Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-05-14

The AppoIouia LetdoImann Cnse-Coro-
ner's INQUEST COntInued-Unparaneied
DeprRvity One Hundred and Tweuty
Grains Of Arsenic Administered-Chemi-
cal Analysis Of the Stomach, sc.
1t The Coroner's Inquest on the remains Of
Appolonia Leidelmann was continued yes.
terday, the testimony exhibiting an amount
of d~epravity seldom equaled in the annals
Of modern crime. Louis Bentz, who has
been arrested for administering the poison,
was married 10 the sister Of Miss Leidelmann
on the 9th of September last, and immedi-
ate'y afterward the unfortunate girl, then not
quite fourteen years of age and rather i'm
beetle mentally, went to reside with him on
Vine. street Hill, and soon aftorward she
sought and obtained employment at sewing
in a tailoring establishment in the lower
part of the city, in which he was engaged.
For several months the two always went
to and from their work together, and, dur
ing the time, according to her statement on
her death bed, he effected her ruin.
She plead her extreme youth in extenua-
ton of her shame, to her friends, who had
assembled around her death bed, and de
clared her ignorance of the nature and re
suits of the crime she had committed, and
judging from her mental imbecillty, her as.
sertions were not improbable.
She did not live to reveal her whole story,
or how or by whom the poison was admin
istered, although there can be little doubt
but Bentz was the guilty party, either di.
rocfIv or ind;raotIr and tbot q -. A.. A.
conceal his crime and her shame.
A careful analysis of the contents oil
the stomach, a report OF which is given
below, showed the existence of one
hundred and twenty grains of pure arsenic,
enough to have caused the death of twenty
persons. The inquest will be concluded to.
day, after which Bent8 will be examined
before q court OF justice. Below is the state
ment of the Analysing chemist:
The Coroner Of Hamilton County, Ohio.
DR.. T. l.. Emmert, delivered to. me on the
10th inst, the stomach of Appolonia Seidel
mann, and requested me to make q chemical
investigation of the contents, and l hereby
transmit the result of my hvestigative
analysis: On opening the stomach | found
it to contain a dark, brown-colored fluid
which weighed twenty.niue ounces. Eight
ounces of this fluid with a portion of the
stomach, which showed on its interior
surface diverse violet colored spots were
heated over the water bath in q porcea-
lain dish with pure hydro-choleric acid,
to which small additions of chlorade OF
potassa were made at short intervals, until
a pulpy mass was converted into a LIQUID of a
light yellow color. After it was filtered,
caused a stream Of washed snlphurated ny
dIogen gas to pass through the liquid for
twelve hours, and obtained a copious oolden
yellow p~recipitate which proved to be sui
phuret Of arsenic by its solubility in sulphide
Of ammonia, leaving a trace of sulphur undis-
solved, and also by its perfect insolubility in
bydro-chloric acid. The further investigation
of the stomach did not disclose any other
poisonous substance, and it was clear that
only sTsenous acid had been employed
The copiousness of the precipitate of sui
phuret of arsenic suggested the idea that the
poison could possibly be found in the re.
naming portion of the contents of the
stomach in substance. On a careful exarn
nation Of the latter | found at the bottom OF
the vessel in which they were placed a dirty
white powder, it was separated from the
supernatent liquid by ~decantatiou, washed
with distilled water and collected on a fiji.
ter. A part of the powder was now treated
with hot distilled water until it was dissolved
and then filtered. The filtered LIQUID was
calculated with a few drops of hydro-chloric
acid, a stream of s~ulphurated hydrogen gas
passed through it, and q yellow precipitate
Of the same properties as the first obtained,
By this it was proved beyond a doubt that
the powder which / found in the stomach
was arsenic. To prove this further, / made
the following experiments: First, a small
quantity of the powder found in the stomach
was subjected to the reducing flame of the
bow. pipe on a piece of charcoal. The gar
lie odor, one of the characteristics of arsenic
when heated with charcoal, was plainly per-
ceptible.
2. In a diluted solution of the powder
found in the stomach, a few drops of ammo
mia and a few drops of a solution of neutral
sulphate of copper were added. 1t produced
a beautiful light green p~recipitate of ~arsenite
of copper (ScheN's green).
& 10 a dllutHd solution of tho powder
found1n the stoLaaUh were added a few drops
of ammonia nitrate of silver, which threw
down a copious precipitate of yellow ARISEN
ite of silver. This is a very delicate teste
for srsenious acid, whether free or in
combination. But in solutions containing
organic matter, the indications of tnese
tests are sometimes delusive, and often
doubtful, particularly the indications of the
latter two. Recourse is then had to the
proper means of obtaining arsenic in the
metallic form, IN which 1t can not be mis-
taken. Indeed, even where the indications
OF the fluid tests are clear, the reduction
test should never be omitted, the evidence
which it affords being of superior and COM
pletely demonstraIive character.
A. To effect this, a small portion of the
powder found in the stomach was put in a
narrow glass tube cut to a point at one end
and covered by a piece of charcoal. The
tube so prepared was then held into the flame
Of a spirit lamp, heating first the charcoal
and then the powder Immediately below it
to a red heat. In doing so the fumes of
aTsenious acid were reduced to air by the
burning charcoal, and a shining mirror OF
metallic arsenis was formed above the layer
of charcoal in the tube. This is not only the
most simple, but at the same time the most
certain method to detect arsenic.
8. A portion of the powder found in the
stomach was introduced into o glass tube,
having a small bulb at one end aud a mix.
ture consisting of equal parts of dry car.
Donate Of soda and cynate of potassium, was
put over the powder. By the application of
heat, the reduction of metallic arsenic was
again produced in the form of a shining
mirror in the upper part of the tube. Hav-
ing thus established the presence of arsenic
in the stomach Of Appolonia Seidelmann, in
quantities large enough to produce death, |
respectfully submit this fact to the consider
ton of the proper authorities.
H. EOKEL.