The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-26
BATTLING. MYSTERY
THWARTlNG JUSTICE
Peculiar Phase Exists in The Rendham
Poisoning Case.
CORONER LONGSTREET PUZZLED
That Adelbert Beagle Was Poisoned
There Is No Doubt--The Kind of
Poison, who Administered IT, or
Why, Are Matters Completely En-
velopcd in Mystery--It Is Ccr-
tain That n Grave Crime Has
Been Committed.

Mystery continues to surround the
death on Jan. of Adelbert Beagle, the
9-year-old boy who died from poison
supposed to have been obtained in or
about the home of Joseph Roesch at
Worlds End near Rendham, where
three weeks previously Almira Hadscll,
a stcpdaughter of RoesCh, had died from
the effects of arsoucal poisoning. Cor
oner Longstreet last night met the jury
impanelled in the case at the office of
DR. Adam Stegner at Rendham. After
hearing repeated the original testimony
of DR.. Stegner, who attended the Had
sail girl and young Beagle, and receiv-
ing information from the coroner con-
cerning the chemical analysis of the
Beagle boys stomach an adjournment
was made until tomorrow afternoon at
5 O'Clock at DR.. Stegner's office
The particulars of the case are pecu-
liar. The Hadsal girls death was
plainly caused by arsenic. The stomach
was found to contain enough arsenic
to kill several persons. BY whom or
under what circumstances 1t was ad-
ministered We're facts which could not
be determined even in circumstantial
way. The mystery was heightened
when on Sunday, Jan. 8, the Beagle boy
and Willie Davis, who had spent an
hour or so at the Roesch house, became
violently i'll and the former died The
symptoms We're almost identical with
those of the Hadsall girl.
EVIDENCES OF POISON.
The post-mortem examination re-
vealed certain evidences of poisoning.
The same was indicated by the ante
mortem symptoms. Chemist benjamin,
of this city, was furnished the stomach
and portion of the intestines for chem
ical analysis and with directions to
search for the presence of arsenic,
strychnia or corrosive sublimate, any
one of which would have produced the
effects observed in the case.
The chemist found but one-ffth of a
grain of mercury, or corrosive sublimate
a quantity not sufficient to cause death.
The presence of the substance was eX-
planned by DR.. Stegner's treatment of
the case. He administered calomel
which, with the usual presence of hy7
drochloric acid in the stomach would
produce the quantity of corrosive subli-
mate found.
Coroner Longstreet will not admit
himself bailed nor will DIR. Stegner
The two had conferred previous to last
nights meeting of the jury and reached
| the conclusion that oXalic acid might
| have produced symptoms nearly iden-
| teal to arsenical symptoms, but the
| presence of the acid was not revealed
| in the analysis, possibly from the fact
that the chemist made no search fol
| that substance.
There might be cause to doubt the
possibility of poisoning in the Beagle
boys case, but for the fact that young
| Davis, who was the others companion
was afflicted with Identical symp
| toms and escaped death by only mar
row margin and because of strenuou!
effort by his mother and DR.. Stegner
BODY MAY BE EXHUMED.
1t is possible that the body of tht
Beagle boy may be eXhumed and {
| chemical search made for oXalic acid
on that point, Coroner Longstreet haC
| not reached a conclusion last night
| However, he believes the case worth.
OF a thorough sitting and will leave NJ
stone unturned in an effort to find tn
| immediate cause of the boys death
| If successful in that particular, the in
| VestigatiOn Will be extended further t,
determine, if possible, the primar.
source. on that point hangs the mys
terry,