The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-17

MRS. BUCHANAN.
and then Buchanan began to complain
that he would have to get rid of the
woman, as she was uncomfortable. But
he never lost sight of the financial
feature of the affair. He frequently
referred to the will made in his
favor and to the necessity of keeping
her from rcvoking it. Incidentally he
said once or twice that she would not
live long anyway"
Then came the actual poisoning, and
It was quickly and cleveriy done. She
died without exciting the suspicious Of
the attending physicians the day fol-
lowing her first symptoms Of illness.
The illness began on Friday, April %.
The woman was enjoying her natural
health on the day before, but Buchanan
engaged Mrs. Childs to nurse her. As
she entered the room she saw him stand
ing by the bedside, giving her medicine.
That afternoon Buchanan told an sc-
quaintance that hts wife was dying, al
though DIR. Mcintyre, before leaving
the house at p. NJ, had told Buchanan
he saw nothing alarming about her
case.
Buchanan returned home about D.
m, looked at his wife, declared that
she was very i'll and that he would go
out and get the first physician he could
find. Mr.. Watson went with him imme-
diately. He found her in a state Of pro-
found coma, with rapid pulse and in a
desperate condition. Thinking that it
was the coma of Bright's disease, be-
cause DR.. Buchanan had told him she
had had kidney trouble, he gave her
hypodermic injection. A little after
p. N. DIR. Mcintyre arrived with Dr.
buchanan, who had gone for him.
When ne left the woman she was In a
nervous and excitable state, bat he now
found her in condition of profound
coma, and she did not respond to light.
The doctors then concluded that 1t was
cerebral spoplexy, and Buchanan
fastened their conclusion by stating
that her father had died of apoplexy.
This was lie. Mrs. Buchanan died az
.4;20 p. n. on the day following. Neither
of the physicians suspected anything
wrong, and had she been cremated in
stead of buried the following Tuesday
nothing could have been proved against
him, no matter what suspicious might
have been aroused by his sudden depar-
ture for Nova Scotia and his marriage
there May to the woman he had d.
vorced in 1890. I
The method he adopted to poison the
woman. which, in addition to the facts
given in the foregoing history of the
case, was brought out at the trial, |
showed the study he had made of pois-
ons. He started out, according TO the |
theory advanced by the prosecution, by |
giving her atropine, which lad the eff |
feet OF producing Mysteries, and she was |
thereupon treated by the family ply |
stefan, an experienced practitioner, for
hysteria. The atropine also had the |
effect Of counteracting the external |
symptoms of the morphine, which had |
boon given. BY combining the two |
drugs he completely misled the two at
tending physicians. who were called, |
and who certified that death was due |
to cerebral hemorrhage. A medical |
book on the effects of poisons was found |
In his library, with the leaf turned |
down at Morphine Mixed with
Atropine." Then the body was ex-
humed and traces of morphine were |
found, and on this showing he was con-
victed and sentenced TO death after a
trial lasting six weeks. A motion was
made for a new trial, which was de-
MED. Then his lawyers appealed the
case to the court OF appeals, but the
conviction was affirmed in February
last. and Buchanan was resentenced in
March to be executed during the week
beginning April %. Then an applica-
ton was made to the supreme court Of
the United States for o writ of error.
based on the ground that the defen-
dants constitutions, rights had been
invaded because ne had not been tried
by a jury OF twelve men, one of the
jurors having been taken III after the
jury adjourned to determine. but April
II the chief justice announced that the
court had dismissed the application. An
appeal was then made 10 the governor,
and later an application was made 10
have the case heard by the supreme
court in its entirety.