The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-02-28
THE sTAUNTON TRAGEDY.
Death OF Another One OF she Poison
ed. Making SIX victims I'm All.
The Corouer's yury--Ir. Hamilton on the
staud-The Action OF the Poison De-
scribes-His Theory that One or the '.Gui-
teans- in the Asylum Committed tho
peed-vothing Tangible Yet.
[sneeial leIexram o the Dlspatch.l

that ever devolved upon similar body OF
men in this city. II consists OF i. VI.
Young Qoreman) J. II. Wayf, NJ. =. Funk
houscr, J. A. Templeton, p. n. Powell,
and J. Herman. and Coroner George Har-
Ian. Ciiy-Atiorney Echols called these
gentlemen together in the superintendent's
Office, at the asylum, about IL o'clock this
morning. They had been engaged on their
work about an hour when the death OF
Mathew Vaughan,
TEE SIXTH VICTIM OF THE POISONING,
was reported. DR.. Hamilton, in referring
10 this patient. said be was a man in gen.
eral excellent physical health, but at long
intervals, say four months, had violent
spells Of mania. He was comparatively
well when he took the fatal dose Saturday
morning. lie died Of the same cause that
the other five did, but in 4 different way.
The others had died suddenly from the
violent action Of the poison on the brain,
while with Vaughan death bad resulted
from its slower action upon the stomach.
The whole day was occupied by the jury
in taking the
TESTIMONY OF SUPERINTENDENT HAMILTON
and hearing bis theories in regard 10 the
terrible calamity that had befailen the in
sutuiion. This work was retarded no little
by the frequent Interruptions caused by
the receipt Of kilograms and messages TO
the superintendent and his concern and
mental distraction occasioned by the dam
perous illness with scarlet-iever Of two Of
his children, together with the harassments
consequent upon the deplorable affair
within the institution walls. After detail
ing the particulars Of the first intimatlon
he had Of the tragical affair, which
has been already substantially reported
in the Dispatch. the witness spoke
Of his prompt communication with
Judge Quarles, The nearest member OF
the Board OF Visitors, and bis ielo-
graphic summons Of Professor Malleit.
He then detailed the aid and advice rem
dered him by members Of the medical IA
Guilty OF the city and Of the asylum. The
antidotes used were white OF eggs and
sweet milk, and emetics Of mustard and
whiskey diluted with warm water, while
mustard was applied TO the eXtremities to
restore circulation. He purposely arranged
that the autopsy should be made by proies-
sional gentlemen not connected with the
asylum. and bad only the three bodies OF
those who had died suddenly examined, as
in the opinson Of Professor Mallett the OBJ
Zee. aimed az could be best attained with
them.
TIE ANATOMICAL DISCLOSURES
gave satisfactory evidence Of nothing be-
yond the fact that an acid substance had
been swallowed. What that substance was
could only be ascertaincd by chemical
ANALYSIS, and Professor Mallett, he smd, had
taken the stomachs Of the three subjects.
carefully secured IN clean glass vessels. TO
his laboratory at the University Of Viz
ginia for the purpose Of making such in
yestigaiions as be nigh. deem proper and
necessary. He was satisfied from the
similarity Of symptoms and other circum-
stances that the cause operating on all the
PATIENTS was common 70 all, and that the
cause resided in the medicine administered
on the morning Of the 2ith instant. He
was also convinced
PROM TIE sCDDEENESS
and other peculiaritIcs VI the deaths, the
absence OF te,anic and other characteristic
symptoms, that the poison used was not
strychnia, arsenic, or other poison most
commonly resorted 10. Besides the sud-
denness and manner Of death in the fatal
cases. the symptoms exhibited by the-sur
yivors. such ~ dilation Of the eye, great
prostIation. utter want Of muscular power,
the comatose condition Of All, and the
nervous manifestations, led him 20 suspect
the fatal agent wa, prussic acid or cyanide
Of potash, or possibly aconite. By no COM
bination could the medicines prescribed
and taken, he said, have produced the
symptoms exhibited. The
TONIC WHICH CARRIED The FATAL DOSES TO
SEVERAL or TIE VICTIMS
was prepared as follows: Tincture OF iron,
/ y OF. simple syrup, 3 pints; mix and
L
add aqua ammonia, tincture cinnamon, each
/ G o.. and whisky, pints. Usual dose
one teaspoonful. This prescription had
been prepared by the gallon some time be-
fore. and had been given for some time
previously with no III effects. ON the
morning in question it was administered to
4 number. among whom were some twenty
five female patients, by whom no bad
svmptoms were manifested. II was tonic
which had for years been used in the prac-
tiee in the institution. The druggist. DR..
Butler. could not have been guilty Of cul'
pable carelessness in preparing the pre-
scriptiOns, for the
MEDICINE HAD ALREADY BEEN MIXED,
and the strvchnia was In such small guam
titv that enough to constitute fatal potion
could not have been contained in the small
mug. and only one man Vaughan used
the hyoscyamus. and he had been Tor some
time habitualy using this prescription
without any bad eject. The twenty-five
other patients who took the iron tonic hac
taken that very dose, prepared by the sam'
druggist ut the same time, ana poured
from the same bottle, but taken directly Il
their wards by different attendants and OF
different waters. The same might be said
as 10 smaller numbers. However. with re-
gard 10 the medicine taken by Vaughan
and Adams and the victims, they did no
,ata any medicine that was not taken thai
morning BY other patients without harm
In the absence Of the assistant physician
L.. Litn.nH