Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-16
A Mysterious Murder and a Myste.
riOuS Poison.

The Hull murder In New York Is no less of a
puzzle now than when committed. The various
theories regarding 1t have each been worked to
An apparently unsatisfactory conclusion. In
accordance with the belief that some one in the
house did the deed and then removed a few
articles of value to give the affair the appear
ance OF robbery, thus dverting suspicion, the
mouse mas been ranSacked from top to bottom.
Every article Of furniture has been examined,
sounded, and In some instances taken apart.
Plumbers have taken out every pipe In the
house In the search for the missing jewelry. 1t
Is believed that nothing has been discovered,
either ty the examination of the house or
through the watching Of the inmates. The
other theory was that the murderers
were outsiders, admitted to the house
by the rulers Of the kitchen. The latter
rarely saw Mrs. Hull, and did pretty much
as they pleased, at times admitting men
to the servants quarters at unreasonable hours
The husband Of the cook Is known desperate,
with fOndneSS for jewelry, who has slept at
the house on several ocasions. Investigation
has, however, convinced the police that he had
nothing to do with the crime. AS far as proof
Is concerned this second theory seems to have
failed as utterly as the first. The detectives
and police give out vague suggestions OF evil
dence sufficient to cause arrests, which will be
developed before the inquest on Wednesday;
but 1t Is not believed that the murderers are
any nearer discovery than when the Sc irch
began. Certain Facts which were thought to
furnish clues have been followed up with no
results. The pet dog, which died shortly before
the murder, turns out to have been the c)m-
panion OF DIR. Hull and not of Mrs. Hull, and ID
have died Of over-feedlng and lack of exc. else,
not from the effects Of poison. The Knots with
which the murdered woman was boun1 were
OF two kinds, the surgeons knot and
the ordinary dOuble-turn knot. IL was
TO be inferred that two persons had a hand In
the finding, one surgeon or a medical mar.
But, In fact. only a small proportion OF sur
geons use the knot named after them, and it
Is also employed among sailors and other out
Siders. SO far as known, all attempts to con-
meet DR.. Hull with the murder, either by
ascribing plausible motive, or by discovering
any direct proof, have failed. The fact that
strong light had been placed close to the eye,
singing the eyebrow, presumably for the pur-
pose OF determining whether death had oc-
cured, was thought to be significant OF the
hand Of a medical expert. But the surgeon
at the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital says
that reader and more certain tests would nat
urally be tried by medical men, while nom
expert who had heard of this test would be
likely to adopt it. This authority also thinks
that there Is abundant grounds for believing
that II person stood with lighted candle
peeriDg into the dead woman's eyes few min
utes after death, proper treatment OF the
retfna with solution OF alum or common salt
would three hours after death have exhib-
Tied the murderers image and given a Ger
tain clue to bis identity. This experiment
has been successfully tried with the In
ferfor animals, and he thinks the fact should
have been investigated In Mrs. HuIrs case.
Another physician furnishes suggestion to the
effect that the instrument of sufYocation which
caused the death OF Mrs Hull may have been |
drug and Lot pillow, as generally supposed.
He cites nitrite OF amyl as a substance OF which
small quantity would produce death by sufro-
cation, and which has fieeting though strong
odor. II this drug Is really capable OF producing
death In this way, without leaving trace of |
Its use, very startling fact is established, and
murderers have gained a weapon more terribly
useful for their purposes than any OF the myth |
1cal mysterious poisons of olden time But it |
remains TO be established that this drug can be |
used so successfully In way to battle detection.