Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-09-12
DIR. j. NEWTON wArr HxAmrsnD-wBHRp SHE
POISON FIRST.

Mrs Sarah W Allen came into my store on
| the 23d of July last and asked my clerk for ten
cents worth of strychnine He called me to the
cents worth of stry chime as she did him. With q
view of preventing her buying strychnine,
told her it came in phials costing Is cents, and
couldn't sell her less quantity than that. She
then said she didn't want a phial as she only
had ~ IS
M ZONE LARGE RAT'' TO KILL.
I told her couldn't sell her less than phial
| full and she drew the money out of her pocket
and said she would take it, told her if she
only wanted to kill one rat she had better buy
zen cents worth of arsenic. She asked if ar
senic would kill rats? I told her it would and
she replied that she would take the ten cents
worth Of arsenic. got the bottle from the shelf
| and before weighed it she asked me
IF 1T WOULD KILL PERSON
if they took it? told her it would and weighed
her out half once of arsenic and labeled it. [
then told her the law of Virginia required me to
take her name in full and place of residence
She gave her name as 'iMrs Sarah NJ. Allen,
living near the Valley turnpike about miles
from Stanton" I think she said 'near Mr..
Parkins' but did not put that on my memo
randum book After she left the store re-
marked to young Christian that there was some
thing about the way she acted in the matter that
didn't like and | determined to ask the first
person from her neighborhood that saw as to
her standing. 7 think it wel young George
Crawford, who came in my store that evening,
that asked about her, havn't seen him since
but perhaps he will recollect the converse ton.
He told me she was of very nice family and
dmissed the matter from my mind. She was
alone when she came to the store. don't re
member having suggested to her to get patent
rat poison but it is likely I did as always do
when persons apply for poison to kill rats.
THE MoRTEM-DR FAuNTLERoY EXAMINED.
DR.. A. M Fauntleroy examination that
has been made of the stomach and liver o. U.
W. Allen thus far is of a preliminary character
In the first place stomach was opened and
carefully examined both with the eye and aided
by q magnifyipg glass 1t was coated with mu-
cons mixed with blood, dark, evidently discol-
ored by the secretions of the stomach. This Sc
erection was removed by knife at various points
and the mucous membrane of the stomach found
to be Redeemed and infamed to dark red and
at many points intensely injected. A portion OF
fhe contents of the stomach was then submitted
to a chemical examination and the result was
sufficient to ground the suspi ion of the presence
of a corrosive poson. 1t was only preliminary
examination, undertaken with a view to ascer-
tanning whether it was necessary to prosecute it
to an exhaustive analysis. The matter rests there
at this time with the probability of the presence
of a corrosive poison.
Questioned by Mr.. Bumgardner The pro bablli-
ty is based altogether on the chemical features of
the case. took portion of the stomach and
boiled it first, calculating it with hydro chloric
acid After boiling it for some time filtered it.
After the fltrate became cool passed stream
of sulphureted hydrogen through the liquid
which yielded very promptly precipitate of a
bright yellow color. To the liquid that held the
precipitate l added liquid ammonia and
the precipitate was dissolved. l then added to
that LIQUID some muriatic acid and it
precipitated and my suspicion was that had
the tersulphide of arsenic, having responded to
those tests | had reserved some of the original
6ltrate having only taken portion of the Ii
quor that was filtered, and l put in that some
bright copper filings or strips and boiled it
Having boiled it few minutes observed that
the copper strips became of an iron grey color
These copper strips were then taken out of the
liquid, and dried upon paper aud placed in a
glass test tube and subjected to the heat ola spir
it lamp, and | thought detected deposit of
eightsided crystals on the side of the glass which
] supposed 10 be arsenious acid. Upon those
tests rested my suspicious of the probability Of
the presence of arsenic. These were the
two tests made. | made some other ex-
periments but with no material result. The
CHI emicals used were all tested Tor the presence
of arsenic before being used but gave no evil
dence of its presence the results have named
are regarded by chemists as strong proof o. the
presence proof certainly strong enough to JUS
tify the probability of The presence. The test of
the copper strips is very delicate one. No other
poison but arsenic will produce the same results
that the tests here given gave. The physical
results evident III Tue SlOHldCu dtH llG Sdlu6 as
set down by Psychologists as denoting the use of
corrosive poison. DR. VIM. s. McChesney and
DR.. Wm Hamilton of the W. L. Asylum, assisted
at the testing.
Cross-exam med by Mr. Stuart, - Calomel
might be given in such doses as TO be made
poison. know of nc cases where from six to
ten grains of calomel have proved poison
The base of calomel is the same corrosive sub
limate-onea chloride the other bichoride.-
Calomel might possibly be converted into cor
rosive sublimate by the presence of chic
ride of sodium in the stomach. If large dose
of calomel were administered to stomach con-
tanning chloride of sodium common table SALTY
corrosive poison might be formed. Arsenic is
sometimes found in combination with bismuth
but not with calomel Arsenic might be found
with some impure medicines. -,...,---
4. There is no combination Of all the drugs that
can be named turned into the stomach at once
which would have given the results obtained
from our test, unless the arsenic was already
there. cam pretend to say how it came there.
The bulk of the preciptate-- ter ulphide of ar
ssenic-we obtained, was large, and the amount
of arsenic in the precipitate is rs of arsenic in leo
of precpitate. Corrosive sublmate might pos
sby giyeth same burning as described by Dr..
Crawford before he administered calomel The
symptoms Of all corrosive posons are much the
same.
STATEMENT OF DR.. WIN. BELL-HER DESIRE FOR THE
71.- ls DISAGREEMENT.
DR.. VIM. Bell Examined i conversed
with Mrs. Allen Monday week--Sept. 1st.
saw her returning from Stanton, near Mrs.
Parkin's. She said she wanted 10 ask me a
question-whether or not if Charles body was