The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-01
Especial telegram to the Dispatch |

STANTON, Va, February 2S.-The whole
day has been taken UP by the coroner's
jury in the examination OF the assistant
physicians, Drs. Strain and Butler, DR..
Henkei, the physician who conducted the
autopsies, and Grove, one Of the attend
ants. Much Of the evidence was q repeti-
ton Of what was elected in Superintend-
ent Hamilton's statement yesterday. DR..
w. w. s. Butler, the third assistant ply
stefan, testified first. He is young man
about twenty-four years Of age. lie grad
uated in medicine in Baltimore in 1881,
and had previously had an expo
rence OF three years and seven
months in retail prescription drug
store in Harrisonburg, Va, but had
not graduated in pharmacy. DIR. Butler
had charge Of the asylum drug department.
lie said he compounded all the medicines,
tinctures, and prescriptions used In the
wards except those prepared by chemist
OH the afternoon of the 23d. He prepared
the tonlcs and sedatives for the following
morning. Besides those given to the male
patients, there were at
/ LEAST FORTY PRESCRIPTIONS
given TO the females. These were prepared
as previously reported in the Dispatch.
| Two gallons Of the solution OF sequioXide
of iron had been prepared about ten
days before the 23d. the last OF the
| jar having been used that afternoon.
OF this about sixty patients had par
taken three times daily. From the
elixir OF phosphate OF iron, qulnine. and
strychnia, about one dozen patients had
been physicked three times daily. The
sedatiyes had been prepared and used as
heretofore reported-the strength Of the
solution OF bromide Of potassium being
twenty grains to tcaspOonful-and had
been given to eight or ten patients three
times daily. The statement OF DR.. Hamil-
! ton as TO the arrangement OF the mugs upon
the walters and the walters in their tiers,
the patients TO whom administered, and
the effects upon Them respectively, was
here corroboratcd by witness, it turning
out that
No POISON WAS CONVEYED
when the dose was pure whiskey, though
this may have been accidental. The dose Of
! fluid extract OF hyoscyamus administered
TO Vaughan, he commended. was only hall Il
| teaspooniul. Much larger doses, as much
as two teaspoonfuls, had been given in the
institution. He mad only one bottle Of
prussic acid diluted in the dispensary, and
| had used il for the first time abort two
weeks before the poisoning. He noticed
that there was only about teaspoonful left
in the bottle then-that was not enough to
! Kill an adult. lie examined it after the
poisoning and found none had been used.
There were
SEVERAL OTHER VIOLENT P0Is0NS
in the dispensary, but not having noticed
the jars recently he could not say whether
they had been disturbed or not. The key
10 the dispensary used by Mrs. Beers, the
mistress OF the dining-room, and the Office
boy, was kept hanging in the dinng-roOm,
as had been the custom for years, and any
one with malicious intent could have stolen
and returned it. He did not know that
any one had stolen it on the evening in
question. 1t was found in its usual place
on the morning OF the 2ith. The boy VIII
| lis Coleman had been in the habit OF clean
ing up the room in the morning before any
OF The officials came there. He was called
| to see Adams OIL Saturday morning about
eight minutes after lie took his medicine,
and not having heard OF the sickness OF
the others thought he was suffering from a
stroke of apoplexy. When he first saw
him he said:
''DOCTOR, 1T BURNS ALL THE WAY DOWN."
Immediately he became unconscious and
was pat to bed and irritants used, such as
mustard TO the back OF the neck and on the
ankles and wrists. In Il few minutes
/ Adams expired. Witness returned to his
room and WIS Immediately called to
Vaughan, who was in the third ward. He
thought he was then in dying condition,
and treated him as he had done Adams.
Vaughan remained unconscious until Sun
day evening. The pupils OF his eyes were
only moderately dilated. lie spoke then,
but did not have the use OF his mental facul-
/ ties until Monday. lie remained conscious
until Tuesday, showing symptoms of gas
trio Inflammation and emphysema or undue
dilation of the lungs. He had no doubt but
that this death, as well as the Others, was
occasioncd by poison which
MIGHT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN TUE Mugs
bv an insane patient or Q malicious person.
The walters must have been lifted of Of
each other in the tier in order for the per-
son 70 sprinkle the poison in the mugs on
the lower walters. He did not think
aconite was used, rs it would have occa-
stoned immediate and general vomiting
and violent Inflammation OF the throat, and
would have produced slower death.
DR.. D. E. STRAIN,
late of Rockbridge county, next deposed.
He came to the Asylum on the 18th Of last
December to fill the unexpired term OF DR..
Pendletop. second assistant physician (de-
ceased. lie was, he SAID, called first TO
Young wilkins on the fatal morning. and
found him lying on his face on his bed
nearly dressed, without breath, no pulse,
face liyid. and the pupils Of the eye dilated.
He tried to restore respiration without any
result. and soon a gurgle in the passages
satisfied him he was dead. lie sent for the
sunerintendent. About this time he re-
ceiyed a summons from Night-Watchman
WiIgoss stating that Ilolloman was dead
in the fourth ward. He went there imme-
diately, and found
HoLoMAN DEAD on THE FLOOR
In the hall. Myers, Sperry, ana Hines were