Page 67 of Aug 8 1948 Issue of San Antonio Light in San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio Light August 8, 1948 Page 67 old newspaper archives

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San Antonio Light (Newspaper) - August 8, 1948, San Antonio, Texas A mysterious gift b rough with it agonizing death but the unscrupulous sender thoughtfully enclosed some telltale clues a by Peter Levins a Kace for you aunt Elizabeth a. Registered fourteen old Harry Pennington just Back from the Dover del., Post office that late afternoon of aug. 9, 1898, handed the Small Oblong parcel to his pretty relative mrs. John Dunning. A few minutes later mrs. Dunning was exclaiming to her father sex congressman John Pennington look papa i be received a Box of Candy and i Don t know who sent no note of any kind or he inquired looking up from his evening paper. Yes there s a note it says with love to yourself and baby. Mrs. A " you must know a mrs. C. Someplace. What s the i can t make it Pennington not much interested returned to his paper. The news he saw was rather Dull Santiago had already surrendered and the War with Spain seemed just about Over. The Candy Box shiny Pink with the word Bon Bons embossed on it had come wrapped with Pink baby ribbon. Underneath the note which had been written on a scrap of ruled paper Lay a Cambric handkerchief. This had Cost Only 25 Price tag was still but it had been nicely trimmed with embroidery. Underneath the handkerchief were two layers of assorted chocolates. Mrs. Dunning whose husband was in far off puerto Rico serving As a War correspondent put aside the present to attend to her six year old daughter Elizabeth s supper. Then having themselves dined the other occupants of the spacious parents her older sister mrs. Joshua Diane the latter s two 22 How could anyone think such a thing about cried Cordelia when miss Livernash told her she was under suspicion. Children Leila and Mary and Young paired to the wide front veranda. Have some mrs. Dunning invited. She and her sister ate several pieces each and the children had a few nibbles. Pennington declined while mrs. Pennington having sampled a Cream Bonbon cast it aside As unpalatable. That night mrs. Dunning and mrs. Deane were violently ill the children to a lesser degree. The family doctor blamed Corn fritters they d had for dinner. His treatment however did not work. Mrs. Deane died on aug. 11, after Many hours of agony mrs. Dunning died the next Day. By this time the attending physicians agreed d that the symptoms had been those of arsenic poisoning the arsenic As was soon established having been administered via the Candy. Both bodies were embalmed and More arsenic went into their systems for arsenic had not yet been banned As an ingredient of embalming fluid. Fortunately for the investigators of the Case the chocolates Box wrapper note and handkerchief had not been mislaid or destroyed. They had been left on a Cabinet in the parlor. Scrutinizing the wrapper the sorely bereaved father discerned that it had been postmarked san Francisco where the runnings had formerly lived. He recalled that Elizabeth had received several Anonymous letters from California since her re turn to Delaware. He compared the handwriting and it appeared identical. One letter dated july read in part i sincerely Hope you have made All due in painted by Joseph Watson Little Quiry concerning the grave information i sent you out of the pure interest i have in you concerning the conduct of your husband. All you require to be convinced is of Many of both yours and my own friends that the hour you left to go to your Home. He was constantly with this interesting and pretty in san Francisco police and press went to work i on the mystery. Their investigation quickly Cen altered on John Dunning s California background with particular reference to his romantic interest in a woman he had met almost three years before the double tragedy in Delaware. Dunning and Elizabeth Bennington had been married at her Pai ends Home in february 1891, and soon afterwards he had taken her to san fran Cisco whore he worked for a press organization j As a reporter. Their daughter had been born later that same year. Later Dunning became daytime Bureau manager in san Francisco. He was attractive easy going fond of Thi ladies. He also liked to Gamble on horse my wife was extremely religious and Coul not get accustomed to conditions in san fran he was to say. She had a particular High idea of one Day in september 1895, while he was cycling in Golden Gate Park his Bike broken Down and it was then he struck up a Conversa a Tion with a rather Good looking woman relaxing on a Bench. We simply introduced ourselves without slightest he was to relate. There August 8, 1948 was no objection on her part to continuing the v Dunning frankly Iii formed her that he was married. The woman chose to be circumspect partly because she. Was quite a few years older than she looked. She told him that her name was Ada Curtis that she was English born and wid owed. None of these statistics was founded on fact. Actually she had been born Adelaide Cor Delia Brown of Brownsville founded by her father s neb. She and her several Sisters considered themselves the elite of the Community did not attain any conspicuous popularity. One of them died insane. In 1872, at age of 18, Cordelia As she was married one Welcome a. Botkin