The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-14

the Medicine-MaRs Still n Mystery.
Especial telegram 20 the Dispaich.I
! STANTON, Va, March I3.-Professor
Mallet reached here late last night. and al
an early hour this morning accompanied
City-Attorney Echols and the coroneI's
jury TO the asylum, where his very full and
able report OF his investigations for the
last two weeks was made 10 the Jury in the
presence Of Superintendent Hamilton,
several members Of the Board. including
I Captain Fulcher, the president, Or. Bel
lew. Or. Butler, ST., father OF DR.. Butler,
the asylum druggist, and others. In re-
/ ply 20 questions from the Commonwealth
attorney and the jury, Professor Mallet
said Il am professor Of chemistry at the
University Of Virginia. The occupation
Of my whole adult life has been that Of a
chemist, and may fairly
CONSIDER MYSELF Az EXPERT.
I saw the three stomachs-the stomachs Of
Holoman. Hines. and Adams -removed
from their bodies. | placed them
in glass jars. Of which took charge, and
10 which no one but myself had access
either before or during the examination Of
their contents. The stomachs were found
to present the following characters: In
THE CASE OF HoLONAN
4 reddish turbid but not thick or yiscous
liquid no distinct remains Of solid food {;
slight peculiar odor; no smell Of prussic
acid or Of decomposition; scarcely any ac-
ton on litmus paper, blue or red; very
faint indication Of acidity on the paper
drying. In
Illness CASE
reddish completely gelatinized semi-nuid
mass: no distinct remains Ct solid food
except the remains Of vegetable leaf,
probably a tca-leaf; some sli.ht peculiar
smell a. in Holoman's case; no odor Of
prussic acid or OF decomposition; same
behavior with litmus paper a. in Holoman',
ease. In
ADANs's CASE
appearance similar 10 the other two: same
slight peculiar odor and absence Of smell
Of prussic acid: same result in testing with
htmu> paper.
The very speedy death Of some Of the
parties suggested the propriety Of looking
for prussic acid or cyanide Of potassium,
although the absence Of the characteristic
smell rendered the probability Of finding
either Of these small. Immediately ex-
amined for these in portions Of the con-
tents OF the stomachs Of
HoIONAN AND ADAMS.
hut with entirely NEGATIVE results. There
was so much less material from the stomach
OF Hines that this was not examined in the
same way. 4 portion II the content, Of
Holoman's and Alam,'s stomachs were
then. a, q matter Of precaution. examined
for phosphorus. the chief mineral acids.
oxa.icacid, and the chief poisonous metals
arsenic, mercury, copper, lead, zinc, and
antmony-with entirely negative results.
Il being obvious that the class Of poi,on-
now to be- looked for was
THAT OF TIE ALKALODs,
the remaining portions Obthe contents Of
the three stomach,, and the three stomachs
themselves, were cut into small pieces.
making six specimens in all. and
were separately tested by the appropriate
method for the extraction Of the alkaloids,
chloroform being used as the Gr-t solvent
Thcresldues Uhe polsOn) left on the eyapora-
ton Of the chloroform were weighed. These
re,iduc,. the poisonous agent. were almost
perfectly colorles-; CLASSY or gummy in
appearance; had no odor either IN the dry
state or on moi,icning or heating, until
complete decomposition took place. with
signs OF crystalization. They were most
carefully tested. The very peculiar taste,
with singing and numbing effect upon the
tongue. which j. characteristic Of
AcoNI1lNE (oB ACONTA).
was distinctly obtained in he residue from
each Of the ,iX specimens. In the residue
from the stomach Of Adams the bromine
that was also used. and i'm the residues
FROM the contents Of al three stomachs, the
action Of nitric acid, sulphuric acid, SUI
phuric acid with bi-chromate Of potash,
cau,tic soda, chloride Of gold, chloride Of
platinum. picric acid, iodine dissolved in
iodidc Of potassium, and bromine dissolved
in hydrobromic acid was also observed.
tried to examine the
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT
OF the chloroform residues upon the pupils
Of the eyes ltbe Professor experimental
on one OF his own eyesl, hut an extremely
minute particle produced such extreme irri-
tation and pain that bad to wash it out At
once. The smarting and production OF
tears lasted for an hour or more, and the
injected condition, or inflammation. OF the
eye-ball did not disappear for over twenty
four hours.
In order TO he quite sure OF the appear
ances presented on using the above tests
upon aconitine and the other alkaloids
most nearly resembling il | made COM
plete set Of parallel experiments with two
specimens Of genuine aconita-the one OF
English manufacture, the other OF French
two specimens Of hyoscyaminthe one
German, the other Of French make; and
one specimen of well-crystalized atropine
7 Frencb). The results were entirely
CoNFIRMATORY or THE BELIEF
that the alkaloid extracted from the re-
mains Of the deceased persons was aconi-
IL. 81. g