Litchfield enquirer., 1869-02-04

wrote to Dr. Sanford, requesting tn
 liver; he delivered it in person on the 3rt of July; it was rolled in what appeared t,
 be piece of new unbleached cottor cloth, and was contained in cigar box
 wrapped in brown paper; commenced it' analysis at once, cutting it into small pie ces extracting with alcohol as before. Up on the evaporation of the solution in chlo roform, whether of the material extracted from the stomach or liver, crystalline res. ldue was left. possessing an intensely bit ter taste, dissolving in sulphuric acid with out coloration, but developing upon the addition of crystal of bichramate of potas sum the characteristic colors of strychnia In the case of the liver, several extractio ns with chloroform were necessary to purify the alkaloid; but after each the colors be. came successively more distinct. Since the trial at West Cornwall, have made further examination, confirming the re. suits of former experiments.
 The symptoms produced by strychnia are: feeling of general disquiet and phys. ical discomfort; great anxiety, desponden- cy, and fear of approaching death; a twitching of tho muscles involuntary; and almost immediately the fixed tetanic spasm in which the muscles of the body are firm 1 ly contracted, rigid and knotted, the great CT strength of the dorsal muscles throwing the body into an arch, resting upon the head and heels, (opisthotonos.) The par 1 oxysm lasts three to ten minutes and is succeeded by complete intermission of perhaps the same length, followed by ! another attack. The patient usually re- tains consciousness until after several spasms, and the muscles of the head and neck are the last to be affected. Death en- sues rapidly, usually in the course of an hour, and takes place from one of two eau ses; from suffocation or asphyx- la, in which case the patient dies in spasms; or from exhaustion, when tho patient dies during the intermission. During the spasm the jaws are fixed, and the person blows the saliva through the set teeth, thus frothing at the mouth. These symptoms appear in general, in from ten or fifteen minutes to half an hour after the poison has been taken. The shortest case was that of Dr. Warner. Death occurred in fifteen minutes. The longest case was from five to six hours. If the dose is small, the patient may live longer, and die from exhaustion. A dose of strychnia may be exhausted upon the organism, and the patient finger for days, and die from. exhaustion. Poisons, to have their effect on the system must be absorb cd. Hence, finding poison in the stomach is not in itself any evidence of death byit. But if found in the blood or liver, it must have been absorbed and is likely to have exerted it's action. Now in the case of strychnia, the quantity given being small and diffused through the body, the amount obtained from single organ is quite mi mute. Reasoning, however, from the quan tity found in the present case, the quanti- ty taken must have been sufficient to cause death in my opinion.
 From the evidence the convulsions must have been tetanic in their character Yak ing these tetanic spasms in connection with the presence of absorbed strychnia in the organs examined, there is no doubt in my mind that Mrs. Green came to her death by the poison of strychnia. Tetanic spasms may be produced by other causes than poi son. Tetanus may be idiopathic or trau- matic. In the latter case it results from previous wound; in the former from un- known cause. No disease that I know, ter inmates normally in tetanus The words 'sconvulsions" and "spasms" used popu- larly are vague. Consumption would not ordinarily terminate in convulsions, of eli ther the tonic or clonic sort But quite Q number of diseases may develope tonic spasm. Should expect q physician to dis criminate readily between the ordinary con gElislons and tetauic spasm h tho former the patient IS unconscious ard bhe contraction of the muscles ia irregular. nl- ternstIng rapidly with rela&a5i13; -. tAa , sat5et, there IS consciousness; the muscles are tense, irin and cranpad, and a com plete intermisslon follows only after some minutes. The opistbotonos is marked in the latter; it is entirely absent in the for nler. Consider it of great importance that the community should know marked char actor of the symptoms produced by strych- mia. They are so conclusive that they make detection almost certain.
 1 The quantity of strychnine I found, was not weighable. I could not assert posi- lively that the patient had taken half a grain. Technically speaking, strychnine is not cumulative poison, but is thrown off by various organs. If all the organs were closed, however, then it might accu mulate in the system, and I have known two such cases. ..........
 Professor Barker further testified, that he had examined the Harrison medicine, and found no strychnia in it.
 ! Geo. H. Wheaton. Am druggist. The bottle containing strychnia could be reach | Su OSC1 U4O COuuICIs OkCCA Cdu40 HI 1OA medicine the day of Mrs. G's death. He had Q five or ten dollar bill and stepped across the street and got it changed, left him alone in the store about three minutes. The first time he ever came into the store he came behind the counter and examined everything. He represented that he prac ticed medicine some. The jar containing strychnia was plainly labelled-about 3L feet from outside counter to shelf on whicf it stood. Said his wife was not as vel that day, .-......
 Haruey IdAnan was in jail with Green and testified at length to his having con cocted plot for rising of the prisoners to his having given him harmless pills Green supposing them to be poison. H. falso reiterated with greater particularit. his former testimony regarding Greene alleged confession; Green said he got thu strychnia out of the bottle at Wheaton while he was out getting change for a bill He said on cross-examination that he ha'
 said he felt bad to think he had testified
 against Green because he was sorry for th | old man.
 Henry Carter was in jail with prisoner Heard Green say he knew the Harrison | medicine had strychnia in it, that he gay' t his wife medicine the evening of her death and pushed her out to tho tea table In 1 l chair where she ate nothing but plckl | and soon went into spasms. 2 E. o. Peck. Green told me he had tol,