Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The Dansville poisoning case. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![promises, a packagi containing th] appears by a chemical analysis, that one of these contained pure ar- senic, another a mixture of arsenic and magnesia, and the remaining package, cream tartar. These circumstances, together with the suspicion that had been entertained by the physicians ever since the death of Mr. and Mrs. Wood, led to the holding of an inquest Coroner Caton, of Avon, was sent for, and a jury summoned. The body of Mrs. Wood was disinterred, and the stomach scnl to Prof. Hadiey, a distinguished chemist, of Buffalo, for analysis. His experiments resulted in the discovery of arsenic therein, and a subsequent analysis of the stom- ach of Mr. Wood produced the same result. The package was pro- duced beiore the jury, and among the papers in which it was euvel- oped, were found a printed copy of the administrator's notice of sale of the personal estate of David J. Wood, and a hand-bill announcing an auction sale in New York city. Various alterations and erasures in the cash and account books of J). J. Wood were shown, and these were proved to have been for some time after his death, in the pos- session of I. L. AVood. Medical and other testimony was'aJsb ad- duced, and the jury rendered a verdict that Rhoda Wood came to her death by poison, administered in their belief by Isaac L. Coroner Oaton thereupon issued a warrant for his arrest, and deputized Ex- Sheriff James Brewer, of Dausville, to serve it. For some time after the death of Mr. and Mrs. D. J. Wood, Jsn;v continued his business here, residing with his wife and child in the house where Ins brother died. He closed up here with a failure, and removed to New Jersey, where his wile and child died after a brief and sudden illness. A post mortem examination of the stomach of his wife revealed the presence of arsenic . The next we hear of him isat Rantoul, Champaign Co., Illinois, a station on 1he Illinois Ccn^ tral Railroad, about 130 miles south of Chicago. Here he was engag- ed as a laborer upon a farm, and pretended to be in very reduced circumstances. At this place lie was found, by Mr. Brewer, arrested, and broughtto this County, where lie was imprisoned in the jail. The case came on for trial at the February term of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, and resulted in a disagreement of the jury, eight being for conviction, and four for acquittal. A second trial was held commencing May 3d, and on the loth the case was submitted to the jury, who rendered a verdict of Guilty, after being out two hours and a half. On Monday morning, May 17th, the prisoner was br into Court and sentenced to be hung on the 95tbi day of June, 1858, His counsel immediately applied for a writ of error, which was de- nied, and resort was had to the power v sited in the Governor, who granted a stay of execution until the 9th day of July. Upon review- ing the testimony Gov. King found nothing that would warrant hit, interfering with the sentence of the law,and at the date last mention- ed the existence of Isaac L, Wood terminated upon the gallows. The prisoner was a man about five feet, five inches in height; com- plexion of a dark shade, and very spare countenance. His father died on the 23d clay of December, 1842, and his mother on the 2lst day of March, 1854. The surviving children are two brothers, Daniel Halsey and John, residing in New Jersey, and a sister, Mrs. Clark, residing at Lima. New York. We have thus sketched a biicf notice of the family concerned in the tragedy, as a preface to our report of the trials and execution, which will be found in the succeeding pages.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21158678_0004.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
