The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-05
THE POISON USED NOT
THE POISON BOUGHT
Pulverized Arsenic Was Purchased
at the Owl, but Crystallized Ar
senic Was Found in the
Candies

An unexpected development may &C.
cur in the case of Mrs Botkin, the al
legged poisoner, when the chemists report
on the poisoned candy is known. 1t has
been stated in Eastern dispatches that
the arsenic which was placed in the
chocolates sent to Mrs. Dunning was
materially different in form from the
arsenic sold to Mrs. Botkin by the owl
Drug Store. That which was found In
the candy, If the dispatches are correct,
was medicinal arsenic in the crystalline
form. while the article which the accused
woman bought was the ordinary powder
used for vermin poison Arsenic, or more
properly speaking, arsenous acid, once
pulyerized cannot again be cryStalliZed,
or even caked. without the application of
intense heat, applied in iron vessels, or
retorts The process is difficult and not
available to any one not possessing a
thorough knowledge Of chemistry. Even
had Mrs. Botkin possessed the requisite
skill to perform this operation, there was
no possible reason Tor the act, as she
could have purchased the crystalline
arsenic just as well as the powdered.
Manager Blaisdell, of the Owl Drug
Store, made study of the matter sun
day, and last evening said: There Is
grave doubt after all as to whether the
arsenic used in the chocolates came from
our store. If the crystalline form was
used, as is claimed, then the Owl Drug
purchased the fine white powder 1t can
not be changed into crystals or small
pieces by any action OF moisture. Ar
posed to dampness for a long time In a
cellar. The moisture in fresh chocolate
would not make it cohesive In the slight
est. The powdered form of arsenous acid
is not always as pure as the crystalline:
Both kinds are sold. The powdering or
crystals is sometimes done in the drug
stores. In this case 1T Is Ior 1u.ure ,c con-
sometimes adulterated and IS utlllzed IN
the arts and for vermin poison. 1t Is not
for medicinal use.
was for Mrs Botkin to have. used the
powdered arsenic we sold her, If published
statements are correct. once poWoer ar
senic and it cannot be again constructed
into crystals or even dough balls made
out of the fragments, unless great heat
and special apparatus is used
One thing that puzzles me ne IS I'm sne way way
dered arsenic which she, did buy 1t is
not customary to employ arsenic In
bleaching espec ady on a naas PerPPans
she knew of a process, but it was GER
tainly an unusual one.,
1.-The main point to be determined just
now is the form of ARSENIC. placed in the
CANDY. If 1T was crystalline then Mrs.
Botkin did not get it at our store"
up the he VIetaea c Hotel Se
terday. and asked the landlady, Mrs.
Price, If she ever saw Mrs. Botkin clean
hat.
piled Mrs Price. ut Is possible, of
course, that Mrs. Botkin may have used
the arsenic she purchased in bleaching
her straw hats, but knew nothing of 1t:
She did not appear to have an unusual
number of hats. Her best was a black
straw. She would not bleach that. But
really cannot give any definite informa-
ton on this point. The Japanese servant
who made up her bed every day.. and who
might possibly have noticed If
she did any bleaching, has left the city.
There is no other person who could know,
and it is very doubtful about the Jap
He only went to the. room occupied by
Mrs. Botkin for a few minutes each
morning Since many facts concerning
Mrs. Botkin have been sifted out, / have
studied very much over the case, trying
to hit upon some new evidence, but am
at fault. She was but one of many per-
sons in my hotel, and / did not have any
reason to observe her particularly"
Inquiries made of more than a dozen
leading druggists In San Francisco re-
vealed a general lack of knowledge of
the use of arsenic for bleaching pur-
poses. Not one druggist would say that
T he ever sold the poison for that purpose
No reference is made to it as a bleaching
agent in the druggists books. If Mrs
Botkin used 1t for this purpose it was