The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-06
lNplAh PENSIONERS.
Methods Of Getting Rid Of Objectionable
People In the Far East.


People In the Far East.
In India arsenic IL the agent most COM
monty employed by prisoners, for it Is the
cheapest and most easily obtained Of deadly
drugs. Opium comes next, and then much
lower down in the scale strychnia and
pounded glass The arsenic cases are typi-
cal Of the people among whom they occur.
In Scinde district stranger went into
shop one day and entered Into friendly con-
versation with a man he met there. On
parting, by way of thanking him, the
stranger presented him with some sweets
for distribution among his friends.
The result was that five men and o boy
were poisoned, and the obliging stranger
has never been heard Of since. In Belgium
o boy returning from school was given some
sugar. which he shared with his sister and
another child. All three were soon found to
be suffering from an irritant poison. In
all the reports children figure as victims in
the arsenic cases. The poison Ia usually
given in sweetmeats, and generally by q
hstrange woman" whom they meet in the
street and who disappears. This strange
woman" is found IN page after page of sue
cessive analysts reports for the past 20
years and under much the same circum-
stances.
The Indian professional poisoner is rarely
caught and usually is not even suspected.
In a large proportion OF cases the crimes
appear to be wholly without motive. and
In many the poisoner appears to mako no
difficulty about poisoning O whole family
to make sure Of an individual. Accident is
the main cause of discovery in the reported
cases, for in remote villages a person dies
and the body is burned before the suspicion
of foul play gets abroad. Death is nearly
always sudden in India, and the last rites
follow 30 quickly that this kind of crime
can be committed with o very large amount
Of impunity.
It Is generally known in India that traces
of arsenical poison disappear when body
is burned, but this is not always the case
At Sattara body was duly burned, and
among the ashes Of the pyre some one who
had Rrudge against the relatives Of tn,
deceased secretly introduced arsenic and
| then caused an accusation of poisoning tt
be made against some of the relatives. Tn,
latter insisted on having The ashes analysed
| but the analyst, while finding the arsenic
declared the charge fraudulent, for arsenic
volatilizes at very moderate heat ant
leaves no trace behind.
Another characteristic feature Of the In
dian poisoner is recklessness. In Dharwa
q woman who had grudge against an ole
paramour entered liquor shop and Of
fered him some drink. He was about d
drink 1t when a dispute arose about tn
price, and the seller took up the cup ant
poured the liquor back into the vessel from
which he had taken it. A white sedimen
was found adhering to the bottom Of tn
cup, which turned out to be white arseni
that the woman had introduced into tn
cup.
In another instance a woman at the sug
gestion of her paramour gave her HUSBAND
arsenic in food. He was violently ill, bu
recovered, and revenged himself on his wifi
and her lover by administering to both
severe tbrashing with a stick. Pounds
glass is going ont of use because it is no
always fatal, and more deadly poisons ar
very cheap and can be obtained easily b
any one. AS rule it is administered b
women to their husbands. They take Of
their glass bangles, reduce them to powde
by pounding and then mix this with var
GUS articles of food.-London Times.