The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-09-09

NON SEQUlTUR
But says the Commonwealth n both be taken,
either together or at snort intervals, life, in
stead of being shortened, will be prolonged there
,STe o. death operating a. the ~
II this be true the addition OF dose OF strychnia
might restore the patient altogether. It has been
his heart could not have his condition improved
by putting a bullet through his head. Hence we
tmnk you should dismiss this branch Of the case
therefore, too subtle for application to invesiga-
tons involving human life, or else utterly untrue,
coyeres OF science have gene, there is not any
substance which would as here claimed by the
Common I'VE ss,o counsel arrest or post.
period q thirty hours We therefore turn to the
which You, under the facts Of this case, could be
JUSTIFIED IN considering to w.t. death from prussic
before DEATH So that wen IL e aS a cesan
symptoms were ante mortem 1t IL meant that while
this woman lived the indications of the disease
ances are spoken Of is intended the appear
ances the organs OF this body presented after
ceasm we VII Rsgi3 where the investigation
AIKEN's EXPERIMENTS.
Professor Aiken is the chemist and the result of
was arrived at by two processes-one to discover
the liquid the other to discover the yap0r OF prus
sic acid. Either the Professor considers reliable,
but the vapOr process the most reliable OF the two
The rst gave to his satisfaction faint blue color;
faint he says because the quantity Of acid present
obtained. The other process gave e him faint red
faint also because of the extreme mnuteness OF the
quantity OF acid present The first process is called
the iron test and yields prussian blue; the second
Is called the sulphur test, and should give blood
red or bright red; but he admits that both
known as the silver test AND this the Professor
admits he did not make at oil; so that two only OF
these tests were resorted to for the detection Of
prussic acid, and the results were very FAINT what
the third would have given we do not know. The
counsel for the prisoner contend with much earn
estness that this chemical analysis, as made by Dr.
Aiken, is inconcusive, because 1t was not exfaus-
tive; that sufficient carewas not taken to exclude
foreign matter from the materials subjected to the
process; That the analyst neglected to employ
the most most delicate Of all the testsmne nitrate
his dlstiling process Further. that suiphuric acid
was not necessary on the assumption OF free prussc
property Of developing prussic acid out Of sub.
stances which might not only happen but were
sure to be present One element OF prussic acid is
to be found in human spittle. In other words, al
though this woman may never in her life have
taken prussic acid, still by the sulphur tests, as
used by PROFESSOR AIKEN t was possible and even
traces OF such acid. The medical and scientific
witnesses who prove this are DR.. Reese, gentle
o high position, and whose opinions on this sub
ject 1t would not be safe to disregard He is sus-
% b P as
Baltimore, and many other eminent gentlemen.
TRUE AND FALSE TESTS.
1t Is quite impossible to doubt their accuracy We
cannot say to you that the law requires any num-
Der Of tests One, If clear, certain and conclusive
would suffice; for one reliable test would be OF
and inconclusive. But you will bear in
mind that these tests, resulting in
are the proofs offered to establish the corpus deficit
In this case: and we have already told you that
this point the law requires that the evidence shall
must be neither halt nor doubt as to that matter;
the fel0ni0us death Of this woman must be proved
Of this trial Il not proved o. 1t a o ans
motives or for any reason even the want of ma
terials TOR further s;1tn analysis as alleged by Dr.
that. we have no confirmation OF the faint
results Of the tests actually made, we are
cate silver test had never been known to Science
1t was due to science, to the administration of JUS
tice, and, above all, to the prisoner whose life Is
mperted, that the silver test should have been
made, and the materials so husbanded as to have
permitted this to be done. Are you satisfied with
the cOnclusiveness Of the mere color tests made,
and can you say you are without reasonable
doubt as TO this woman having died from prussic
acidp
THE SYMPTOMS.
But, should you find yourselves perplexed
and doubling, 1t Is your duty to turn back and
carefully consider the ante-mortem symptoms, that
Is, the symptoms exhibited by this woman during
her last Illness and see whether there present
any OF the ordinary and expected symptoms Of
poisoning by prussia acid: on the morning Of the
27th. of January, 1860, the deceased presented
check at the bank, and while she had been COM
planning before, this day she complains Of heavi.
came; he gave her vOmt and she threw up about
ten O'Clock the same morning; she was sensible,
was lying In bed; became sleepy In the afternoon;
she was undressed and went to bed, but would
awake when spoken TO, although from this sleep
she never awoke. You observe here that
her disease commences after the vomiting,
and II any poison was administered 1t must have
been done shortly after the vomiting, because II
taken before 1t would have been elected from the
0Nh unf f0nV lot n1u flor fhn
became sleepy, and this fact sustans DR.. Ruther-
ford's theory that she died natural DEATH and we
must confess that with singular precision he seems
to have hit In his own way the cause OF DEATH
HELPED TO UNDREss HERSELF.
Still, she was sensible In the evenings and assum-
ing that fatal dose Of prussic acid had been ad.
minstered she should have been dead before even
ing nay, before on hour. and II living, then the fol-
lowing Symphonic would be expected-insensibility,
eyes fixed and glstehtng pupils dilated and unaf-
fected by light limbs iaccid, skin cold and covered
with clammy perspiration, convulsive breathing at
breath, the pulse imperceptible, respiration Slow
deep, gasping and may be heaving or sobbing, and
even cOnvulsive. But the uncOntradicted proof
shows the woman was sensible, aided some what to
undress herself, and answered when spoken to. So
that not one symptom OF poisoning by prussic acid
should be dead at least by the morning OF the 2Sth
for this would give sixteen hours for the deadly
agent TO 40 ITS S work ana ought to have Ss
finds her still alive. Her appearance and symp-
toms on the 2sth, from morning until she died, as
proven ny MIS- fuTker ana Dolly turner, may be
thus described-S lay on her left side insensible;
respiration slow and labori0us; temperature OF
body natural; skin rather moist; limbs warm, ex-
cept feet, which were cold; muscles relaxed;
mouth partially open, some accumulation of saliva,
and rather pendant from Its naccidity to the lips
pulse natural o little excited There Is also the
evidence Of william Drew, who found her in an un-
conscious state; mouth open, drawn to one
side: breathing heavily short breaths not natural
shores, occasionally very slight stoppage in her
breathing, nose drawn somewhat to her left side
eyes closed all day, pulse irregular, became weaker
mi Inn uUhn hnaf han Inff hnv,I
was cold and the right warm; feet cold as high as
the instep AS these last mentioned symptoms
point rather to apoplexy In OF its various forms
than poisoning, we Will again allude to them in an
other branch OF the charge. Now, II this woman
was dying from the effects OF prussic acid there
should, In addition to insensibIty, have appeared
the expected symptoms OF dilated pu-
pills, naccid limbs, cold skin, and covered
with clammy perspration, cOnvusive breathing
at long intervals and the appearance of death
between, the pulse imperceptible and generally
cOnvusive and spasmodic closure OF the Jaws.