The San Francisco call., 1898-08-26
POISONS AND
 CANDY MAKING
Confectioners and Chemists Disa-
 gree on the Vital Points.


 The vital point of interest, around which the famous Cunning murder case re- wolves, is the box of poisoned candy, packed by careful fingers, and sent across the continent, to carry death into the homes of its unsuspecting victims.
 A plan, diabolical in nature, careless In detail. but fatally sure of success, on ac count of the well-known love for candy of the world feminine, was doubtless, carried out by some fiend in womans form. AS far as the public knows, this candy was made in San Francisco Part of 1t was, no doubt, manufactured by some regular confectioner, the rest by the hand or an hysterical, jealous woman, thinking only | of revenge upon the innocent cause or her own unhapplnesS.
 The possibility of taking. from the box half of the cOnfectionerS s bon bonS, Sub- stituting homemade candies, and con cealing therein, poison not only deadly. but tasteless, Is interesting not alone to the public, but candy manufacturers and chemists as well.
 Withing the past month, the four walls of some room witnessed the manufacture of dainty chocolates, tempting in appear ance, yet filled with death. But there was presumably. no one to note the odor of the boiling candy, and no one to tell whether it was made in the early hours of the morning, or at time when the in mates were all away and the murderess alone.
 T should not think it possible" said MT. Gruenhagen. the confectioner, flor a person to boil candy without the rest of
  odor is very penetrating, especially that of taffies or caramels. It is not necessary to use coloring matter to darken caramels, and we use nothing but the sugar and pure chocolate.
 Well, I've never tried it, but presume poison could be introduced without 1t be- ing detected. Say something In the liquid line. I don't know what effect arsenic would have upon the candy or whether 1t poison was very bitter the taste of the chocolate might cover it up"
 r. c. Warren. for ten years manufac- turer of candies. Is of the opinion that the ordinary inmate of a clearinghouse "who does light housekeeping could by opening window to let the steam escape or by cooking other things at the same time, boil candy without the odor being de- tected.'
 could be put in without changing the ap- pearance of the candy. and 1 doubt if 1t could be tasted, for. the bitter of the chocolate would obviate that. You can't tell from the looks of candy whats in It. It all depends upon the honesty of the person who makes it. Any malicious per candy and I would not know it by the ap- pearance of it."
 "Why, yes, think candy could be made in a room without any noticeable odor penetrating beyond the closed door. That is. unless 1t was molasses candy. When we make taffy the whole town knows it, but then, New Orleans molasses always 6 caramels or chocolate creams Is con- cerned, do not think the odor would at- tract any one outside. the room where they were being made"
 Half a dozen different poisons could be used said Will Mack, the Market street druggist, but am of the opinion that 1t was strychnine; or 1t is possible liquid morphine may have been poured into the boiling candy. It could not have been cyanide of potassium. for that would have left not only an unpleasant taste but an odor like bitter almonds, and would have proved fatal more quickly. Pure Chocolate has peculiarly bitter. acrid taste, and that would cover the taste of most poisons. At any rate, one swallows candy so quickly that the, poison would have to be very pronounced to cause any unpleasant impression upon the palate.
 fits a case of plugged watermelon" remarked Frank Clough, the well-known chemist You see. she took a very sharp knife. cut out little plug of the candy, put in the arsenic. heated the candy a trIfle smoothed it over, and there you are. Arsenic? Of course it was arsenic, for 1t would be the least liable to be detected, and, too, the length of time before 1t proved fatal sounds like arsenical poison ing No, strychnine was not used: That would have caused convulsions and froth- ing at the mouth. with almost immediate dissolution