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Identifier
KF 223 .W45 1872
Creation Date
1872
Description
Trial of Mrs. Elizabeth G. Wharton: on the Charge of Poisoning General W.S. Ketchum. Baltimore: Published by the Baltimore Gazette, 1872.
Elizabeth G. Wharton was a widow living in Baltimore in 1871. General William Scott Ketchum, a family friend, arrived for a visit. He got sick and died a few days later. Eugene Van Ness, Wharton's friend and financial advisor, came to her house one evening. He also got sick and had to remain bedridden in her home. Wharton prepared a drink Van Ness’s doctor prescribed. However, his wife, suspicious, poured it out. Poison was found in the glass and the deceased General Ketchum’s stomach. Wharton was arrested for the murder of Ketchum and the attempted murder of Van Ness. The defense argued that Ketchum may have died of natural causes. The jury found Wharton not guilty of murder. She was later tried for the attempted murder of Van Ness, which resulted in a hung jury.