The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1885-11-14

rs. r. r." in the Cincinnati Com
Merciai Gazette. November |. review
ed admirably the main points in the
celebrated case:
Physicians are dangerous witnesses,
because they appear in the quality of
professional experts, and they have to
maintain their medical knowledge.w what
ever the consequences to justice. This
makes them Interested witnesses. testi
fying in their cwn behalf. Physicians
can generally be had to help criminal
attorneys defeat justice, by testifying
that the murderer WAS insane when he
did the deed.
Nj. Walkup lived an unclran!y life,
in ~onsequeuc of which he Was corrup
ted by disease for which he often took
arsenic. IN consequence Of his exccs
ses and Of this practice he had spells
of vomiting, purging and bowel pains
like those in his last sickness. These
iactr appear to be alphabetically, az
the doctors testified as to the poison
ing. but really he was sick, or preten
ded to be, rnd in his travels he fell in
with u handsome young woman of Il
Southern family, more endowed with
females and beauty than wealth, whom
he promised to do generously by. He
did not give up his u%ncleaniy life. He
returned from, an absence sick with
symptoms. similar TO previous attacks.
She called in DR.. Jacobs, from which
or from his disorder. Nj. Wa!kup died
after Il weeks illness.
Because the wife Was young, and the
death emirently fit and to be wished
for, suspicion fell gu her. aud the doc
tors. jumped with a%lacrity to this hypo
thesis, and they hunted the corpus for
arsenic. What physicians hunt for on
a~preconceived theory they find. Prof.
Jones. Of the Kansas City Medical Col-
lege, who analysed, testified that in
half Of the contents of the stomach he
found 2 .O27 grains of arsenic, and in
The stomach itself 81. 100 of a grain. and
in the liver .O77 of q grain. This is get
ting it DOWN fine. How wonderful is
the stewing and ev%aporating process
which can extract .O77 Of u grain of ar
senic from the liver can with certainty
distinguish it and separate it from all
other substances, and can weigh it /!
The quantity Was not great for an ar
senic eater, but the doctors had a theo
~ and their own medical knowledge to
@aintain.
DR.. jacobs had attended Walkup. On
Saturday he thought his case :'acute
indigestion )" left six ten-grain doses
Of subnitrate of bismuth and morphine
On Tuesday the patient purging, vom
fting aud uncomfortable in bow els, cor
tinued the treatment. Thought he had
relapsed because of indiscretioni in diet
On Wednesday thought malaria wa.
connected with acute indigestion
About noon on Thursday was informed
chat Walkup had eaten cove oysters il
vinegar and drank pop !; reproved him
out did not change the treatment-ter
grain doses of morphine and bismuth
cove oysters, pop ; Walkup sinking
Friday morning discontinued powders
and gave brandy and milk by injection
and applied mustard draughts. Thi
was giving up.
He came to the conclusion. on Fri
day morning, that Walkup vas SUITE
Sng from a~rsenical poisoning. An
this is tue way he was enlightened
"This conclusion Was arrived at befor
going to Walkup's house hat day, b
reason of a communication he had r
ceived from Mr. Bill" "Mr. Bill is not
physician" Bill communicated tina
Mrs. Walkup had arsenic in the house
That made the case plain to the do
tor, and he said: Nothing IN Walkup'
condition was lacking to confirm tn
theory of arsenical poison" No,hin
in his condition had suggested it pric
to MIR. Bill. and no physician coul
Know it without Mr.. Eill for" sal
Or. Jacobs, in the redirect, sit was a
solutely impossible for any physical,