The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-25
WALTER DIED A NATURAL DEATH.
DRS, SOMERS AND LANCASTER
EXAMINED AS EXPERTS.
The Testimony in Full and the Verdict OF
the Jury-Au the Physicians
Exonorated.

the late Charles A, Walter, as detailed
in THE PALATKA DAILY NEWS of Thurs
day. DIR. j. G. Ames, who was first
called to attend Mr.. Walter, demanded
that an inquest be held, and all the mat
tiers connected with the case be fully in
yestigated. In accordance with this de-
mand Justice Lott Allen, of lnterlachen,
acting as coroner, summoned a jury and
yesterday held an inquest at the late
residence of the deceased. The jury con-
sisted of j. II. Fry, foreman; G. P. Dew
ereux, S. e. Bond, NJ. l. Cox, Henis
Petermann and Joseph Lynn.
The first meeting was held at o'clock
yesterday morning, and after issuing
summons for the attendance of Drs.
Ames, Cole and Strausz and others as
witnesses. the inquest was adjourned to
meet st 10 o'clock at the late residence
of the deceased.
At the assemblage of the inquest at 10
O'Clock the following letter from DIR.
Ames was presented:
PALATKA, February "a, 1888.
Gentlemen:-Yo our investigation of the
cause of the death of Mr.. Charles Walter
has been requested by me because of the
fact that public rumor involves me i'll
the matter.
ask YOU for full investigation. As
Dr. Summers, of Jacksonville, DIR. Ian
caster, of Gainesville, and DIR. Cove, OF
Dedham, Mass, are all skilled physic-
ians, | ask that they may be summoned
by you and their testimony taken.
NV reputation is involved and 1t seems
| that this would only be fair to me.
Yours very truly,
JOHN G. AaEs. NJ. d.
The first witness called was DR.. A. L.
Cole, who, after being duly sworn, testi-
| fled as follows:
TESTIMONY OF DIR. A. L. COLE.
| Il was called to this case on the morn
| ing of the 22d of February, at $50 a. IA.
| | arrived at about 5:45, and found the
patient presenting all the prominent
| symptoms of morphia poisoning. As fol-
lows great prostration, the patient being
unable to move a muscle and perfectly
| unconcious and bathed in a cold perspi-
| ration, the color of the face being purple
or liviid. pupils contracted TO about the
| size of pins head, stertorous breathing
and lower jaw dropped. Respiration in
| terrupted. The patient would breathe
for minute or two and then stop en-
/ tirely. By placing the arm around him,
| around the abdomen-and making press
ure TO raise the chest wallis friction over
the heart, slapping the chest and raising
and lowering the body in this man
ner, was able to restore
| respiration or breathing, he would then
breathe stertorously for two or three
minutes and then elapse into the former
condition. Operation proceeded as be-
fore, and in order to be repeated we had
to keep the patient propped up by some
one sitting behind him. IL he was laid
down he would Immediately stop breath
ing. His head was So weak that unless
supported it would Immediately drop
over. When first called L wanted to ex-
ercise the patient and for that means
pulled his legs off of the bed ON to the
floor and tried TO raise him up. He was
SO weak that he would fall right down
like dead hog or any other inanimate
substance. At times when the breathing
was best the. pulse Was flowing, but
when his breathing was poorest the pulse
became very irregular and almost imper
ceptable.
examined the right arm and found
six or seven places that indicated punct
ures by hypodermic syringe-one Of
the places was echymosed to spot the
size of nickle. l was told that DIR
Ames had III iected six or seven doses o.
morphine in the time of two hours. more
or less, and l then diagnosed the case a:
one of morphine poisoning. My medi
cal treatment was to antidote the poi
| son.
By administering strong coffee anC
small doses of atropine | administered
four two-grain doses of the second doc
inal trituration. In four doses ther
would be eight to ten one-hundredth o
a grain of atFopine, a solution of atro
pine one grain to two drachms of water
or 1870 drops, which is the same thing
Thirty drops of that solution equalIini
twenty-five one hundreths of a grain o
atropine injected hypodemically Wi
antidota two grains of morphine.
| had to administer my remedies YER
cautiously on account of the extrem
critical condition of the patient. TIL
coffee | had to give in teaspoonful dose
and even that small amount would a
times strangle him. And SO wit
the atropine, l was afraid t
give full dose not knowing tn
| amount of morphine that had been ad
ministered.
lie pdticilt dppdIcHti1 iitiIioNt
under my treatment. The time betwee
the difficult periods of respiration wer
heightened, The pupils dilated NOR
than double the size that they were whe
was called at S:15 O'Clock in the morr
ing | said the patient was improyin
but by no means out of danger, and tina
L they would have to work with hir
several hours yet. | considered it saft
however, to leave the patient with a
attendant, while | crossed the street I
the Putnam House to get my breakfas
telling him that they could get me {
any minute. | returned in twenty-fiy
minutes and found DIR. Strausz's ca
riage in front of the house. | then witt
drew from the case"
At the conclusion of the testimony
Dr. Cole. the next witness, DIR. P. I
Strausz, was called, and being swol
testified in reply to questions as follow
DIR. sTRAUsz TEsTIFIEs.
81 was called to see Mr.. Walter abo1
O'Clock of the morning of the 22d ins
and my diagnosis of the case was opiu
poisoning.
Ibid you see symptoms of any 9th
81 disease?
"No."
''Wfl you describe the symptoms
Mr.. Walter when you were called?'
"He was in a comatose condition. T
breathing was stertorous, the pupils CO
tracted, while his pulse was small a
very rapid. The hands and face we
congested."
did it take you any time to form
opinion:"
Very few moments"
'sDid you realize at once that he W
suffering from opium poisonsr
II did. Another symptom was,
was bathed in cold, .clamny sweat. I