The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-01-15


alcholoid aud extracted with chloroform
evaporated and still found 10 weigh B
mili;yra,ns y + The color
test was applied, and the whole devel
oped about l-6 of q grain Of stfychuia. l
examined briefly the powders l got Of
Mr. Cummings They gave ssvsrsl Of
the color tests for morphiai but fs,lsd to
doyelope strycbnia Motphla Is bitter
but is not so bitter a. ttFyehnia The
same elements exist Ia nl0shphia and
strychhia , they differ ID tho hfoptftion
of the elements IF dose insufficient
to produce death we're given, if slight,
the twitching would occur.
Cross xamined--Several small doses
without symptoms, sometimes culminate
and act as large dose, grain is the
least dose that produces death The
general rule is that IF the patient lives
over two hours he RECEIVERS Alcohol in
tbt stomach retards the absorption
DR. Louis Balfour sworn--Am ply
sician and surgeon in practice about two
years. IF man about sixty years Of
age, at eight o'clock in the evening had
twitc hing OF the lower limbs, at 2 o'clock
culm mating in convulsions, with opus
thotiuess at intervals she mind clear and
mus cles relaxed accompanied by thirst
in the intervals | should nscribe these
symptoms to strychnia poison These
symptom are produced by no other
cause.
After hearing the testimony of scvera
more witnesses the Commonwealth rested.
Defence opened by j. o. W. Bailey. For
want Of space We omit some of the testi
mony on part Of the defence.
DR.. W. J. Mcknight sworn-An physi-
can of seventeen years practice, have been
in active practice. / examined the heart OF
Scott The heart was diseased, The semi
lunar valves ut the mouth Of norta were
ossifed There was a thickening or do
posit around the mouth of the mytral
valve. If the right valve was free and left
valve oppressed and blood backwater into
the lungs would produce pulmonary appo-
plexy. 1t might in ossifcsuon produce an
gina pectoris. In case Of stryohnia poison
and angina pectoris there are many com.
mon symptoms. Same case put with this
addition that if on post nsorten' the valves
of the heart were found osaitfed sufficient
to produce death, and alcohol had been
drsiik short timb previous to death what
might he the cause of death. 1t would look
as though there might have been narcotic
poison, ami might have been from some
other cause. These symptoms would in
some cases be found in angina pectoris.
=. o1soh1 1a tac
Of fstrychnia and should never be omitted,
is competent test for the 5000 part OF a
grain. The place for examination for
and along the spinal cord. In death by
strychnia the blood is liquid and the right
cavity is full and the left empty. # either
is full the left as rule is full of clottsd
blood. An ordin ary stomach weighs three
or four pounds; three or four pints.
Several other Witnesses were called who
testified to the weakness of mind Of the
prisoner. Also evidence to show that the
longest period person could live, unless
repeated doses were given, from the taking
of dose Of strychnia is from one to three
hours, and that generally death ensued in
from twenty minutes to one half on hour.
The case was given to the jury at about
eleven o'clock o. in. Jon. IA, and after q
retirement of about half-en-hour, o YER
dict Of "Not Guilty" was returned. This
prisoner hos been set at liberty.
The case was ably tried on both sides,
and the verdict is one which accords, in ou
opinien, with the law and the evidence.