The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-11-27


To my immense astonishment, Miss
Borgier, as we stood together at the end
of the dark corridor, threw both arms
around my neck and kissed me.
Good by" she said, as she disap-
peared through the half-opened door.
When | awoke the next morning, af-
ter sleeping for more than 10 hours,
found that | could not raise my head
from the pillow without nausea. The
symptoms were exactly like those which
mark the effects of an overdose of laud-
anum.
| have thought it due to myself and to
my professional reputation to recount
these facts before briefly speaking of
my recent testimony, as an expert, in the
Ratcliff murder trial, the character of
my relations with the accused having
been persistly misrepresented.
The circumstances of that celebrated
case are no doubt still fresh in the recol-
lection of the public. Mr.. John B. Rat
cliff, wealthy, middle-aged merchant
of Boston, came to st. Louis with his
young bride, on their wedding Journey.
His sudden death at the Planters Hotel,
| followed by the arrest of his wife, who
was entirel without friends or acquaint-
ances in the city, her Indictment for
murder by poisoning, the conflict of
medical testimony at the trial, and the
purely circumstantial nature of the evil
dence against the prisoner, attracted
general attention and excited public in
terest to a degree that was quite extra
ordinary.
1t will be remembered that the State
proved that the relations of Mr. and
Mrs. Ratcliff, as observed by the guests
and servants of the hotel, were not
felicitous; that he rarely spoke to her at
table, habitually averting his face in her
presence; that he wandered aimlessly
about the hotel for several days previous
to his illness, apparently half stupefied,
rs if by the oppression of some heavy
mental burden, and that when accosted
by any one connected with the house he
| started as if from a dream, and an
swered incoherently if at all.
1t was also shown that, by her hus-
bands death, Mrs. Ratcliff became the
sole mistress of large fortune.
The evidence bearing directly upon
the circumstances of Mr.. Ratcliff's
death was very clear. For "a hours be-
| fore physician was summoned, no one
had access to him save his wife. At
dinner that day, in response to the po-
lite inquiry of lady neighbor at table,
Mrs Ratcliff announced, with great
self-poSsession, that her husband was
seriously indispOsed. Soon after II
O'Clock at night, Mrs. Ratcliff rang her
bell, and, without the least agitation of
manner, remarked that her husband
appeared to be dying, and that it might
be well to send for physician. DIR.
Culbert, who arrived within very few
minutes, found Mr.. Ratcliff in pro
found stupor, breathing stertoriously
He swore at the trial that when he first
entered the room the prisoner, pointing
to the bed, coolly said: Il suppose that
/ have killed him."
DIR. Culbert's testimony seemed to
point Enthusiastically to poisoning by
laudanum or morphine. The uncon-
scious mans pulse was full but slow; his
skin cold and pallid; the expression of
his countenance placid; yet ghastly
pale: lips livid Coma had already SUI
peryened, and it was impossible to rouse
him. The ordinary eXpedients were
tried in vain. Flagellation of the palms
of his hands and the soles of his feet,
electricity applied to the head and spine,
failed to make any impression on his
lethargy. The eyelids being forci-
bly, opened, the pupils were
seen to be contracted to the
size of pinheads, and violently turned
inward. Later, the Stertorous breathing
developed into the ominously loud rattle
of mucous in the trachea; there were
commissions, attended by copiouS frcth-
ings at the mouth; the under jaw fell
upon the breast and paralysis and death
followed, four hours after Dr. Culbert's
arrival.
Several of the most eminent practi-
TONERS of the city, put upon the stand
by the prosecution, swore that, in their
opinion, the symptoms noted by DR..
gilbert not only indicated opium pois-
oning, but could have resulted from no
other cause.
On the other hand, the State absolute
ly failed to show either that opium in
any form had been purchased by Mrs
Ratcliff in st. Louis, or that traces of
opium in any form were found in the
room after the event. 1t is true that
the Prosecuting Attorney, in his closing
argument, sought to make the latter
circumstance tell against the prisoner
He argued that the disappearance of any
vessel containing or having contained
laudanum, in view of the positive evil
dence that laudanum had been en-
ployed, served to establish deliberate
intention of murder and to demolish any
theory of accidental poisoning that the
defense might attempt to build; and he
propounded half dozen hypothetical