The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-07-03
\ TERRIBLE FATE.
Death Of Husband and Wife in Kan
sas City by Drinking Tea Made OF
JimsOn Weeds by Mi-take-Thc
Wife's Relatives Live in Ihi. city.

A terrible occurrence transpired Tuesday
morning Ia Kansas City, the details Of which
we take from tie Kansas city Tunes of yes
terday morning. Mrs. Hart is a daughter Of
Mrs +. J. Bottum. who lives in this city, at
No. 2e6, Fifth Avenue, where also three sis
tiers live. The news of the poisoning was
teIegraphed to the relatives in this city Tues
day. and al an early hour yesterday morning
the news was received of the death Of botn
parties from the poisonous draught.
The details are thus given In the Times:
One OF those distressing and seemingly en-
tireIy fortuitous occurrences which ii be-
comes SO often the lot of the newspaper TO re-
late, occurred yesterday morning to Mr.. and
Mrs. Charles l.. Hart OF West Tenth street.
Briefly, the origin OF the case was this: Mrs.
Hart IN the habit of preparing ooneset
tea for the iamily breakfast. One Monday
night she placed the leaves in bowl OF Wa
ter as usual, there TO remain until morning.
But by a mistake, which cannot now be ex-
plained, the leaves used We're of the poison
Gus Jimson weed, Un medicine datura strs-
monium) a most ueadly snd rapid agent
when the dose is large. In the morning Mr..
and Mrs. Hart drank this Infusion of jim
son. The discovery that they were poisoned
WAS made soon after. and Mr.. Hart at once
hurried away for pr. Baker. Before reaching
the Office he WAS seized with convulsive shud-
derings, but by n great effort lie at hist
reached the doctors and told his errsnd ss
Baker. and subsequently DIR. Shuifier was
added and everything done possib. e 10 coun-
teract the effects of the deadly drug. Doctors
Eaton Hereford and Sloan were summoned
later in the forenoon. From that time the
attendance of physicians has been as great as
could work to the best advantage In cases
OF poisoning by the jimson plant, the first
and great desideratum Is TO create art ficial
circulation. To then hold the life of the pa.
tient until the system can be relieved of the
poison by natural channels or otherwise is
the second thing. The physicians lsbored
steadily throughout the morning and until
the afternoon was well gone in beatlng the
bodies Of their patients with their hands or
paddles to produce circulation. A constant
tendency to sink into more comstose state
has since necessItated the application OF cleo
tricity. One pole of the battery L. applied TO
the back of the neck and the other TO the
base of the diaphragm and the Establishing
other means fail. At the time of going to pres
the condition of the patients was much the
same as IL had neen al night, but with each
passing hour fresh hopes OF saving their
lives may be entertained. In whatever way
the case Is viewed. il is a terrible one for the
Hart family. IL they die, what fearful
death IL tney recover, what a fearful expe-
rience has been theirs! From a purely SCI
entinc standpoint the case has been very
remarkable and attractive one. Nearly all OF
the city physicians yesterday visited the
house To look at the patients lying In a COM
atose stste, and witness the means adopted TO
the fingers of the copqueror of ALL IL the et-
forts OF science prevail. q great victory Will
have been wons IL M
least the physicians will know that ali has
been done that man can do.
LATER
,,,,,,,,,-s;.,on.,,- ,,-,,,
AZ , sna "a. - s,n, ~, P-SI.S had has,,
conf,nns.i Tor two hours fearing IL might re-
sult fatally II further prolonged and thus took
away the last chance in the struggle Tor life.
1t is thought now that Mr. and Mrs. Hart
will live only until early morning. That
their lives will be saved Is only ossibe, and
no longer has measure of probability
SNw1s oi curious Luiets ~s,e st a. s. "a "a
last n,sbt when our Reporter called there was
.fiIi = dozen or more nersons siarine nom the
sidevalE a. the Windo US. as N they expected
an inanimate glass 10 come down and ans
I 80,
Tne Kansas eltS " MAIL last evening, mas
the following:
AN AFFECTING SCENE