The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-11-14
P0ISONS in MURDER.
The Use of the subtle Drug seldom
Heard of Except In Novels
and Plays.

"A recent newspaper urucle, sald u
physician, 'called attention to two curl
GUS facts, or rather, alleged facts, about
poison: First, that it is so seldom re-
sorted to by murderers; and second,
that its use is almost invariably fol-
lowed by detection. One might answer
both statements with the question:
How do we know? How do we know
that the few clumsy cases that come to
light represent the sum of that kind
of crime? 1t is %undeniably true that
there are certain drugs which, II adj
ministered with skill, would be almost
impossible to detect. Their symptoms
are practically identical with those of
familiar diseases, and a little while
after death they decompose, change
form and disappear. 1t would be pos
sible, too, to inoculate a victim with
the germs of some deadly malady. He
would then go to his grave with a real
case of consumption or pneumonia or
lockjaw, and there would be nothing
to arouse the shadow of suspicion. I
believe firmly that such crimes are COM
mitted and never discovered, but / be-
lieve also thai they are very rare. The
real safeguard of a community lies in
the fact that so few murderers possess
the requisite skill.
Educated people seldom commit de-
liberate MURDER" continued the doc
tor, 'and the uneducated mind in
stinctively associates poison with two
MISUNDERSTANDING and s~trychnine.
They are the deadly drugs most ia
miliar to the public, and fortunately
they are easily detected. Murder by
arsenic is infinitely clumsy. To begin
with, the symptoms are marked and
peculiar, and being a metallic product,
its traces remain in the body an in
in Barcelona, Spain, confessed that she
had poisoned her sister with arsenic
Is years before. The grave was opened
and the coffin found to contain nothing
but dust and ashes, but a chemical test
showed Enthusiastically the presence of
the drug. Mrs. Maybrick was accused
Of killing her husband with arsenic,
and the test revealed it 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 a white
powder but insisted that she followed
his own express directions. One of the
most ingenious cases of poisoning I
ever heard of occurred some years ago
in another state. A young physician
plotted to kill a wealthy farmer. He
knew the latter was taking q~uinine
for a cold, and meeting him one day,
asked to see what size capsules he used.
While pretending to examine them, he
slipped in one containing strychnine.
The farmer happened on It nearly a
week later and died in coDvulsious. An
autopsy revealed the poison, but the
affair was a deep mystery unfil the doc
tor committed suicide, leaving a writ
ten confession.
"The %poisonings that occur in novels
and on the stage are usually very anus
ing to a student of toxicology." said
the physician in conclusion. II remem-
Der in Samuel of Posen,' which was
produced with such success by M. B.
Curtis, the drummer hero was tenn
porarily knocked ont by a poisoned
cigar. He took two or three whiffs,
and over he rolled. l would like very
much to know the name of the drug
that would produce that sort Of effect.
Nearly all the poisoning in fiction is
equally surprising. There is a we'll
known English romance IN which the
heroine inhnles the fragrance of a
bunch Of roses and instantly falls dead.
Needless TO say, the poisoned perfume
Is wholly unknown 70 science. Another
story-but I could keep on citing In
stances all night. History isn't much
better. Most Of the yarns OF the Bor
gias and Medicis are pure m~oonshine,
especially those about poisoned gloves,
poisoned tnpers and other 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 a foundation In
truth, but / confess ] would be puzzled
TO know how TO prepare such a volume.
Almost anything that might be used
would instantly betray itself by its
In the middle ages powdered
glass Is said TO have been a favorite
material with which 10 doctor food,
and youn find some interesting data
the subject in the autobiography
Of Ceilini, the Roldsmiths 1t Is occa-
sjonally used by negroes right here in