The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-02
KIDNAPPING MADE EASY.
Fabulous Possibilities for the Use OF Tw
AnRSt Ii aiIcG.

Fabulous Possibilities for the Use of Two
Ausesth stiles.
Two powerful drugs hitherto but little
known are coming into use. Ia the sense
that they may be used to completely destroy,
temporarily, the memory and all knowledge
OF time and place, they may he said to pos
sess vast and dangerous possibilities. Their
present use is as anasthetics, and the
medical profession has been able already to
accomplish wonderful and humane results.
BY the use of chloralamede | brought
patient all the way from Chicago, kept hi1
under treatment several days and then re-
stored him to a reasonably sound condi-
tiOn," said DR.. w. b. Fletcher. recognized
as an authority OH diseases of the mind and
allied ailments. "My patient had become
greatly dissipated. He was ON protracted
debauch, but sober enough to be on the
alert against all attempts to persuade him to
submit TO treatment Occasionally he would
be brought home in beS0t;ed condition,
and l made my plans to begin treatment
during one of these lapses. took into con-
hdence an associate physician, friend to
the patient, and instructed him to admins
ter chloralamede hypOdermically and tele-
graph me. lie did 50 one night when our
patient came home stupid. | went to Chi
cago and found the patient almost in state
OF coma. We put one of his legs in pIaS-
ter of paris mold and took him, still under
the influence of the drug, on board the
train. Occasional doses of the drug were
administered to keep the patient in the de-
sired condition. Had he waKened he would
have been furious. and We probably would
not have been able to bring him TO the
santarium for treatment. OF course, his
friends here were party TO the arrangement
and fully Endorsed the course pursued.
We put the patients leg in plaster for two
reasons-to disable him in case he at
tempted to attack us, and to avoid impeIti-
nent interference from passengers and
trainmen. A mans leg in plaster, we
rightly concluded, would be sufficient rea-
son for his incapacitated state. 1t would
have been embarrassing to explain that we
were genteelly kidnapping gentleman of
wealth.
Everything prospered. We brought the
patient here, treated him several days, and
at length allowed him to come on: from his
death-like sleep. He had no recollection
whatever of anything that had occurred in
the interim. The treatment, meantime,
had restored him, and lie approved of every
thing when apprised of the tactics We had
used"
sons for harmful purposes"
Yes; but 1t would have to be admins
tered hypodermically, and that would
arouse the proposed victims suspicious. 1t
has somewhat bitter taste, and, unless the
victim was already partially drugged, he
would taste the stuff if administered in
drink or food.
Another more dangerous drug than this,
perhaps, is hyosciamne. 1t is almost
tasteless; it might be put into wine or beer,
and the driDker would not discover its
presence There would be more or less
danger to the victims life if the drug were
given by unskilled and desperate persons.
| have not believed much in the familiar
story that SO-and-sO has been drugged, but
l suppose it would be possible with the
II nf hoe HrnCy n
minded person without his consent or
KNOWLEDGE "-Iudianapolis News,