Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-02-28
Mysterious Poisoning.
FIVE PATIENTS IN A VIRGINIA LUNATiC
ASYLUM DROP DEAD.

are Leonard L. WilSins, Of North
ampton county, 20 years old; Tboma,
W Adams, Of Loudouo, aged 40;
}. NJ. Holomap, of Spo,tsylvania coun
ty, Jno. w. Hines, Of Bath county );
Isaac Sperry, Of Frederick county,
-Four are sick. Matthew Va ughan, OF
Prince Edward county, will probably
die. Edward Miles, Of Augusta county
Joseph Thomas, of Rockingham coun-
ty, and VIM. Windle, of Frederick
county, are almost out Of danger, au-
tidotes having been promptly admins
istered. DR.. X. S. Hamilton the sup
erinteudent, at once notified the city
attorney, and a corouer's jury was
summoned, and although the officers
OF the institution and Of the city and
the jury have been carefully iuvesIi-
ating the circumstances connected
with the tragic affair, nothing in the
least satisfactory has been discovered
The mornings medicine is generally
mixed at $50 p. ~, in the pres
criptiou room, then taken by the sew
eral attendants to their apartments
and locked up until morning, when il
is administered before breakfast. This
was done as usual yesterday morning,
and strangely enough out of a dozen
or more prescriptions on waiter per-
haps only one would contain the fatal
dose,
City Attorney Fchols, who has been
attending the autopsy Of the poisoned
patients a the asylum all day, investi
eating the tragic affair, does rot think
the case is yet ready for the coroner S
inquest and has postponed tie matter
until Tuesday. Nothing has yet trans
pired to fix the crime upon any one.
The theory of DR.. Hamilton, SUI err
intendent, is, that after DR. W. S.
Butler, the druggist, had mixed the
medicines III the dlspensary and plac-
ed them in the hall cuiside, while re-
naming there an hour before the
attendants called for them, a luualic
got to them and sprinkled the poison
10 nine cups out Of the fifteen or TWEEN
ty that were on the three walters. He
does not think it was a mistake Of the
druggist from the fact that some forty
other doses Of the same iron tonic in
which the poison was administered
was given safely to others. Nor does
he think that the attendants could
have administered the poison, as tho
fats doses were carried t. four differ
ent wards by as many different atteo-
dants, and so many would 80; lk,ly
have been in collu,ion in =, hcinour
crime. lie aud Prot. Mgi,et, who
came last night, aglced that the
wholeaifair is as get a mystery,and
that the mystery is much compicl
ted by the mental characteristics o
the asylum people. In the autopsy,
which has engaged the attention o.
the asylum officials today. conduc>
ted by Drs. IL. II. Henkle and W.
5. Butler, and closely watched b,
Prot MslIct and the city attorney,
the heat, liver, brain, kidneys and
stomachs of the bodies have bcen
C refully examined, and the indi>
cations as well as the symptoms
which preceded death point to pois
oning by prussic acid or aconte.
1t could not have been sirychninc
or arsenic. The stomachs all show
more Or less congestion, according
TO the period OF time the patient
lived after taking the fatal dose or
the quantity Of poison supposed 10
have been taken.
In the stomach of Adams tic lin
ling was almost entirely destroyed
Young Wilkins had only been an
inmate three months; had been
afflicted with melanchoIia, but was
we'll and about to start home. lie
Vas from Eastvillc, Va, and the
youngest son Of a widowed mother
WHO has deem waiting most impa-
tientiy fJr hun 10 come home, where
she had engaged business for him
10 enter at once. 1t Stems thai
similar efforts had been made sew
eral days ago to poison the patients
and one male patient had been
affected mildly with the SAM syinp
toms, and on Friday a temaIe pa
tient-Sarah G. McAlexandria, Of
Botetourt-tell from her seat while
taking soup at dinner. She only
recovered consciousness today. But
nothing serious had been thought
OF the attack previous to the fatal
poisoning, as epIleplic fits are o.
such frequent occurrence here. No
other person vas affected at the
time, and If this woman was pJls>
oned the drug could have been plac-
ed only in her plate. The mysier-
Ious and dreadful affair mas greatly
distressed and embarrassed DIR
Hamilton and his assistants, but
they are determined to spare 10
effort to arrive at the truth and Sc
cure the punishment OF the guilty !
parties it they are responsible. DR..
Hamilton, who Was last summer |