Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-11-25
POISONS IN MURDER.
THE USE OF THE SUsTLsR DRUGS
SELDOM BROUGHT TO LIGHT.

SELDOM BROUGHT TO LIGHT
strycbuine and Arsenic Are CIums.
Agents OF Death. nv Their Traces
Remain In the Victim Indefinitely.
Polsons In Novels und PLAYS.
a recent newspaper article" said n
physician, called attentions to ~,
curious facts. ~ rather. alleged facts
about poison. First. that II Is So sci
tom resurted to by murderers. and
second. that its use is almost invaria
bly, followed 10y detection. One might
answer both statements with the Ques
ton: How do We know How do W.
know that the few clumsy cases thai
come to light represent the sum "f that
kind at crime:
at is unheniahIy true that ther" are
certain drugs which. II administered
with skill. would be almost iGpossiblc
to detect. Their symptoms AZ" ptn"1l'
rally ldeutirui with those OF fa'rilior
Diseases. and - liItir Will. after nrnth
tlieN .irrolnpuS". change FORM nnd dis
nl'r"nr
1T would be possible, too. /" inu"u
late n victim with the germs of @om,
deadly malady. He would then Z" 10
his grave with u real case 1T 'nnsunD
ton or pneumonia or iockjnw. and
there would be nothing to arouse the
shadow of suspicion. ! believe firmly
that such crimes are committed and
never discovered, but | believe also
that they are very rare. The real safe
guard of Il community lies IN the fac,
that so few murderers possess the req
uisitc skill.
Educated people seldom commit de
libcratc murder" continued the doctor
"and the uneducated mind instructive.
ly associates poison with two sub
stances arsenic and strychninc. They
are the deadly drugs most familiar to
the public. and fortunately they are
easily detected. Murder by arsenic Is
Infinitely clumsy. To begin with, the
symptoms are marked and peculiar
being q metallic product. Its traces re-
main in the body an indefinite time.
Last summer n woman In BARGE
Iona, Spain, confessed that she had
poisoned her sister with arsenic IL
years before. The grave was opened
and the coffin found to contain nothing
but dust and ashes, but Il chemical test
showed Enthusiastically the presence Of
the drug.
Mrs. Maybrick was accused OF XIII
ing her husband with arsenic. ana the
test revealed 1t plainly not only in the
remains but in certain medicines. The
demonstration was so conclusive that
she finally arose in court and admitted
giving him n white powder but insist,
ed that she followed his own express
directions.
"One of the most ingenious cases OF
poisoning | ever heard Of occurred
some years ago in another state. A
young physician plotted to kill u
wealthy farmer He knew the latter
! was taking quinine for cold and,
meeting him one day, asked to see
what size capsules he used While
pretending to examine them, he slip,
Utu III OLt OIL yShhiAAS' Il AN
farmer happened on it nearly week
Inter and died in commissions. An ap'
tOpsy revealed the poison, but the ut
fair was a deep mystery until the doe
tor committed suicide, leaving a writ
ten confession.
"The poisOnings that occur In novels
and Oh the stage are usually very
amusing to student of tOXicology,
said the physician In conclusion. II
remember in 'Saml Of POsen,' which
was produced with such success by NJ
r. Curtis, the drummer hero was t"m-
porarily knocked out by a poisoned CT
gar. He took two or three whiffs. and
over he rolled. would like very much
to know the name of the drug tina,
would produce that sort of effect.
Nearly all the poisoning in fiction is
equally surprising, There Is - well
known English romance In which the
heroine inhales the fragrance of a
bunch OF roses and instantly falls dead
Needless to say. the poisoned perfume
Is wholly unknown to science.
"Another story But could keep
OH citing Instances all night. History
isn't much better. Most Of the yarns
Of the Borgias and Medicis ARE pure
mOonshine, especially those about pol
soned gloves, poisoned tapers and 9th
er applications Of Drugs or things that
are touched or handled.
"The tale Of the book which was
anointed ON the margins with some
deadly substance that killed the per
son who moistened his fingers to turn
the leaves has possibly foundation ir
truth, but, confess, would he puz
zled to know how to prepare such Il
volume. Almost anything that might
be used would instantly betray Itself
by its taste.
I'm the middle ages powdered glass
IL aid to have been a favOrite material
with which to doctor food, and you'll
find some interesting data on the sub
ject in the autobiography of Cellini
the goldsmith. 1t Is occasionally useG
by negroes right here in the south. Oh
course, powdered glass isn't a true
poison. 1t sometimes kills by setting
up internal inflammation. Oftener II
has no effect at all" -- New Orleans
Times Democrat.