The herald., 1894-09-13
WAS IT SPASM OR POISON?
Peculiar Episode in the Charles
Beecher Case.
The Defendants Attorney Makes
Sensational Charges.
What Mrs. Eckies and What DR.. Hagan
Have to Say of tho Case-Is
1t Play for SYM
pathy?

Some very sensational developments
are expected today when the case of
Charles Bsecher. charged with setting
fire to the San Dimas bridge. is called in
the superior court for the second time.
II young Beecher's attorney, L. G. Kel-
logg, makes the same statements in
court that he did to a HERALD reporter
lsat night, there will be some trouble.
The attorney is seconded by Mrs. Eckels,
with whom Bescher boarded at San
Dimas before Deputy Sheriff W m. Cline
arrested him.
Both Kellogg and Mrs. Eckels claim
that the young prisoner, who has been
in the county Jail since his arrest, was
in come way the victim olasoms drug on
Tuesday.
Mrs. Eckels states that she called to
see Beecher Tuesday and found him in
dazed condition. His speech was very
incoherent and he seemed as though he
was recovering from poisoning. She
does not think 1t g case of attempted
suicide.
Attorney Kellogg said that when he
called to see his client Tuesday morning
between 10 and IL O'Clock ne was in
formed that Beecher was dead. But
upon investigation he found that DR.,
Hogan. county physician, and DR.. Smith,
his assistant. were working upon the
patient, who finally recovered from a
comatose state, but was unable to speak
coherently. Beecher told Kellogg that
he remembers having gone to sleep, but
remembers nothing OF the surgeons
working over him or OF his having
taken anything that may have been
poisoned. The attorney thinks, and
went 80 far as to state that his client
was purposely ''doped," but does not
want to lay the blame on anyone In par
tculsr az yet. He made an inveetiga-
ton into the symptoms ofyoung Beecher
during his sickuess. Taking Bartho-
LEWIS Materia Medica as authority, be
found description OF symptoms corre-
spending exactly to those Of the young
man. After this investiga ton the attor-
ney concluded that Bsecher had taken
cannabis indicus. or Indian hemp,
which would produce. he alleges, elm
liar sy mptoms as experienced by the
young man. This drug, if such it might
be termed, he says, can only be taken
two wayo-either in alcohol or
RT6hBt, tuu IOT bni6 IcdbOA dlOHc
it seems impossible that Beecher could
have taken it without having noticed it.
Mr. Kellogg thinks that the drug was
administered to secure statement from
the young prisoner, and says that day
or two before the examination and also
before the first trial Bsecher had similar
symptoms, although in q milder form.
Mr.. Kellogg aseerts that certain dose
of the hemp makes q person laxative
and entirely subject to the will OF who-
ever ia with them.
Since the charges made by the attor-
ney and Mrs. Eckels, q witness in the
case, a HERALD reporter asked DR..
Hsgan his opinion of the case. The ply
scian said that he saw no symptoms
of poison OF any kind and attributed the
prisoners illness to a spasm OF some
similar affection. He was frank in say-
ing, 30 far as he could learn, there was
not the slightest sign of poison, and
that the attorney had no grounds upon
which such a charge could be based.
Beecher is apparently as well as ever.
He eaye he tooS nothing, nor were there
any eigns OF poison in any food he ate,
so far as he knew. The case is a pc.
cnliar one, but amounts to nothing
unless the charge OF drugging were
brought to gain sympathy for the young
man at his trial today.