Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-01-18

make a mistake in putting up prescrlp
tiops. Has more reason now than he hao
1t the time of the inquest, to think that
Mrs. McAlexander. one of the patients
taken sick the day before the poisoning
was poisoned. She had taken no medicine
of any kind and was taken Ill after eating
her soup at dinner; Nobody else was made
sick by eating the same soup. Cannot
conceive how any patient or attendant
could get poison out of the medical dis.
pensary; his rules were strict and unless
he had been deceived, he believed they
were strictly carried out. Attendant An
drews first thought it was patient M. who
bad done the poisoning, but afterwards
thought it was patient B. Witness is salts
fed that patient NJ. was never in the dis
pensary unattended, and Attendant A.
was mistaken in thinking B. was more in
dispensary than some other patients.
Witness has bought Aconite in Stanton,
but no Aconitine. Has bought no drugs
in Harrisonburg, but almost exclusively
in Stanton. In August, previous to the
poisoning in February, all the medicines
in the dispensary were renovated in order
that they might be certain of their
strength.
After the poisoning. patient g.. who
did not like Dr. Butler, got bis medicine
from DR.. Strains room instead of with
the rest. One morning witness was told
hof h vpifh
tient C.'s medicine. Witness took the
medicine, boxed it up, and sent it to Prof.
Mallet for analysis. The analysis showed
that what was wrong" was caused by
some mean and new whisky being put in
the medicine. as witness had said was the
cause. Prof.M- was paid 500 for the
analysis. Witness had an idea of how this
mean whiskey got into the medicine.
Three patients only have refused to take
medicine since the poisoning. fearing a
mistake by DR.. Butler. This sentiment
of fear has not been communicated to the
other patients.
Cross Examined BY N. F. White.
There was no feeling between At
tendant Andrews and witness at the time
the latter was expressing his opinion about
certain patients having done the poison
ing. Thought Andrews was in good faith
endeavoring to locate the author. when he
gave these opinions. Almond g presence in
B. room was positively against witnesses
rule. Patient b was not at the Asylum
on the evening the poison was put IN the
cups. being down at DR.. Crockett's. Pa
tent G., who complained that there was
something "wrong" about his medicine,
was at the time of his complaining in the
habit of visiting town. DR.. Butler Is the
strictest of all the physicians at the Asy-
lum and is one of the best druggists that
this, or any other State, has. DR.. B. was
not drinking man, but. four months be-
fore this poisoning, had been under the
influence of liquor, and had come to him
and told him that if that was excused he
would not touch another drop-a promise
that he has scrupulously kept ever since.
Witness saw him the evening of the poi
soning while he was preparing the medi-
cine. which was afterwards poisoned, and
he was perfectly free from all effects of
stimulants.
On the morning after the poisoning the
first thing witness did was to look at the
prussic acid. cyanide of potash and tine
ture of aconite, and found in them Exactly
the same amount there had been before
the poisoning. Had calculated carefully
the amount of aconitine found in each
body and found that three ounce cup
even if filled with tincture could not pos
sibly have produced that quantity of AGO.
nitine. Witness does not think any person
from outside of the asylum could have
gotten to the cups which we're in the at
tendants rooms that night, and put the
poison in. Witness had no reason, outside
of The Detectives report to believe that
any one outside of the asylum put the
poison in. Mrs. McAlexanders case, not
otherwise explained, he thought added
strength to the detectives theory. Of
some tinctures of aconite four or five drops
will'kil.
THE BARGAIN WITH THE DETECTIVE.
My contract with the Pinkerton detec-
tive is to pay SIS a day for his woIk. I
would feel bound to pay this still, if he
showed that he is still working the case.
After several communications passed, the
detective expressed the opinion that, per-
haps, if some months elapsed ne could
work with more result. / have already
paid, think, about 81 900 for the detec-
tive work. | am not certain as to the ex-
act amount.
THE CERTAIN PERSON.
In my interviews with the detective,
and letters of the principal. it has several
times appeared to me they we're on the
right track. Some have led nae to think
a certain person did it.
Here a discussion arose as to the expe-
diency of calling on witness for the name.
During it, Commonwealth Attorney.
Bell. said he had done all so far in his
power, and he now intended to go to the
Pinkerton Agency in Philadelphia to as.
certain in person their information. MIR.
Bell said that DR.. Hamilton had expressed
his willingness to furnish the name of the
suspected party t2 him. The committee
agreed that it was not egpeGient for the
committee to become the repository OF the
name of the party.]
ASKING PINKERTON WHO IT IS.
Mr.. M2Donald, a member of the commit
tee. offered a rasoiution instructing the
clerk of the committee to write 70 Pin.
kerton's agency and ask them to furnish
to this committee and to the Common
wealth's Attorney what information they
have in the poisoning case. Amended sc
as to include sending az inquiry by tele
gram. ard adopted.
ACONITINE FROM THE LIES OF THE