The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-13
DR.. Spranger and His Wife,
Now in California,
Accused.
ANALYSIS OF THE MEDICINES.
1t Is Being Made Under Direction
Of the New York District
Attorney.


Darling, the composer, has been fled with
other documents, in the District Attor-
ney's Office in the case in which Flora
Adams Darling, mother of Edward Irving
Darling, accuses DR.. Spranger of having
poisoned her son. Soon after the death of
Darling DR.. Spranger married his widow.
They are now in California. The affidavit
made by Edward Irving Darling was writ
! ten partly by himself in the presence of
witnesses few hours before his death. In
the statement he tells how, in Dece mber,
1890, he met with an accident when at
tempting to save property for firm he
was with in Detroit.
DR.. Betz was the surgeon and DR..
Spranger the physician who attended him.
He declared that intimacy between DR..
Spranger and Mrs. Darling, his wife, began
during his illness. Concerning this init
macy Darling alleges: 'Prior to her &C
quaintance with DR.. Spranger we lived
happily. From that date she was a diff
ferent woman. Where she had been
amiable, agreeable and cheerful, she was
now petulant, vindictive and arbitrary. [
seemed to be the object of her antipathy."
| Darling said that this was in the spring
of 1892 and up to that time his health was
perfect. Early in March he had a severe
attack of what was called cholera morbus.
He did not recover, but kept attending to
business. DR.. Spranger, he said, fire.
quently gave him medicine, which seemed
to afford him temporary relief, but ulti-
mately left him in worse condition.
In few weeks his weight from 148 went
down to 90 pounds. He was sickwithout
being able to find out what was the mat
ter, and continues:
"On June l, 1892, Miss Clayton came to
my house to write The Viking We con-
tinued at the work until July 4, when my
wife came into absolute possession of an
estate yielding an income of about $12 600
annually. We left for Washington July
and went to the Ebbitt House. The Sec
ond day after our arrival l had most
violent attack, nearly dying. We returned
to Detroit July IS.
81 was too i'll to sit up and had to lie in
my sleeping apartment all the way and
have been regarded as a dying man ever
since. During the time we were in Wash
ngton Mrs. Darling developed a new
iphase of character. She did not allow me
to see any of our friends"
Darling declared that his wife continued
to grow vindictive and abusive without the
slightest provocation. His treatment con-
tinued after their return to Detroit, where
he grew worse. DR.. Spranger attended
him. The statement continues as follows:
"The variety and quantity of drugs he
(Dr. Spranger) poured into me was suffi-
cient to justify CHASING me as an annex to
his laboratory. He gave no prescriptions,
only medicine. l failed rapidly. The
effect produced was a constant state of
irritation of the stomach, almost ceaseless
nassau, then collapse. No matter what I
took in my stomach, / would almost i'm
mediately begin to vomit, until, in my
weakened condition, cold sweat would
start over me.
my mother and aunts came to see me.
They were not welcomed by Mrs. Darling.
DR.. Spranger told them that 1 had Brights
disease of the kidneys. They did not ac-
cept his opinion. DR.. Sprarger called in
two of his friends, Drs. o. Betz and Long.
They at that time did not concur with him.
DR.. Spranger told me to continue taking
VIII isky, although my stomach refused to
retain that, but did everything else. 1 had
some of the whisky that was given me at
the time analysed and it was found to con-
tain antimony
My mother is a witness that she saw
my wife pour the contents of a small vial
of yellow powder into the water that sat
by me at my bedside"
Darling said that he fought against sick
ness and tried to keep up, but it was i'm
possible. His wife, he said spent much of
her time gossiping at DR.. Spranger's Office
or with his friends. Darling stated that
he became worse and Dr.Spranger came to
him with a drug, which, he said, he had
received from Paris. A hypodermic in
lection of this drug drove him crazy. He
said that he talked for nineteen hours
without ceasing. The statement continues
with the assertion that Darling found his
wife had private letter-box. He also dis
covered that his wife and DR.. Spranger
were circulating the report that he was
drinking himself to death. 1t dawned on
him that he was not being properly treated
and he refused to take any more medicine.
He began to recover after that. In Novem-
Der he left for New York
Concluding the statement he declared:
'In November / was improved, but if
any man suffered the torments of the
damned, was crushed, hurt, Inundated
and crucified / was at that time by Mrs.
Darling. She decided to close the house.
''My mother went to Mount Clemens. [
left for New York. She, with the children,
was to go to Washington. She did not go.
As soon as l left December s, she filed
bill for absolute divorce for drunkenness,
non-support, cruelty and assertion, which
she expected to obtain with alimony
through default.
son January 26 she joined me in New
York, came to my rooms of her own &C
cord and lived with me as devoted wife
until March 1. had improved in health,
gaining twenty-five pounds. We were at
work on The Viking The day she left
was taken seriously i'll and have failed
slowly and surely. l am dying without
hope or hurry"
John Quincy Adams, the brother of Mrs. |
Flora Adams Darling of this city, was seen
last night. He said that the declaration |
of Darling had been placed in the hands |
of Assistant District Attorney Battle. He |
also said that under the direction of the |
District Attorney office analyses were be-
ing made of the medicines taken from walls