
standing in the door upstairs once looking into Anderson’s yard; that was
while he was there after the rule; could not say how long he remained in the
door, probably five or ten minutes; had seen him in the door below once;
appeared to be doing nothing at the time; there was nothing in his conduct
that attracted the attention of witness.
Cross-examined: Only recollect seeing Theodore at the shop once or
twice after he took the rule away; it was while the rule was being made that
he was upstairs; could not say positively that he was looking into Anderson’s
back yard; saw him below looking that way; witness did not think anything of
it at the time; he was generally talking to the hands when at the shop;
witness thought he had nothing to do at the time and was there to pass away
the time; it was common for mechanics to come around the shops to talk to the
hands. “The Anderson Murder Trial,”
Illinois State Journal, November 25,
1856 (122622)
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054
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YOUST, CYRUS: Knew Theodore Anderson;
had worked for George Anderson about seven months’ boarded with him most of
that time; while witness boarded there he saw Theodore and Mrs. Anderson
talking together frequently; did not recollect when Theodore went to
Jerseyville; knew of his going there; he was gone two or three weeks; the day
he went away, as he and George were going toward the depot in front of the
Ball Alley, he heard Theodore say to George he was “very sorry he did it;”
and George said, “Oh well, he had done the same thing when a boy;” witness
heard a great fuss in the house one morning; the evening before, Theodore had
been complaining of being homesick, and if he had someone to comb his hair he
could go to sleep; and Mrs. Anderson said she could comb his hair, if that
was all; she went into the room where he was; she was in there about five
minutes, and then came out and went about her work; witness could not hear
anything that was said the next morning during the fuss, but there was a fuss
of some kind; Theodore went to Jerseyville that evening; Mary Anderson was
thirteen or fourteen years old; knew of no love making going on between Mary
and Theodore; was not mistaken about Mrs. Anderson’s going into his room to
comb his hair; did not recollect where the children were at the time; George
Anderson was up in town at the time; witness could not say what the fuss in
the morning was about; George and Theodore and Mrs. Anderson were all in the
dining room at the time; knew of deceased having a pistol; said there was
someone lurking about his house, and he intended to see who it was; could not
say how long that was before he took sick.
Cross-examined: Theodore had been talking or two days of being
homesick; witness was in the dining room when she went in to comb his hair;
the door was open when she was in there; witness was in the dining room all
the time she was in Theodore’s room; the bedroom was adjoining the dining
room; the children were not in at the time; but came in afterward; they did
not know of the combing of his hair by Mrs. Anderson; witness did not tell
them or George Anderson about it; he had no chance to find it out unless Mrs.
Anderson, Theodore, or witness had told him; had been examined three times ;
did not know whether he said anything about the combing of the hair on the
first examination or not; had no conversation with anyone about this case;
did not think of the combing of the hair at the first examination; when
Theodore said he was sorry he had done so, he and George were going to the
depo; George was talking in a friendly manner; they started from the house
together. “The Anderson Murder Trial,”
Illinois State Journal, November 25,
1856 (122622)
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