The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-09-11
ci to "~r-'~:o~ nf the. probability of the

~ ! tHe FFoDaOlllty OF IN
presence of arsenic.
;, All the chemicals employed-water, hydro
chloric acid. ammonia. copper. and the filter
: ing-paper-were previously tested to show
: that they were free from arsenic before they
We're used.
The result Of the test was sufficient t.
e.tabl,.rh the probability of the presence 0
arsenic.
The condition Of the stomach was simila,
to that described Nv Psychologists after the
use OF a corrosive poison.
In making these examinations, and III ap
plying these tests, he was assisted by DR.
William S.. McChesncy, Of Staunton, md Dr.
William Hamilton, assistant physician ut the
Western Lunate Asylum.
Hon. A. Fl. II. Stuart asked: In c~ert:'sa
conditions Of the human system is not calo-
mel a deadly poison?
DR.. Fatsnt!eroy replied: It might be given
In such dOscs as to psope fatal, though it Is
snot enumerated rs one Of the poisons.
The base OF calomel, he continued in reply
to questions, = the anne as that OF corrosive
srblimate, bosh being rercury-the one a
chloride and rbe other Il bichlorKte, Gallo
mef might, he sad, be converted iRto corTo-
| sive .sublinate fy the presence of COMMON
1 lAI vi "ho>'St ~
acid, or any substance containing chlorine.
In reply to the question whether there
| might not have been arsenic in the sgu5ni-
trate of bismuth administered to. him by kis
| physician, he replied in substance. that ahe
| subnitrate Of bismuth is a very inSoluble
substance, and is not easily taken up by the
| system. Sometimes the subnitrate Of Bis
muth has a trace of arsenic.
Mr.. Stuart referred to'the trials of Mrs;
| Wharton, of Baltimore, and, Mrs. Lloyd, Of
Loudoun county, Va, rs showing the'unre-
liability Of chemical tests.
DR.. Fauntleroy said that if all the drugs in
ndteria medica were put into a mans stom-
ach. in addition to all the medicines admins
tered by DR.. Crawford to Allen, the result
would not respond to the test he had used
unless there were arsenic present. In the
p%recipitate the quantity of arsenic was large.
Arsenic exists in the tersulphide of arsenic
in the proportion of 10 in 100. Corrosive
| sublimate administered would produce the
sensation of burning at the stomach.
TESTIMONY OF DE. WILLIAM BELL.
On Monday. the day after her husband
was buried, whilst OIL her return from
| Staunton. he met with Mrs. Allen, who had
some conversation with him., in which she
| stated that Dir. Crawford had expressed the
opinion that he did not think poison could
be found in the stomach Of her husband il
diSinterred, as he had vOnitcd so frequently
and she inquired of him DR.. Bcll) if that
was bis opinion. She expressed great iTdig.
nation ut the reports in circulation about her
in connection with her husbands death, and
seemed anxious to have the body diSinterrcd,
that the contents Of his stomach might be
examined and tested. She said her father
would be down on Wednesday, and would
have the body taken up. He understood
her to say that there had been poison about
the house for the purpose Of killing rats, but
that she had not bought any. He bad
known Allen for some years; had practiced
in his family: was present when the body
was eXhlncd, and identified it as that Of
sAlien. The family consisted OF Allen and
his wife and three children, and ALIENS aunt
and sister Eliza.
TESTIMONY OF CAPTAIN JOHN C. WEBB.
He stated that whilst he and j. W. Moor
man were at the no. :se of Mr.. John ParkinS
within 4 few hundred yards OF Allen
house, on Tuesday evening the 10Th of Au
gust, Mrs. Allen ran down there and "tolt
them that Mr.. Allen was very sick and six
WIS afraid that he was dying; whereupol
he and Norman ran up to Aliens imncdi
atcly. Before they got there the spASm wit
which Allen suffered had passed away. lit
was found lying on the floor across the door
sill. We wished to move him 10 where ht
would he more comfortable, but he objected
to being moved, fearing it would cause
another spaSn. Allen asked 10 have hi
arms and legs rubbed, which we did 70
some time. After awhile we moved hin
into the house. He had nervous twitching.
and commissions OF the limbs, which
were followed by Il severe spa>m
Asked him il he was conscious during thu
existence of the spaSm, when he replied thai
he was perfectly SO. Allen obicctedt to being
famed. MIR. John ParkinS arrived about :
O'Clock, when he (Webb) left. He heart
from him frequently, but did not 20 to SEE
him again till Thursday, when he found him
vomiting. After Il short visit he left. aGC
when lie returned again on saturday h,
found him in il dying condition. On Tues
day Alien did not vomit and did not com
plain OF Il burning sensation; he suffered
with SMslns. There were c0utractiolS o
the limbS--inorc of the wounded le% thal
the other. He was complaining OF belil4
ISick on Monday night. but WAS not very Sicl
till Tuesday night, when the physician, DR.
Crawford. was sent iCr. He has know!
Allen for some years, and so far rs he knew
Allen and his wife lived tremendously TO
gcther. Allen was wounded in the RICH
+ loot during the war.
TESTIMONY OF DE-. WILLIAM S. M'CIESELY.
He assisted DR.. FauntIeroy in making tlt
examination of the stomach. Heard the les
limony Of DR.. Fauntleroy, and colncidet
with what Dr.. Fauntleroy had said. Wa;
not present when all of the tests were made
Assisted in making the test with %SulphurcL
ted hydrogen, and confirmed the statement:
OF DR.. Fauntleroy in relation to its conduc
and results. The yellow percipitate so pro
duced had until recently been considered
conclusive test. Had helped to conduct the
postmortem examination. Fromthe cXuda
tons from the intcStines no percipltatc was
obtained by the use of the test above de
scrlbed. Could come to no conclusion Is tt
the presence Of a corrosive poison from TIT
physical appearance Of the eXhImed body
owing to its great decomposition. His state
ments were all c~ontirmatory of DR.. Fallntlc
roy'>.
On cross-cyamination he said that arsenic
he believed, was generally found in bismutl
in its crude state. Was of opinion thai
: when the subnitrate of bismuth was formed
the arsenic is thrown off and separated from
the bismuth. Corrosive poisons produce
| similar symptoms. Old wounds sometime:
produce tetanic commissions.
TESTIMONY OF j. W. MOoRMAN.
He and Captain Webb were together a
Mr.. Parkins's when Mrs. Allen called then
TO 20 to her house. lie went with Captain
Webb, and his testimony is substantially the
same. They remained at Mrs. Aliens TO-
rether, and left about the same time. Wher
he attempted to fan Allen, he objected, anl
asked him not to do it. Heard Allen say
nothing about heinz sick at the stomach.