Of the March Term of the saline County Circuit Court in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety five.
The Grand Jurors chosen, selected and sworn in and for the County of Saline
in the State of Illinois, in the name and by the authority of the People
of the State of Illinois, upon their oaths present that: Mary VINYARD,
Delilia VINYARD, late of said County on the first day of March in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety five at and within the
said County of Saline in the State of Illinois, aforesaid: did unlawfully,
feloniously, willfully and of their malice aforethought a large quantity
of deadly poison called "Rough on Rats", to wit--the quantity of one ounce
of said Rough on Rats--put, mix and mingle into and with a certain quantity
of coffee which one AMOS VINYARD ws then and there about to drink the said
Mary Vinyard and Delilia Vinyard then and there will knowing that he the
said Amos Vinyard intended and was then and there about to drink the said
coffee and the said Mary Vinyard and Delilia Vinyard then and there also
well knowing the said Rough on Rats as aforesaid by them put mixed and
mingled into and with the said coffee to be a deadly poison and the said
Amos Vinyard afterwards to wit, on the day and year aforesaid in the county
aforesaid did then and there take, drink and swallow down a large quantity
to wit, one pint of the said coffee with which the said rough on Rats was
so mixed and mingled by the said Mary Vinyard and Delilia Vinyard as aforesaid,
he the said Amos Vinyard at the time he so took drank and swallowed down
the said coffee not knowing there was any Rough on Rats or any other poisonous
or hurtful ingredient mixed or mingled with the said coffee, by means whereof
he the said Amos Vinyard then and there became mortally sick and distempered
in his body; and the said Amos Vinyard of the mortal sickness and distemper
&c--casioned(?) whereby then and there instantly died; and so the Grand
Jurors aforesaid on their oaths aforesaid do say that the said Mary Vinyard
and Delilia Vinyard in manner and form aforesaid unlawfully feloniously,
willfully and of their malice aforethought did then and there kill and
murder the said Amos Vinyard against the peace and dignity of the People
then and there being and contrary to the form of the statute in such case
made and provided and against the Peace and dignity of the same People
of the State of Illinois.
2nd--And the Grand Jurors aforesaid chosen selected and
sworn as aforesaid in and for the County of Saline aforesaid in the name
and by the authority of the People of the State of Illinois, aforesaid
upon their oaths aforesaid do further present that the said Mary Vinyard
and Delilia Vinyard late of the County of Saline and State of Illinois,
aforesaid on the first day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and ninety five and in the county aforesaid did unlawfully
feloniously willfully and of their malice aforethought a large quantity
of deadly poison the name of which said deadly poison is to the said Grand
Jurors unknown to wit--the quantity of one ounce of said deadly poison
the name of which to the Grand Jurors unknown put mix and mingle unto and
with a certain quantity of coffee which one Amos Vinyard was then and there
about to drink and swallow down, the said Mary Vinyard and Delilia Vinyard
then and there well knowing that he the said Amos vinyard intended and
was then and there about to drink and swallow down, the said Mary Vinyard
and Delilia Vinyard then and there well knowing there also well knowing
the said deadly poison the name of which is to the Grand Jurors unknown
as aforesaid by them put mixed and mingled into and with the said coffee
to be a deadly poison and the said Amos Vinyard afterwards to wit on the
day and year aforesaid in the county aforesaid did then and there take
drink and swallow down a large quantity to wit--one pint of the said coffee
with which the said deadly poison the name of which is to the Grand Jurors
unknown was then and there so mixed and mingled by the said Mary Vinyard
and Delilia Vinyard as aforesaid he the said Amos vinyard at the time he
so took drank and swallowed down the said coffee not knowing there was
any deadly poison the name of which is to the Grand Jurors unknown or any
other poisonous or hurtful ingredient mixed or mingled with the said coffee
by means whereof he the said Amos Vinyard then and there became and was
mortally sick and distempered in his body; and the said Amos vinyard of
the poison the name of which is to the Grand Jurors unknown aforesaid,
so by him taken drank and swallowed down as aforesaid and of the said mortal
sickness and distemper occasioned there by from the said first day of January
in the year last aforesaid until the tenth day of January A. D. 1895, in
the county aforesaid did languish and languishing did live on which said
tenth day of January A. D. 1895, in the county aforesaid of the said mortal
sickness occasioned by the said poison the name of which is to the Grand
Jurors unknown, as aforesaid then and there died and so the Grand Jurors
aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid in manner and form aforesaid the Mary
Vinyard and Delilia Vinyard unlawfully feloniously willfully and of their
malice aforethought him the said Amos Vinyard in the peace of the people
then and there being did then and there kill and murder contrary to the
form of the statute in such case made and provided against the peace and
dignity of the said People of the State of Illinois.
Marion S. Whitley, State's Attorney for Saline County,
Illinois.
John H. Denny, foreman of Grand Jury.
Witnesses: Lina E. Vinyard, Susan Lewis, Alonzo Davis,
J. W. Renfro, Chas. Record, W. B. Land, Francis Dunn, Matilda C. Record,
Portha Vinyard, James Vinyard, W. R. Harper, David Middleton.
Filed March 16, 1895---Jno. H. lee, Circuit Clerk.
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