, 1876-06-20
DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE.

lAELt At k4H VI tA0 IAIcA4tAA pGuHAVt
DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE.
4 strange caso was recently brought bo-
foro tho English Courts involving now
question. It appears that last February an
advertisement appeared in London papor
addressed "to medical men In need Of money,
or students vol up in chemistry and amt
omy," to nssist In "an interesting expert
nont." Tho advertisement was worry ingon-
iously worded, and attracted the notice of
many medical practitioners, among thom one
VANCE, who oponod a correspondence with
the advertiser. Tho lattor, who had signed
hcrsolf "WnL.AM QuAn1h," replied to
VANCE, md explained tho nature Of "tho In.
tcrcsting experiment" It was tho taking
away Of humnn lifo BY poison without lcav.
ing any traces behind that would afford a
basis for a Coroner's investigation or legal
prosecution. Tho advertiser further stated
TINT the problem 'wns ono OF self-dcstruction,
and entoined secrecy upon VANcE's part, 30
that tho feelings Of those who would profit
by the suicides tleath might not DO injured.
As further temptation to VANCE, IN offer
u 9ooo ""s "l"tot huu ~ fASoH ""s ''npeou-
nlous. like moat medical studenta, hc bit at
tho offer md wrote to hor, entering into n
very elaborate explanation Of various meth
OILS by which death might be produced and
not leaVo trnco OF the cause behind. lie
suggested among othor methods n peculiar
use Of chloral, which would justify vortlict
Of "doath by misadyonturo" from any jury
Tho gamo Of the plotters WAS interrupted by
tho police, into whose hands tho correspond
enco foil, by accidentally going astray
in tho Post-Oif{co. Having noticed
tho advertisement and finding that tho cor
rcspondencc touched upon tho use Of deadly
drugs, and that thcro were complicated nc
gotiations about money payments, they at
once commenced working up what appcarod
to them to bo first-class criminal case.
Tho writer's wore easily run down. VANCE
wins discovered and arrested, and " WILLIAM
QuAnlt" turned out to DO q woman named
ELIEI sSEr wife Of commercial traveller,
and she, too, was arrested. They were
brought to trial at tho Old Bailey and the
trial lasted for two days. It was claimed 70,
tho woman TINT aho was q romantic laly
fond Of dabbling in tho science of suicide
and Of investigating tho literature Of 1or:
rors,-n feminine EDGAR Poe, with prcdi
lection for the abnormal. It was claimed
for VANCE TINT he was dcceiving ELLEN
sNEE, and trying to got money ou
Of her with nostrunls that would not nccon
plish tho purpose she WAS mining Mt, ant
that lo really had no intention to help ho'
destroy her own or any other l'fo' Ih'
testimony OF LIS own letters, however, wat
convincing thnt Ito was as sincere and hones
na ilomeos npothecary, and that, in the ont
case Like the other poverty waa tho I'M
pelllng cnt16c. Ile prosecution maae mos
rigid examination OF tue wolnan's e'rcum
stances, but wero unable to ind any oshel
motive for the action e1copt that mentlonet
in tho correspondence nnd 80 had to eccep
| tho theory Of suicide. They put tho!r cas'
| upon this theory, md tho jury, which lat
no sympathy pith tho romance or mania O
ELLEN sNEE, nontenced her to ak months
imprisonment and tho medical student, a
the guiltiost OF tho t"o' TO e'ghteoi