Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-25

my lips are, of course, sealed" Mr..
Kenneth Fraser was a skillful eross-exam-
iner, and after further passage of arms-if
the deit caution of the Scotchman and the
righteousness of the physician may be SO
called-Mr. Fraser was compelled to beat a
retreat, quitting Brighton no wiser than he
! came, save for the conviction that he had
formed that in Sir Marcus Bland the Uni
| versal would have tough adversary.
Dogget Jared no better at York. The doc
tor who had attended Major Macdonald
during the last few days OF his life in that
| city was more confding than the Brighton
| physician had proved to be, but his sympa-
| thies also were enlisted on the other side.
The York physician frankly told the de-
tective that in his judgment the Universal
had no case, 'You have not leg to stand
on-you have not indeed" he affirmed.
Major Macdonald died perfectly natural
death. His constitution was completely
broken down by his long residence in India
before his return. He acknowledged as
much as that to me. and he was in extremis
when I saw him."
The detective spent some time looking up
| the chambermaids in the hotel where Major
Macdonald had died; but the wonderful
beauty of Mrs. Macdonald, her unexampled
| devotion, too, as sick nurse, and her man
! ifestations of poignant distress over his
death (whether real or imaginary hung in
doubt), had so completely won over the
minds of the women to her side that Dog
gett's gleanings in this field were few and
scanty.
One woman there was who proved more
communicative than the rest, and out of her
| the detective eontrived to worm some par
ticulars which aggravated the suspicious
against the widow.
whatever the poor man took" said this
woman, Seemed to disagree with him. He
could keep nothing down."
Did he complain of anything?" asked
the detective.
Il have heard the others say that his thirst
was something terrible, and that sometimes
his suferings were very trying. He had a
good deal of pain, and he used to complain
good deal OF feeling in his throat as if he
could not swallow
But this hearsay evidence communicated
from one woman to another did not help the
case forward much. The symptoms might
be compatible with diseased condition we'll
known to medical science. Indeed, on the
assumption that the Major had died from a
process of slow poisoning, was i not clear
that the drug which had been given (what-
ever that might be) had the power of being
able to simulate the effects 0t disease in an
altogether remarkable way? Otherwise
how was it possible that the de-
ceased Major should have been under
the hands of three members of the faculty
at different periods of time. aud all of them
have arrived at the same eonclusion-that
his malady was strictly in accordance with
medical experience? First of all Dr. Es-
mead in India, next Sir Marcus Bland at
Brighton, and last of all DR.. Bedford at
York, who had seen the patiently separately
on1 i'd L
malady, had all agreed that the effects from
which he was suffering were to be ascribed
to natural causes.
Was she guilty? This question required
to be faced when Doggett returned from
York with his report.
eff Colonel Vests story did not bear on
it the stamp of truth" said Mr.. Webber,
addressing Mr.. Fraser, with whom he was
closeted in long and earnest consultation,
II should be disposed to think we have alb
solutely no case to go upon
"It is thousand pities this man West is
not in England" )" returned Mr.. Fraser. ''If
we had him here we should have some
grounds which should justify us in moving
the Home Secretary to order an exhumation
of the remains, and- a Coroner's inquest if
the result of the post r1ortem required it.
1t must be confessed that the Universal
was in a singular dilemma. On the one hand
they had nothing except the written narra-
tive of Colonel West and the remarkable
good health enjoyed by the Major up to the
time of his efecting his insurance to base a
single suspicion upon, although it was open
to discussion by experts whether the symp-
toms mentioned in Doegett's report, CORE
spending, as they did, with the symptoms
manifested under like conditions in India,
did not admit of an entirely different con.
struction than that placed upon them by the
English physicians. But the fact that Mr.
Webber had been forewarned by Colonel
West in his interesting narrative of what
was likely to happen; and that Colonel
Vests sinister prophecy had been only too
sadly fulfilled, justified Mr. Weber in his
determination to abide by the course which
he had pressed on his directors to fight the
matter out to the last There was an ele-
ment of gambling in the decision, as Mr..
Webber frankly owned to Mr.. Kenneth |
Fraser, seeing that they were playing
waiting game on the chance that Colonel |
West might yet arrive in time before the |
great case came on.
Meanwhile preparations for the trial of |
the cause of Macdonald VS. the Directors of |
the Universal Insurance Company went on |
uninterruptedly in both camps, and the |
prospects of both parties to the suit were |
eagerly canvassed in private medical circles, |
as the line of defense began to leak out. |
The Universal spent its money freely and
employed its vast resources without stint in
cause which would involve them in a |
large money loss in the event of the day |
being decided against them.
But the Universal had even more sacred /
interests to defend. They realized that the
wise and benefcent provisions for life as
surance we're in some rare cases apt to be |
misused for the basest purposes, as supply
ing motive for the preparation of grave
crime, and standing at the head of the |
Offices they refused to allow any reproach |
to attach to the principle of life assurance
when it lay within their power to defeat the
of conspirators and bring the
guilty to justice. In short, they stood tor
the sanctity OF human life.
They did not spend money in vain. They
had two lines of defense to their action.
First, with the best medical opinion at their
service wherewith to instruct counsel, they
expected to break down the medical evil
dence for the plaintiff in cross-examination,
though this they knew would be difficult
when a great reputation like that of Sir
Marcus Bland's was at stake. But they
calculated that they would be able to obtain
such admissions of tine course of the disease
and the character of the symptoms as would
enable them to place the most eminent toxi-
oologists in Europe into the witness box,
who would at least so shake the faith of the
jury in theplaintif's case as to give verdict
against her, on the expert testimony OF men
with worldwide reputation on the subject
Of poisons they finally relied.
After long delays the great trial came
off. The medical testimony was, as usual,
Of the most conflicting character. 1t is only