a Kan Sas City banker and resided in that City before settling in Stockton calif., in the late 80s. They had one child a son Beverly who developed an Early fondness for dissolute living. In this connection As events were to show it might be said that he was his Mother s son. Kyl embers of the Brown family meanwhile Ivi settled in Northern California. Cordelia who liked her husband s regular income somewhat More than his society frequently visited her rela eventually decided to live without him in sait Francisco. Though he provided her with a generous allowance she accorded him Only enough of her time to retain her Marita-1 status. The arrangement seemed agreeable to Botkin. Dunning visited the Gay Cordelia often after their initial meeting. He found her a Nice source of free meals and liquor. After they had be come Well acquainted she confided that she was t really a widow after All but had married Botkin after coming to this country from England. To maintain the pose of youth she identified the pleasure Loving Beverly As her Stepson. Elizabeth Dunning endured her husband s neglect until the Early summer of 1896, then re turned with her child to Dover. Thereafter the couple corresponded freely if not. Affectionately. So far As Cordelia at least was concerned there now seemed no further reason for secrecy. She and her son Beverly moved into an apart of the Francisco she engaged a room at a she informed the management that being unwell she would like to have her meals served in her room. However afternoon aug. 3, the Cook saw her coming into the hotel carrying packages. Her health seemed excellent. On monday the 4th, a registered parcel addressed to mrs. John Dunning at Dover del., was mailed at the ferry Post office. That same afternoon Cordelia entrained for St. Helena sanitarium 80 Miles up the coast. From there she was traced to the Home of a sister mrs. Mcclure in near by Healdsburg. In Healdsburg the san Francisco examiner contacted a local correspondent with the unusual name of Lizzie Livernash. She was instructed to proceed to. The Mcclure Home and see what she could uncover. The reporter made her Call on the 16th. In her talk with mrs. Botkin she All but broke into tears As she confided that she had been wronged by an unscrupulous married Man. Mrs. Sympathetically advised her to put aside the memory and build anew. No Man she was Worth a moment s worry. The next Day miss Livernash returned. She now informed mrs. Botkin that she was under suspicion. According to the correspondent s re port to the examiner Cordelia became hysterical. She even went so far As. To quote Shakespeare s lines about being Chaste As ice. How could anyone Ever think such a thing about she cried. Some malicious gos sipers must have started this of what am i to do about her sister suggested that she go at once to Stockton and place herself under the Protection of her complacent husband. Cordelia agreed. That would be right and miss Livernash tagged along having become quite a Comfort to the suspect. The correspondent duly reported that Botkin received Cordelia rather cooly in his hotel room in Stockton. Miss Livernash was t actually present in the room she remained out in the Hall and heard scraps of what was said through the Candy through the mail or for murder even though the deaths had occurred in another state. The defense attorneys disputed the latter Point but the governor cited the penal code of 1872, which provided that whether a crime was committed in whole or in part in California Ilio perpetrator was liable for punishment according to its Laws. Accordingly Cordelia Brown Botkin went on trial on dec. 6 before judge Carroll Cook with Mcgowan and Knight handling the defense and. Lewis Byington the prosecution. Cordelia took the stand in her own defense and denied everything. But the sceptical jury convicted her and on feb. 4, 1899, she was sentenced to life imprisonment pending her attorneys Appeal she was housed in a Branch of the county jail at Ingleside. One sunday in March 1901, judge Cook happened to be on a Western addition which went by the jail. The car stopped a woman alighted. Judge Cook glanced idly at her. Then he stiffened into an attitude of . The woman was Cordelia Botkin before he could get the trolley started. Jail officials at first insisted that mrs. Botkin had been nowhere but inside her prison Walls on the Day in question but investigation disclosed that she had been enjoying occasional outings. Moreover she had been provided with a suite of rooms special bedding and special victuals. Not to mention special visitors. Soon the uproar subsided. Meanwhile her Appeal for a new trial continued to hang fire. This was to be affected by certain rulings in another murder Case one ill which the defendant was called Hoff but whose Lull name was said to be Albert Frederick George . He had been convicted ii a very Complete circumstantial Case of a woman for wham he had done Odd jobs. During his charge to the jury at that trial judge Cook had remarked circumstantial evidence has this great advantage that various circumstances from various sources Are not Likely to be ment on Geary St., while running installed him self in adjoining Beverly acquired a woman Friend mrs. Louise Seeley who joined in the revels which got under Way on Geary St. Beverly Botkin who was Given to obesity was thus described by a contemporary reporter he is a sport from