The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-18
An INQUEST WILL Be HELD.
Peculiar Circumstances Attend
ing Mrs. Lavenroth's Death.
UNCONSCIOUS FROM MORPHINE
Three Doses of the Drug Given by q
Physician Certificate Assigns
Morphine Poisoning as the Cause
of Death-J ndertaker Declines TO
Proceed With the Burial Till the
Coroner Is Notified-His Opinion.

Coroner Yandell will hold an Inquest
this morning al Il o'clock al ButteT~orth
undertaking rooms 20 inquire into the cir
cumstances connected with the death OF
Mrs. I.avenroth. who died at "a Foortn
avenue south Saturday night about lV.S1
o'clock.
Mrs. Lavearoth was a widow, IS years
old. and conducted a lodging house that
was known IN time past as the ST. Paui
house. She has been troubled with rheu-
natsm. Last Friday evening she was
taken III and her son Went TO Boiling
drug store on Second avenue Sodth near
Washington street. 10 secure the services
of a physician. DR.. Frank 3. kendr1ck,
who lives at Edgewater. was secured Ac-
cording 10 the story as gathered oy
Post-IntelIigencer reporter. Dr. kendrick
administered dose Of medicine. which,
according TO the death certificate. was
probably morphine to a considerable ex-
tent Thirty minutes later he repeated the
dose. Either between the first and sec
ond or second and third doses he was
away from the house for a short time.
The third dose was given In approximately
the same time from the second as the sec
ond from the first Then the doctor left the
house.
Some time after he had left Mrs. Laven-
roth became unconscious, a condition
which the members OF the family could
not overcome. Being somewhat alarmed
they called in Dr. Lattimer. who is re-
ported 10 have remained until about IL
o'clock. when il became necessary for him
TO leave. He left Instructions TO give the
unconscious woman hot coffee. Al As
o'clock Saturday morning Mrs. Lavenroth
was still unconscious. and DR.. H. Z. Mer-
kel was called in. He examined the wom-
an and from the contracted condition OF
the pupils Of her eyes and her breathing
arrived at the conclusion that she was
under the influence OF morphine. The doc
tor worked for several hours trying 10
bring her out OF the condition which was
nearing death. At one time she recovered
a trifle, but not enough TO give the doctor
much encouragement. DR.. Merkel called
in DR.. Sharples for consultation. After
Dr. Merkel and DR.. Sharples had left the
house DIR. Kendrick arrived Ii was his
opinion that Mrs. Lavenroth was suffer-
ing from uraemic poisoning. He called in
DR.. P. B. N. Miller for consultation. Dr.
Merkel returned and the result was
talk between himself and DR.. kendrick
DR.. Kendrick advanced the uraemic poi
soning theory and DR.. Merkel took the
position that ii was a case of morphine
poisoning.
However that may be. Mrs Lavenroth
fingered along until about 1920 o'clock
Saturday night, when she died, without
having recovered CONSCIOUSNESS from tHe
time she first lost her senses Physicians
were with her all day and through the
evening, but IL was impossible TO save her
life.
DR. Merkel signed the death certificate,
giving the cause of death as morphine
poisoning" The family of Mrs. Laven-
roth which consists of a daughter a son
and son-in-law, were DESTROYS. it is said.
of having the funeral services yesterday
They went to Butterworth's undertaking
rooms and made arrangements. When the
death certificate was presented Deputy
Coroner Bert Butterworth took the posi-
ton that he did not care to go ahead with
the burial Of a woman who had died from
morphine poisoning. unless the coroner
was apprised Of the matter. He reported
the case TO Coroner YandeIl, who had
talk with Or. Merkel, and later went to
the house where Mrs. Lavenroth had
died. It was learned from NJ. NJ Teater
who was with the coroner. that the family
was not disposed to talk much about the
case. II was stated al the house that the
bottle of medicine. which is an important
factor in the case, had been thrown away
At any rate. the coroner did not get the
bottle. but II is said that the family Is
searching for 1t. The circumstances con-
nected with the case caused the coroner to
decide that 1t would not be amiss to hold
an inquest to inquire more particularly
into the details connected with Mrs Laven-
roth's case.