Argument of A.G. Riddle, Esq., of Cleveland, delivered at the court house in Jefferson, Ohio, on the 26th and 27th of November, 1858, in the case of the state of Ohio vs. Hiram Cole, 1859, tried for poisoning his wife on the 9th of Sept., 1857, at Bainbridge, Ohio / Reported by Eli Bruce.
- Bruce, Eli.
- Date:
- 1859
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Argument of A.G. Riddle, Esq., of Cleveland, delivered at the court house in Jefferson, Ohio, on the 26th and 27th of November, 1858, in the case of the state of Ohio vs. Hiram Cole, 1859, tried for poisoning his wife on the 9th of Sept., 1857, at Bainbridge, Ohio / Reported by Eli Bruce. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![had not thought of that then. But the central and great idea was they would now be at once married. Married ! how did he know she would marry him, unless indeed all was understood. Filled with this he was happy—never so happy. The groans of his wife had ceased, and her murdered image had for a moment vanished. His exultant heart walked on tiptoe, and his guilty soul in its affrontery looked the noonday sun level in the face -and all—all was due to that blessed—blessed accident, that had so providentially interposed its benificent office ! What of the little orphan, standing alone in the darkness of coming night, by the abandoned corpse of its motl er ? JS’ot a word or thought! And in the ecstacy of his exultant proclamation, he adds the name of his wretched guilty paramour, as “ Mrs. Augusta C.” As if the solemn voice of God and religion had already sanctified this contact of lust and murder. I am frank to confess that notwithstanding the conclusive char- acter of this letter standing alone ; I am inclined to the opinion, that while Miss Wheeler must have been aware that Mrs. Cole was in some way to be got rid of, that she probably was not aware that she was to be murdered. There are so many reasons why Cole even would desire she should think him guiltless of that greatest crime, and so little to be gained by her knowing of it, as she was too remote to aid him in its execution, that 1 am disposed to look for a solution of some parts of this letter on another hypothesis. For this view I am indebted, as for many other valuable suggestions, to my youngest colleague [Mr. Hall] to whom the state owes so much. It will be found that this theory in 'not the slightest degree re- lieves this defendant. Nor does the fact that these letters contain no direct confession of his guilt, tend either to prove his innocence, or her, non-complicity, for we know of numerous instances where joint perpetrators of great crimes, ever after in each other’s pres- ence, enact the poor sham of seeming innocence. I think from the succeeding letter it is apparent at all events that Cole, when he poisoned his wife the first time at Egglestons, had written to Augusta that she was dangerously ill, and that she would probably die ; so that she might be prepared for that event. Hav- ing resolved on that, he would communicate the fact of illness even if she'knew no more. And if cognizant of his designs he would inform her that he was at work m their accomplishment. For purposes of his own he probably dated that event as occur- ing some days earlier than it did. If ignorant of everything else thus knowing she was dangerously ill she would be prepared to hear of her death, and an announce- ment as made in the above letter, would convey all Cole would wish her to know ; and he might state that she died the sixth, to carry](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28268088_0062.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
