Colorado Spring Gazette
Colorado, USA
10 August 1889
The Maybrick Trial
Liverpool, August 5.
At the trial of Mrs. Maybrick for the murder of her husband to-day during the examination of witnesses for the defense, Dr.
McNamara, ex president of the Irish college of Surgeons, testified that in his opinion Mr. Maybrick's death was due to
gastro-enteritis and not to arsenic.
Dr. Paul of Liverpool, connected with the faculty of Victoria university, declared that it would take months to eliminate
arsenic from the system if it were taken more than twice. He also thought that the symptoms in the case of Mr. Maybrick
accorded with those of gastro-enteritis.
A chemist testified that ladies often purchase fly papers for use as a cosmetic. A hairdresser said that arsenic was
frequently used by ladies to improve their complexion.
Mr. Poole, ex mayor of Liverpool, testified that in March last Mr. Maybrick had told him that he took poisonous medicines
habitually. This concluded the evidence and Mrs. Maybrick then read her statement. In this she explained the presence of the
fly papers in the house by saying that she had bought them for use as cosmetics. In former years she had used a cosmetic
prescribed by Dr. Griggs, of Brooklyn which contained arsenic. She lost the prescription, and wishing to make a substitute
had soaked the fly papers in elder flower water and lavender water and had covered the mixture with a plate and a towel to
exclude the air. Continuing, Mrs. Maybrick said: "On the night of May 9th, after the nurse in attendance upon my husband had
given him some meat juice. I went and sat by his bed. He complained of being very sick and depressed and implored me to give
him a powder. Earlier in the day he had made a similar request and I had declined to administer the powder, but that evening
I was over-wrought, terribly anxious and miserably unhappy. His distress unnerved me and as he said the powder was harmless
and I could put it in his feed, I consented to put it with some meat juice which I gave to him. After taking it deceased fell
asleep and appeared better on awakening. I was not anxious to administer the powder. Afterwards I placed the bottle
containing the meat juice on the wash stand where it remained until Michael Maybrick, my brother in law, took possession of
it. The day before my husband I made a full confession to him of the fearful wrong I had done him and received his
forgiveness." This statement caused sensation in the court room.