The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-05

abbess of one Of his new founded converts.
She was accused Of practicing the same arts
there, fed to Italy and died, street beggar,
at Pavia.
Among ancient nations poison was fire.
quently restorted to in Furnishing crimi-
nails. The Greeks used it. Socrates, as
every one knows, is an illustrious example
of those who were forced to drink hemlock.
The Egyptinns made use of poison in GER
tain GASES; the Scythians, also; the latter
forced their criminals to drink potion of
fresh ox-blood, though this was not strictly
a poison. The blood formed a coagulum
which pressed on the heart and lungs,
stopping their action and so causing death.
In these days, however, as might be an
ticipated, it is in the tropical belt of the
world that poisoning is Of common occur
renee The luxurient vegetation produces
an endless variety of drugs, and the ma
tves generally are unrestrained by con-
scientious scruples in making use of them.
The aborigines Of Australia, New Zealand
and Oceanica generally are acquainted
with virulent vegetable poisons with which
they anoint their weapons, the least scratch
Of which then becomes almost instantly
fatal Also wherever negroes have been
carried as slaves they have taken deadly
secrets with them, and they seem to possess
an extraordinary skill, amounting almost
ties of plants new to their experience,
whether noisome or beneficial. There is
good authority for the statement that this
knowledge is gained by persistent expert
menting-upon white families from choice
However, this may be, the Obi women and
Voodoo doctors could tell us many fact
well worth our attention.
Prisoners in tropic lands generally follow
old. established custom. which is fortunate.
Ia IA 4. h.
subject are not generally willing 10 give
information about the use Of datura in In
dat 10 Q painful and terrifying theme
but the British army Of occupation must be
grateful that the mild Hindoo does not
roam at large among the deadly products
of his iungIes. Unlike the African. he has
a stupid fancy for arsenic and similar
foreign substances, when he can get them.
Other Indian nations are well acquainted
with the occult qualities OF hemp and other
deadly drugs, some of which produce sYmp-
toms of a most extraordinary and terrify-
inc character 10 one unskilled in native
pharmAcopoeia.
Seni-ciyilized races incline 10 adopt the
white mans drugs, good or evil, by an i'm
pulse common to human nature. had tnet
Pernvian cacIque who tried TO extermtnate
the whole population Of Lima at one stroke
relied on his native poisons ne would Ger
tainly have gained his end. However, ne
vent instead 10 ian apothecary by the
bridge y and offered any sum that might be
demanded for 200 pounds Of corrosive sub
Innate. Il was Just before the great rebel,
lion of 1881. The apothecsry, astonished
and suspicious, supplied him wish Ike
amount Of alum and received his price;
fims's only water supply was that conveyed
by pipes from a great reservoir. Next Gay
il was all impregnated with alum, anu On
examination the walls OF the reservoir "eFe
found to be all broken down.
Secrars of poisoning were certainly known
in ancient DAYS which modern science can
net account for. The death OF Mohammed
Is a mysterious case in point From the re-
! norts Of the case that have come down 70