Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-10-26
THE EVENING NEWS.
~CORONER,s INQUEST


AFTERNOON SESSION .-DR. CHARLES
VoIaHr's testimony-I was first called to
see deceased in my professional character
about October 9Th her disease was OF q
bilious character ; l treated her then three
successive days; gave her no narcotics;
saw her from that time up TO the day OF
her death every second or third day; the
las, time on Friday preceding her death {;
she had been convalescent for ten days
previous to my visit Friday l prescribed
aloes, tamarinds, butternuts and magnesia;
next saw her last Sunday at $3.50 A. NJ;
the first witness called summoned me: l
found her in a narcotic state, lying on the
bed; she was in a state Of insensibility ;
the eyes were closed, the pupil of the eye
contracted, snd the muscles Of her body
relaxed, the skin Of the head cold, her ex-
tremities warm, her respiration slow and
intermittant, her pulse irregular and
weak, and her under jaw relaxed; my
diagnosis was that she wa laboring under
the influence Of a narcotic had been told
nothing, but made my diagnosis upon
symptoms; asked il she had taken any
medicine; was answered in the atirma-
tive ; no medicine vas handed me ; looked
for medicine through the room; was
shown a powder; several powders were
lying in a box in blue and white papers,
and among the lot were some smaller ones,
one in white and two in yellow envelopes,
with the word ''quinine'' on the back in
writing. Witness identified a powder
produced by Coroner Tucker.-REP. l
asked where the powders were procured ;
was told that she had fever in the morn
ing and ordered the powders herself ; l
asked if she had taken any Of the quinine
brought in that paper, and was told she
had; did not then take possession Of the
powders, but subsequently took n OF
them and kept it /; took it about II o'clock
4. "; went Immediately to Armitage's
Drug Store to see if the quinine was put
up there or not asked the clerk if a Mex
lcan had been there in the morning and
procured quinine; was answered IN the
affirmative /; asked him how many grains
had been put up he told me twelve; l
gave the clerk the powder and asked him
TO weigh the balance; it weighed a little
less than three grains I asked him If he
was sure he had put up q%uinine; he told
me he was; l told him there must have
been some mistake, as the woman was in
a dying condition; I then left the store.
went to a restaurant and drank a cup Of
coffee, and then went TO the Drug Store
OF Rice s. Livermore to make a test in
company with Mr.. Foltz; we tested first
for o%uinine with chlorine water and a
solution of ammonia We found no QUIZ
lime il it had been there tests would have
shown a green colored liquid; it did not
prove quinine then tested for morphine;
a solution of chloride of iron was used
a test: a blush color is produced by
treating a solution of morphine with a
solution Of iron; the test produced such
result; the second test was made with
nitric acid, which produces first a bright
red color which after a while becomes
dark and then yellow where morphine is
found: this test produced the colors afore-
said !; our tests induced the opinion that
the paper marked q%uinine contained NOR
phine. Here DR.. Weight produced some
chemicals and proceeded to make the
above described tests, with results CON-
porting with witness statement.-REP.
| am u physician 4; have practiced three
years +; l never graduated have practiced
here and IN San Francisco l studied
medicine from 1857 to 1862 /; after making
tests went Immediately to the house OF
deceased I had previously administered
sulphuric ether in doses Of from four to
ten drops every ten or fifteen minutes she
had difficulty in swallowing afterwards
administered coffee and tartar emetic;
/ administered it in small quantities every
few minutes; in all l gave about ten grains
in thirty minutes; it produced no percep-
tible effect; l also placed a mustard appli-
cation TO her stomach and made repeated
injections of vinegar and water, and after
wards an injection Of half Of a drahm OF
tartar emetic /; hone of my treatment pro-
duced any effect; my next move was to
see the Coroner; I found him at 10 o'clock
p. ~, and placed the powders in his hands
in the room Of the deceased; l was there
again at 3 o'clock; the died a little
past 4 o'clock; in the presence OF the Cor
oner, at 2 o'clock, l also administered
eight or ten drops Of sal. ammonia: this
was the last medicine l administered she
remained unconscious until death.
Cross rGmined.-Was first called De-
,ober 9th; found her suffering from a bill
lious attack visited her frequently ; she
died on the 22d inst. /; visited her on the
18th inst; she was then convalescent and
around the house; on the Goth inst. l pre-
scribed the medicine aforementioned; made
no other prescription; Sunday l found the
room full of ladies, and among the people
there l found DIR. S. 4. McMeans; l have
told to-day in the direct examination all
that ! did for her; the Mexican showed
me o%vinine 4; showed me one powder, on
the cover of which was written "quinine;'
1 took it: left the box with yellow powder
in il; got that when l came back from
Rice & Livermore's; took that powder and
put it in my pocket; l opened the paper
and looked al the powder; made no re-
mark as to the medicine; I cannot tell the
difference between quinine and morphine
without making tests; kept the powder
until DR.. Tucker came; l did not have
time to think OF anything, therefore l did
no. at once take the powders and a party
with me TO see to the matter; a previous
difficulty had existed between me and Mr..
Armitage relative to the poisoning OF a
child from medicine put up at his store;
| did not feel delicate about taking charge
of the medicine; l have no ill-feeling on
nv part toward Armitage; l could have
made tests myself; l took the powders to
the clerk at the drug store and he weighed
them; he gave no reasons why there could
have been no mistake; it was a little past
IL o'clock A. NJ; l first tested for quinine;
nitric acid with quinine will produce no
color; per chloride of iron would remain
the same color if the quinine was pure 4;
DER chloride of iron is a solution OF mon
selles salts: monselles salts are not the per
sulpha,e of iron. Here DR.. Weight pro-
ceeded to test quinine with iron and acid,
and with the results COMFORTING with DR..
Voight's previous statements. de was
subjected 10 a rigorous examination as an
expert.-RBP.l / never made any threats
until after Mr.. Armitage committed an
an assault and battery on me; l then said
that q person who made such mistakes
should not be permitted TO keep a drug
s,ore. I nut a plaster on her stomach at