The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-12-20

that the particular agent employed wa
aconitine admits of little or no d0nbt
But as to uHen, h0,r, and by arll0m thl
fatal agent was introduced into the mugs
may be matter of more question in thu
public mind Aside. however, from al
the testimony before the coroner's jury,
simple recital Of some of the circum
stances, it is believed. will leave at leas
the first of these points involved in M
doubt. The time Of its introduction mus
have been after the medicine was prepared
| by the druggist and placed in the safe. ano
before the attendants took it to their re-
spective rooms. This time was from II t(
2 hours long. 1t could not have been dfte'
this time because, after that, no one save
the several attendants who carried the
walters to their respective rooms and
locked them up, could, by any means, have
had access to it and the absence OF motive
in these cases. and the utter anlpossibatsty OF
the necessary concert of action on then
part, precludes, we think. all suspicion In
| that direction.
Then. it is still more conclusive that it
could not have been before that time. III
so. the druggist, DR.. Butler, could alone
| be responsible for it, In his case, there
surely could be no motive and the deed, II
done by him, would have to be through
| incompetency or carelessness. In other
words, it would have to be a mistake. n oW,
is this likely? DIR. b., besides being dis,
| tinguished graduate in medicine, has had
not less than three OF four years OF prac-
i teal experience in the drug business, and
might not unreasopably be claimed to be
an expert in this department. He surely
| is not incompetent. Could he have made
| q mistake? No. no He has never made
| one in other respects /; and there has not
only never been. to our knowledge, u par
| ticle of aconitine on the premises. but. up
to the time OF the poisoning, andafter DIR.
| BIS connection with the asylum. there
was not one instance in which q single pre-
scription contained any OF the medicinal
preparations OF aconite. 1t cannot be I'M
derstood how careless and incompetent
man could, under the circumstances have
made such mistake. Certain it is, that
DR.. Butler could not hare done ii. And |
repeat that there has been perfect una
nimity ON the part of allthe medical men
and chemical experts who have examined
| the premises. and familiarized themselves
with the dispensary arrangements here
| the relative position of the drugs. the pre-
scription counter. &c., to say nothing OF
the symptoms evinced by the victims
| that, under the circumstances, such eff
| fects could not possibly have been produced
| by Il mistake OF the druggist.
| 1t. therefore, conld not have been done
| before tie medicines were placed in the
safe
Now. then. what were the chances Tor
| the fatal agent to have been dropped into
| the mugs at the time intimated-viz after
| the medicine was put into the mugs by
| the druggist. and deposited in the safe land
| before its removal therefrom by the at
tendalitS?
In other words was the medicine ac-
| cesSibe at any time, to anybody, after its
preparation and before its distribution by
| the attendants?
Unquestionab it WAS For years it
| has been the custom here to prepare the
| morning medicine the evening before
just before supper Oh the sd OF February
| DR.. Butler. i'll accordance with that GUS
tom, prepared the medicine for use the
next morning 1.-THE 24th), put each patient s
| dose in Il separate mug, labelled with his
name. placed the mugs of each ward OH a
separate waiter. and deposited the walters
| in the safe, i'll tiers of three. The safe
| stands in the hall, Just outside of the med
| ical office. and Immediately after supper,
| it haSsbeen the custom for the attendants
! to Get the walters for their respective
wards, lock them in their rooms, and adj
minister the medicine the next morning.
| For years prior to the time OF the present
administration these walters, after prep
aration, had been placed OH an open table
| outside of the dlspensary, but, as q pre-
| cautioEary measure against flies. dust and
other evils. closed safe was substituted
| for the open table several months previous
| to the poisoning, and into this safe the
| walters were deposited i'll tiers OF three,
as has been said, each waiter containing
! the medicine for a particular ward, and
each dose deposited in separate mug. la
| belled for the patient for whom intended.
| This was the state of affairs, and this the
situation of the medicine for, at least. one
hour the evening before it was admins
| tered.
| The hall in.which it was kept cannot be
| called other than a public passage-Way ;
very few patients. it is true, were in the
\ habit of passing through it. and they of
the best class none have since then been
allowed tlere) but officers. employees and
visitors have always been permitted to
pass and repass. and otherwise occupy 1T
without let or hindrance. And so it was
on the evening referred to. The place,
therefore. was of easy access tOs anybody
and if the most frenZied enemy felt dlSln-
clined to risk himself here, he had every
opportunity of approach or access by
means of friends-either male or female
of whom there were at least some amongst
the employees thoroughly familiar with
| the place In all it's details.
These had every opportunity that the
druggist could have had and surely mo-
| tive could be more reasonably assigned in
| their cases. To say the least, it may
reasonably be supposed that they had not
the same inclination which the druggist
| had to see the present administration sue
ceed Moreover. some who had but little
OF no reason to believe that they them
selves would be removed, nevertheless had
already had some of their nearest and
dearest friends SO dealt with, and were
really unable, in some instances, to hide
their bitterness and chagrin. There were,
mean, some such at the Institution at
the time the deed was done, and others
who had the privilege THAT is. free access
| to this hall) and used it uptO the very day
Of the dreadful incident.
1t seems at least possible, therefore, it
not very probable. that the medicine might
| have been poisoned at the time indicated
viz: while in the hall. And then the
| singular manner of the agents diStribu-
| tion on the walters and in the mugs GER
tainly does not invalidate, even if doesn't
greatly strengthen, this theory. The tier
Of walters nearest the entrance to the hall
that is, the one first reached-cOntained
all the mugs in which the fatal doses were
| placed.
Remembering this, it wouldSnot be I'M
| reasonable to suppose, from lchdt folloacs,
that the fatal mixture was at least quickly,
| if not very nervously, dropped upon this
| tier.
Observe: Upon waiter No. 1, the top of
| the tier, were four az mugs. One con-
tanned, OF was intended to contain, the
sesqui-oxide of iron for Wilkins another
| the same for Kerschner another, pure
whiskey for Waller and the fourth con-
tanned Sharpe and Dohme's phosphate of
| iron, quinine, and strychnia, for Adams.
Upon waiter No. 2, the centre of the
tier, were five ~ mugs. One contained
half a drachm of the fluid extract of hyos
cyamus, for Mr.. Vaughan two contained
whiskey. and the other two the sesqui-
! oxide of iron tonic, for other patients in
the same ward.
Upon waiter No. 5. the bottom of the
| tier. were six (6) mugs. Two contained
| the sesqui-oxide of iron and brom. potass.,
for Hines and Myers, epileptics two simply
the sesqui-oxide OF iron, for Sperry and
| Thomas : one the sesqui-oXide of iron and
whlskey, for HoHoman and the otherpure
whiskey, for Looney.
| OF the mugs on waiter No. |, the con-
| tents proved almost Immediately fatal to
Wilkins and Adams. Waller and Kerschner
experienced no bad effects.
| Upon waiter No. 2, the contents of the