St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-17
TOOK COLD POISON.
Rev. B0WRER CLAIMS SOMEBODY
GAVE HIM A DOSE.
HEH HAD SEVENTY COMMISSIONS

Physicians Hastily Summoned
They Do Not Agree in Their
Diagnoses-Dr. Dean Says Poi
son-Dr. Russell Has Doubts
Mrs. Bowker on the Scene-It
Winds Up With a Fight.
Friday afternoon inmates Of Rev.
BowKer's "Home for the FriendIess"
heard frighIful screams proceeding
from the room of that much-talked-o OF
individual. Hurrying TO the spot, lac
was found to be in commissions. DrS.
Dean and Russell were quickly called.
They pronounced the symptoms to be
those of strychnine poisoning, so Dr.
Dean said. He had about seventy OF
them. when he relapsed into state of
unconsciousness. Remedies were
promptly administered, and the patient
was rescued from the jaws Ol death.
The matter Seems 10 be surrounded
by mystery. Miss Peters, the matron,
and a young man who was visiting The
Home" had gone to the exposition.
The cook prepared his dinner aid gave
il TO him. About ten minutes after he
ate it he was seized with commissions.
His limbs were contracted, his lips blue,
and his whole appearance was that OF
person who had been poisoned with
strycIInine. At Z O'Clock he was much
better, and yesterday evening he was
able To take some nUurlShment.
MIR. Bowker is quite confident that he
was poisoned, and he thinks it was
done by some one in the "home." He
does not suspect the cook. He said:
There are persons who do not live
so very far away from mere who would
be only too glad to pat me off the earth,
and they are none too good to try IL
themselves or TO hire it done either.
They are my open and avowed enemies,
ana you probably know them as well as |
do. There Is POSSIBILITY. of course. that my
sudden illness may have been caused by
my nervous condition, but that is not at
all probable, as have never been af-
tllcted with commissions, nor have ever
tainted away. | feel quite certain that
| was poisoned. L am lead to believe
that there are persous in my household
who are not the best of friends TO me-"
The last statement B0wKH made in re-
ply 10 direct question"
DIR. Russell said that the case was q
puZzler. While Bowker had all of the
symptoms Of being poisoned by Strych-
nine, and while he passed through
seven hours of seeming agony during
the commissions, the doctor said that
ne was at times inclined to believe
that BOwker'S suffering was all
feigned to gain sympathy. 1t is known
that Oh Friday Mrs. BOWker through
her attorneys served papers upon her
husband demanding tine care and Gus
fnnu If thar child RntuIynr hos
TO give up the child, and when he
found that his wife was going
into court to get possession of
their offspring, it is thought by
some that he tried the Strychnine racket
to prevent his wife from serving the pa
pers until he was well enough to appear
III person i'll court 10 defend the case.
What remained of the dinner was given
to a dog. which. at last accounts was
Wagging his tail as usual, and looking
wistfully for more Of the same KIND.
1t Is known that there was great
family row at tue BoWker residence not
half all hour after BOWker was found to
be out OF danger. During the afternoon
Mrs. Bowker and daughter had been sent
FOR, the messenger telling Mrs. Bowker
that her husband was dying. She III
once ran over 10 the ''home" weeping
cOpiouSly, and went about giving orders
to the servants. although she had not
been near the house for year previous.
All went well as long as the physicians
were present, but when they left IL is said
that Mrs. Bowker tried TO take forciDle
possession of the place. The servants
and the inmates of the ''hume" refused
to yacate, and a fiStic encounter ensued,
in which the inmates and the servants
were victorious. B0wker says that he
Will cause the poisoning to be invesli-
gateI, and that he is sure he will find
his would-be murderer.