Free Prescription: Murder! Volume 1: Authentic Cases From the Files of Alan Hynd by Noel Hynd, Alan Hynd, George Kaczender Page A

been administered via the patent-medicine route.
    But Boomhower pulled out all the stops in his address to the jury. He dwelled at length on the fact that Albert, as well as Scyrel, had been found loaded with arsenic. The most damning evidence against Dr. MacGregor and Mrs. Sparling, however, came from Assistant Professor of Hygiene, Richard Pryor, and Professor of Pathology, Alfred Scott Warthin, the University of Michigan pathologists who analyzed Scyrel’s organs. The level of arsenic found could not be explained away by the consumption of patent tonics, they said. In their combined expert opinion, Scyrel Sparling had been poisoned.
    Dr. MacGregor had his supporters, too. His father attended court each day. Carrie Sparling, who had also been charged in the conspiracy, said she still believed in the goodness of her family doctor. Carrie Sparling maintained that she sprayed plants with arsenic, explaining the box of poison found in her house. The doctor was not responsible for her loved one’s deaths.
    Ray Sparling, Carrie’s last surviving son, defended the good doctor, testifying that the brothers changed the beneficiary to Carrie Sparling on each of their life insurance policies of their own volition. They had wanted to ensure their mother would be properly cared for in the event that they passed away before she did. When Prosecutor Boomhower asked the surly young man how many times Dr. MacGregor frequented the Sparling farm, Ray smartly stated, “More than a half-dozen and less than three thousand.
    The doctor’s wife, Ida MacGregor, took the stand on behalf of the defense. She proved to be a valuable witness, testifying with righteous honesty. Though she couldn’t change the facts, Ida MacGregor did testify to the relationship in question between the Sparling family and the MacGregors. The families exchanged Christmas gifts and took turns entertaining in each other’s homes. The Sparling boys made themselves at home when visiting the MacGregor’s, and Ida helped Carrie in any way she could during the Sparling’s harvest season. If anything improper had been going on between Dr. MacGregor and Mrs. Sparling, it became evident to the jury that Ida MacGregor had been clueless, or didn’t care.
    When Dr. MacGregor took the stand, he faced a grueling five days of questioning with an answer for everything, though his statements contradicted the testimony of Drs. Conboy, Herrington and Holdship as well as the county coroner and the sheriff.
    Dr. MacGregor explained that Mrs. Sparling’s eye ailments required multiple visits to the farm. The endorsement by Mrs. Sparling on Albert’s insurance proceeds merely paid off the Sparling debt owed to the doctor. All eyes in the court were on his wife, Ida, when the doctor testified nothing improper had been going on between him and Mrs. Sparling. Ida, noticeably relieved, sat a little straighter.
    In all, over 100 witnesses on behalf of either side took the stand to tell their story. Jury selection had begun on April 2, with testimony given between May 1 and June 6. At that point, the Sparling murder trial had been the longest criminal case in the state of Michigan.
    At 12:15 p.m., June 8, the jury sent word to the judge; they had arrived at a unanimous vote. Robert Bowman, foreman of the jury, rose to give Judge Watson Beach their verdict:
    “We find Dr. Robert A. MacGregor guilty as charged of murder in the first degree; of murdering Scyrel Sparling by arsenical poisoning.”
    While the courtroom erupted, Dr. MacGregor sat expressionless and strangely quiet. Carrie Sparling, however, had received a mistrial. And charges against her were immediately dropped.
    Judge Beach sentenced Dr. MacGregor to life imprisonment at Michigan’s state prison in Jackson. Nine weeks had passed since the beginning of jury selection. The Sparling murder case was finally over.
    Maybe.
    A mob had all but gathered at the Bad Axe depot expecting to see Dr. MacGregor off to prison. Sheriff McAuley