the word go. Women wine the coursing track All that went to make up the life of the genuine sport was his and he did t care what people thought about came the War. Come an assignment to Dun Ning i .1898, to proceed to puerto Rico. Ill go with Cordelia cried. In what he inquired rather coldly. I Don t know but i la arrange take my he. Said and stay right he set Forth on March 9, and Cordelia accompanied him Bay. To Oakland and for a Short distance on his East bound train. Obviously she hated to see him go. He on the other hand took the parting with Manly equanimity. According to his Story he wrote her from new York that he intended in due time to return to his wife. Soon afterwards he met Elizabeth in Philadelphia before he took off for the West indies. He was a reconciliation. Back in san Francisco the aging Cordelia pined. She wrote to governor Budd asking him to appoint her As to go Rico for instance. Governor Budd congratulated her on her spirit of patriotic self sacrifice but her Down. It bad been established Long since that the american fighting Man preferred nurses somewhat younger and More attractive. I ate in july she went to Stockton for a few Days accompanied by a nurse mrs. Almira whose Home in Oakland she had some times stayed. Suffering from a cold she had summoned a physician who administered a Der containing a Small Quantity of opium. This led to a discussion about poisons. Later she made inquiries about the symptoms of arsenic poisoning also if you bought arsenic would you have to give ? no she was told one would merely have to state for what purpose the Poison was intended. Mrs. Ruoff was to recall that Cordelia asked her whether you had to give your name when you registered a piece of mail. In Early August having returned to san the american weekly transom Cordelia be seethed him to take the blame for their Long separation. She told him that if he did not do this for her she would haunt him and that to a mrs. The very Gates of husband decided to stand by her. Back East Dunning arrived in new York on the 21st, and immediately identified the hand writing As Cordelia s. He also told the full Story of his association with her. The result of this development was that detective b. J. Mcvey of Dover headed for California with the Box of Candy the enclosed note and handkerchief and the Anonymous letters. Chief of police i. W. Lees of san Francisco placed mrs. Botkin under arrest on aug. 23. Family hired two lawyers senator Frank Mcgowan and George Knight who applied for a writ of Hareas Corpus. How could mrs. Botkin be extradited to Delaware they demanded since she had never set foot in the state and therefore could not be considered a fugitive from it chief Lees did not know the answer to that but he held onto his prisoner just the same. Ill is position was strengthened by the follow 1 Irig series of discoveries the Candy Box was recognized at a store in the Phelan Francisco. Two clerks miss Sylvia Heney and miss Kittie Dettner re called that a woman answering the description of the suspect had come in on aug. 3 and re Quested that a Box without the firm s name be Only filled because there was some thing else to go the handkerchief had been bought at a dry goods store. The Saleswoman mrs. Grace Harris swore she remembered the Sale and could identify the purchaser. The cashier said that mrs. Botkin often cashed Money orders there. On sept. 3, Frank Grey employed at a drug store on Market St., recalled Selling two ounces of arsenic to a. Woman answering the accused s description she wanted it she said to clean a hat. The Law requiring Poison purchasers to sign a Register had not yet been adopted in California but Grey had made this notation mrs. Bothin hotel Victoria California and Hyde chief Lees went before governor Budd on sept. 16 and outlined the Case. Budd ruled that Dela Ware could not extradite her on the evidence thus far assembled. However he stated that she could be tried in California either Lor sending Poison in the Botkin trial he expressed the same thought. Then in 1900, the High court granted Hoff a new trial stating whether circumstantial evidence is entitled to such credit or not is a question to be determined by the jury and therefore the charge was plainly an argument for the prosecution and in violation of the Constitution which provides judges shall not charge juries with respect to matters of fact but May state the testimony and declare the law.1" result Cordelia also won a second trial in 1904. But this ended aug. 2 the same As the first. Did too the fight went on. Her counsel asked judge Cook to reopen the Case on the grounds that this second jury had been influenced by moral prejudice and Public feeling. But he held that there was no Legal ground for the petition. Next a thing happened which annoyed Cor Delia very much for it deprived her of her com forts at the Branch jail. The san Francisco fire in 1906 destroyed the main jail with the result a that the Annex became overcrowded and b Cordelia was transferred to san Quentin at her own request. There she was not Happy for she had no suite of rooms no special food or comfy bedding. Indeed conditions were so trying that she suffered from nervous prostration. She died at san Quentin on March 7, 1910, from softening the brain due to next week Peter Levins will Tell from the album of famous mysteries

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