Washington sentinel., 1898-12-03
The Gentle Art of Poisoning.

The Gentle Art Of Poisoning.
The art OF poisoning (says wri
ter in the Church Gasette), if we are
to believe an eminent authority,
must be reckoned among the lost
arts. 1t is not because we are less
coarse than our ancestors, and
carry our refinement even into our
crimes; we are less unscrupulous
or cruel than our foTeiathers were,
Though the toxiS Sology OF the
ancients was necessarily incom-
plete, there is every reason to be
lieve that antiquity was acquainted
with the use Of arsenic, opium,
henbane, and prussic acid. The
oldest poison in use was probably
an importation OF serpent venom.
Theophrastus speaks OF a poison
made from aconite, with rapid or
slow effects in accordance with
the operators wishes. During
the empire, the removal of incon-
venient people by means of poison
had become so common, that the
emperors had a number Of men
in their service whose duty it was
to taste all dishes put upon the
imperial table, and that no dinner
was partaken OF " ithout one oi the
court physicians being present.
One of the most notorious poi
soners of the day was Locusta, the
murdeTess OF Claudius and Britain
nicus. About the year 33I B. c,
large numbers of women of the
higher classes of Roman society
were indicted for poisoning their
husbands Ia modern instance ofthe
epidemic occurred OF late wears in
Hungary. One hundred and
seventy were convicted and con-
demned. The roth and 9TH centur-
les were the halcyon days OF poIs.
oning. There is no doubt that La
Spara, and the, If possible. still
more wretched haR, La Toffauia,
we're as bad as you make them.
The latter is said to have caused
the death Of over six hundred per-
sons. She used a preparation OF
arsenic which she sold under the
name of "a9Ha T0fINa." It was
a slow poison, the victim growing
daily weaker, and gradually dying
fr om physical exhaustion. In
France the m ost notoriols female
PRISONERS were Madame de Brin-
villiers who was taught the secret
of the succession power" by
Sainte CToix, which she success
fully administered to her father and
brothers; and the still more motor
ious Lavoisin and Lavigoreux,
who, being ostensibly midwives,
carried their poisons to high and
low-maTried couples anxious to
hasten the dissolution of the irk
some tie, or needy heirs wishful to
accelerate the departure OF rich
relatives Il veritable mania for
poisoning appears to have set in
towards the middle of the nth
century.
One Of the most curious points
connected with poison is the TACT
that nations and individuals have
been known to thrive on it. NTH.
ridates, King Of Pontus, had poison
for his daily food. In the "Gesta
Romanorum," we read that tine
Queen oi the North, having heard
Of the great proficiency which
Alexander the Great made in learn
ing under the tuition of Aristotle,
nourished her daughter from her
cradle on a certain kind OF deadly
poison, and when she grew uD, she
VAS considered so beautiful that
the sight oi her alone affected many
with madness" The young lady
was sent to Alexander, who, Of
course, tell madly in love with her.
Aristotle, who knew OF the plot,
warned the king, who thereupon
commanded a criminal, whom he
had condemned to death, to kiss
the girl. Scarcely had the man
touched her ruby lips before "his
whole frame was impregnated with
poison, and he expired in the great
est agony" In the present day il
is we'll known that the peasant
girls OF Styria consume large guam
titles Of arsenic to add to their per.
sonal charms. IL is a common
habit among men. II is said to
improve the complexion, to pro-
mote digestion, and to strengthen
the respiratory organs. The worst
OF it is, that when once you have
commenced taking the drug it
means death to leave it off.