Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-03-02
taii.f cannot say.

haii; cannot say.
On Saturday morning between Q and d
half and o'clock, was called to zee
Ad inns in the I'd ward. Found him pros
trated, with symptoms of appoplexy. Not
having heard of the illness brothers did
not think of poison. saw Adams about
eight minutes $50 his attendant saysl after
he took his medicine. lie uttered the FOL.
lowing, doctor, it burnt all the way
down" Immediately after, he became I'M
conscious. Being IN the sitting-room OF
the ward he was carried to his room and
placed in bed, and derivatives used-mus.
tard to the back of the neck, ankles and
wrists. In few minutes he expired-five
minutes after saw him.
returned to my room and was imT edi-
ately called to Mr.. Vaughan In the 81
ward. who I thought at the time was In q
dying condition. used derivatives as IN
the case of Adams. Vaughan remained
unconscious until the evening Of the sec
ond day when he spoke; but evide ntly d:d
not have the use of his mental faculties
until noon of Monday. He remained con-
scious from that time until death, show
ing symptoms of gastric Inflammation and
EN- physema of the lungs.
have no doubt that al! OF the six deaths
were caused from poison. Before gradna-
ting as physician, had three and 1alf
years. experience In retail drug store
where prescriptions were compounded, In
Harrisonburg.
The poison might have been placed In
the mugs or it might have been done By
sane person with q malicious intent. My
theory is that whoever put the poison In the
walters must have raised the two top
walters and scattered the poison ID the
lowest and most fatal waiter FIRST. The
medical office door when physician is in
there. is generally open, except in very cold
weather. think the difference in the
appearance of the stOmachs of the deceas-
ed at autopsy arose mast prob ably from the
different re of the doses of poison they
received.
DIR. DAVID r. STRAIN SECOND ASSISTANT
PHYSICIAN.
testified: am from Rockbrldze county.
have resided at the Asylum since the
25th OF December. filing the upexpired
term of DR.. f-ndleton. was called first
to Leonard Wilkins; found him lying
upon his face across his bed. He had
dressed himself all except mis- collar and
cravat, had made his bed and turned down
the bed clothes as was his custom. We
raised him up and laid him upon the bed.
pressed his chest to restore respiration,
only gurRling in the throat was produc-
ed; no breathing could be established.
The pupil of the eye was dilated and the
face livid. Satisfied that he was dead
g arted Mr.. Andrews, the attendant. for
DR.. II. s. Hamilton. About this tin the
night watch. Mr.. Wilgoss. summoned
me to the fourth ward saying that
Holloman was dead. went and found
HOlloman lying dead on the floor.
Myers. Sperry ard Hines unconscious, and
Thomas, who had just vomited, support
ing himself against the wall. Seeing lit
tie could be done for the unconscious men
| turned my attention to Thomas. About
this time Drs. Crockett and Butler came
to my assistance. There being no one at
the medical Office returned there and got
a battle Of whiskey. ordering Thomas to
be pnt to bed while was gone. eOl nv
return gave him third of a glass of
whiskev, and IN a very short time he again
vomited. I at once repeated the dose Of
which was retained. I ordered
it to be given him at intervals as often as
necessary.
About this time was summoned to the
81 ward. Found Mr.. vaughan on his bird
with faint. flutterinq pulse.
I tried to get whiskey into him. He had
great difficulty in swallowing and did
not succeed. returned to the 4'h ward
and at that time Drs. Crockett and Butler
C ,me. told them what had happened,
and aaid to them that our patients had
been poisoned. DR.. Butler remarked that
he thought not; it was probably appoplexy.
( told him 80 many cases could not have
simultaneously. then said that
probably the loison was aconite, or such
deadly poison. DR.. Crockett suggested
prussic acid. mentioning the symptoms
that gave him that opinion-the arrest of
and respiration. We then turn
ID our attention to Myers and Hines, and
DR.. Butler went to the Sd ward to Mr..
Vaughan. We used whiskey hyperdermi-
calIy, and by the bowels. A suggestion of
q stomach pump, but not being able to
procure one had to omit 1t. Mustard WAS
applied to the extremities; back of the
neck and bowels. Milk and white of egg,
was also given. Hines died in about
An hour and quarter; Sperry died
in two hours or b tier. Myers continued
in y comatose condition until 4 P. M. An
hour later he was able to sit up on the
side of his bed. Stimulants we're then
given him and the next morning he was
able to put on his clothes and eat sore
breakfast. Thomas was never entirely
unconscious from the time saw him. He
was very much Frustrated and his heart
acting feebly during the early part of the
day. He spoke thickly like drunken
man. That night he ate supper; was up
next morning and has continued up. His
and Myers tongues are coated with q
white fur up to this present moment and
Thomas yesterday Tuesday, complained
Of a sore throat. Myers ia an enitonfi IL
and had two attacks of his disease yester.
day and one to-day. He was the only one
that had spasms while suffering from the
poison. Neither Hines nor Adams who
were also epileptics, had spasms. Hines
told The attendant when he gave hSsa the
medicine that it burnt him ''away down. !"
Thomas also spoke of the burning. There
was no abrasion in the mouths of the pois-
FRI Ind, Tn r.