The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-03-01

yum bldb TIC dooiSVdhe pilJ oAIiduo
never leave the Office unlocked. have takel
some pains to see whether this regulation wa
strictly conformed to, and can safely say tina
within the last four months have never beel
able to find the physicians out and the doc
unlocked; nor haYe l been able TO get repor
that it Was 80 found by any one. Each o
the physicians has key to the dlspensary
There is also another key kept by Mrs. Beers
the superintendent of the dining rooms, VIII
also supervises the cleaning of the medical off
ces. This latter key is given to the servant
Willis Coleman, who cleans the dispenser,
and medical offices, and he, whilst cleaning, i
sometimes lett in temporary charge of tn
offices.
Question.-Can access be had, at any time
by any one, TO the medicine after its prepare
ton and before its distribution by the attend
ants?
Answer.-Yes, sir at the time it remains il
the medicine safe in the hall. For years it hal
been the custom to prepare the morning medi
ci1es the night before. Just before suppe
LIZ 0QelCA PACRbACn tuC uCdiCluCD 1Ok use bus
next morning. After preparation the walters
containing the mugs OF medicine are deposited
in the safe in tiers of three. This safe, 81
stated, is situated in the hall just outside o
the medical office. After supper the attend
ants get these walters, keep them in theil
rooms over night, and administer the medicine
in the morning. For years prior to June last
these walters, after preparation. had beer
placed on an open table outside OF the dispen
sary. In order to prevent flies from getting
into the mugs, had a closed safe made into
which the walters are placed after preparation
and before the attendants get them. Tie at
PENDANTS usually take the walters with them
when they return to their wards from supper.
The time during which the medicine remains
in the safe varies from one minute to an hour
and sometimes. though rarely, longer. Each
ward has its separate waiter numbered or let
tered, except wards l and 2 which have
waiter in common. This waiter, with that of
ward 3 and that of ward 4, make up one ofthe
tiers referred to. The arrangement ofthis tier
is; ward 4, bottom; ward 3, centre; wards / and
2, top. The location of this tier in the safe ia
nearest the office and is first approached by
any one entering the hall 'Chis tier contained
all OF the poisoned cups. The number of mugs
on each waiter varies at different times accord
ing to the number of patients needing medi-
cine in the respective wards. On Saturday
morning, the gath, there were four mugs on
the top waiter, (wards l and 81 five on the
middle waiter (ward No. 81, and six on the bot
tom waiter .(ward No. A.
lDr.Hamilton then proceeded to describe
the contents of the different walters, and for
whom the medicines were intended, who aG-
ministered them, &c; but as these details are
given in our statement above it is not neces-
sary to repeat them here.
The walters were taken from the safe in the
following order: 1st. the 3rd ward, or middle
waiter was taken by Grove, one of the attend
ants; End, the 4th ward waiter taken by Bear
and last, the waiter for 1st and I'd ward, taken
by Price.
As regards theory, DR.. Hamilton stated
that he was disposed to believe that patient
hsd committed the Decd until something else
is forced upon him. He said that he had
another clue and was following 1t up.
Proceeding with his testimony, DR.. Hamil-
ton stated, IN response to interrogatories, that
the hyoscysmus taken by Vaughan and the
strychnine by Adams, were the most poison
GUS ingredients in the medicines when they
left the office Vaughan's dose was half dr.
and could not haye produced the violent
symptoms; the proportion of strychnine in
Adams dose was one-sixty-fourth of grain.
Adams symptoms plainly showed that the
poison was not strychnne.
"WEDNESDAY
the examination was continued.
DIR. w. W. s. BUTLER,
third assistant physician, and the officer in
charge of the dispensary, testified in sub
stance as follows compound all medicines,
tinctures and prescriptions necessary for the
wards excepting those prepared by chemists.
On the evening of the 23d, about $50 o'clock,
prepared the tonics and sedstives for the
respective wards, to be administered the fol-
lowing morning. The tonics taken and which
produced the violent effects were, 1st Elixir
phosphate of iron, quinia and strychnia, pre-
pared by Sharp s. Drohme chemists. End
A solution of the sesqui oxide of iron pre-
pared by myself about ten days before, two
gallons having been made at that time OF
the first tonic about one dozen patients were
taking it thrice daily in doses Of two teaspoons
full +; of the second, some sixty patients were
taking thrice daily, in doses of one teaspoon
full each.
The sedatyes used were. 1st, fluid extract
of hyoscyamus, and I'd, bromide of potassium.
The first was prepared by Sharpe s. Drohme,
chemists. 1t was administered to but one
patient (Vaughan) at that time. His dose was
MALT teaspoonful. The second (bromi6e)
was kept in solution and given to about eight
thrice daily. The doses of this varied, but
were generally administered in dose of 30
grains, or one teaspoonful Myers and Hines
took that quantity.
The witness then went on to state how the
medicine was placed on the fatal walters how
it was administered the various effects, etc.
The statement corroborated the account given
above, and was in substance the same.
In response to question, the witness stated
that he had had occasion some two weeks be-
fore to use dilute Of prussic acid. He then
noticed that about a teaspoonful of the fluid
renamed in the bottle. On Saturday, about
noon, he examined the same vial and noticed
that its contents were about as when last used
A teaspoonful of this dilute even if used would
not have caused the death of an adult. That
was the only preparation of prussic acid in
the medical room.
In reference to the possibility of persons
gaining access to the drug room in the absence
of the physicians, the witness stated that the
key was kept by Mrs. Beers las stated by DR..
Hamilton) hung in the dining room and could
have been stolen, used and replaced by q
malicious person. IT had not, however, been
missed from the nail from which it had sus-
pended for years, when not in use.
In regard to the symptoms manifested by
the unfortunate patients. the witness stated
that between and 7:50 a. m. on the gath he
was summoned to see Adams in the I'd ward.
Found him Frustrated; the symptoms being
of apoplexy. Not having heard of illness of
others, supposed it to be apoplexy. When
first seen by me, about minutes after taking