, 1886-05-27

| ordered and drank a mixture of bromid,
of potassium and valerianate of ammonii
to quiet my nerves.
Il drank this in the presence of Mr.
P%reller, and he paid for it, as he did fol
the other things purchased then. We
then returned to the hotel, and on our
way up to my room We stepped in at the
cigar stand and purchased a box of cigars,
for which my companion paid. We then
went up stairs and after smoking a while
and discussing the proposed operation,
Mr.. Prellcr ven to his own room, return
ing shortly af,er, having removed his
waistcoat and replaced his coat with a
dressing gown. Immediately thereafter
we began to make preparations for the
operation. Prell r removed his trousers
and laid down on the bed. | placed a
four ounce bottle of chloroform on the
wash stand. and poured out fluid gramme
of the liquid on a piece of lint, which
L folded three times and then walked to
the bed and held the lint about six inches
from my patients face so that the vapor
from the chloroform might be mixed with
the air and not produce too violent an eff
feet. 1t all evaporated in a few minutes,
and | turned around to get more and
found that the bottle which | had placed
on the washstand had fallen into the basin
o,l n l.rra ro.t,., - 81, ......t, IL
flowed out, and not enough was left to
produce an asthesia. | then went to
Fernow 5 drug store to get more, telling
Fernow that | had spilled that | had first
bought. | wanted four ounces but he
only had two and | took that. | then
returned to my room and | placed about
a gramme of the fluid on the lint a second
time and again held it about six inches
from his face. | continued this some
time, until | thought Inconsistencies, or,
rather, insensibility to pain. had been
reached. then took up the catheter and
proceeded to insert it. Mr.. Preller made
a peculiar noise, wincing as if he felt pain.
| came to the conclusion that | had not
administered a sufficient amount of chic
reform. | poured a gramme or a gramme
and a half of chloroform upon the lint,
which | again pliced before his face, al
most before | knew it
"Mr. Preller's breathing became very
labored and | at once suspended the ad
ministration of the chloroform, for |
knew hat his condition was serious
| seized a pair of my surgeons
scissors and at once cut his
shirt and under shirt from his body, and
tried all the means OF recuscitation with
which | was familiar. | slapped him with
wet towels on the neck and chest, dashed
cold water on his chest and attempted to
restore respiration by moving his arms up
and down.
The witness continued in an impressively
husky voice. 81 continued these efforts
to revive my friend for over half an hour,
but it was useless, entirely useless, and
shortly after my friend ceased to breathe
and his heart stopped beating. There
was NJ breath on the mirror when | held
it 20 his lips. Even after | was satisfied
he was dead, | continued my efforts with
him. | did not leave and call assistance.
All my efforts were to restore
him, because when ch loroform
takes hold of a man and he sinks, in a
few seconds the man is dead. AT the
time | thought | had better be occupied
in efforts to estor him, | was convinced
he was dead, but [ continued to dash
cold water on his chest. finally decided
he was dead and past all hope.
Then | hardly knew what to do. My
first impulse was to notify the authorities
Imagine my feelings. | did not know
what to do. | was in a strange land, a
stranger. | did not knowl a man could
make a statement in his own behalf. |
thought the same rules prevailed here as
in England, and that l would not be
allowed to make my statement and
thought | would go away"
The prisoner then proceeded TO tell the
story of putting the body in the trunk in
a wild and dazed sort Of a way, scarcely
knowing what he did, and saying that he
was so wrought up that he could give no
connected account of his subsequent say
ings and doings. He tried to drown his
terror in drink; that he concluded the
49, - ~. l.