The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-19
CONCERNING POIsONS,
why the subtIer Drugs Are So Sell
dom Used.

OOm ASSu.
From the New Orleans Times-D Democrat.
"A recent newspaper article" said a
physician, apropos of the Pullen case,
called attention to two curious facts, or.
rather, alleged facts, about poison: First,
that it is so seldom resorted to by murder
ers; and second, that its use is almost in
variably followed 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? II is undeniably true that there
are certain drugs which, if administered
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 de-
compose, change form and disappear II
would be possible, 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. l believe
firmly that such crimes are committed
and never discovered, but | believe also
that they are very rare. The real safe
guard of a community lies In the fact that
so few murderers possess the requisite
skill
Educated people seldom commit DELHI
crate murder" continued the doctor, land
the uneducated mind instlntively associ-
ates poison with two substances-arsenic
and strychnine. They are the deadly drugs
most familiar to the public and fortu-
nately they are easily detected Murder
by arsenic is infinitely clumsy. To begin
with, the symptoms are marked and pc
culiar. and being a metallic product, its
traces remain in the body an indefinite
time. Last summer a woman in BARGE
Iona. Spain, confessed that she he'd pos
'oned her sister with arsenic fifteen years
before. The grave was opened and the
coffin found 10 contain nothing but dust
and ashes. but a chemical test showed I'M
mistakab.y the presence of the drug. Mrs.
Maybrick was accused Of killing her hus-
band with arsenic. and the test revealed
ii plainly in not only 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 / ever
heard of occurred some years ago in an
other state. A young physician plotted
10 kill a wealthy farmer. He knew the
after was taking quinine for a cold, and
meeting him one day, asked to see what
size capsules he used. While pretending
tanning strychnine The farmer happened
on it nearly week later and died in con,
WILSON'S An autopsy revealed the pois-
on, but the affair was a deep mystery I'M
til the doctor committed suicide, leaving a
written confession.
"The poisonngs that occur in novels
and on the stage are usually very anus
ing to a student Of toxicology," said the
physician in conclusion. Il remember In
Samuel of Posen,' which was produced
with such success by NJ. B. Curtis the
drummer hero was temporarily knocked
out by poisoned cigar. He took two or
three whiffs and over he rolled. l would
like very much TO know the name of a
drug that would produce that sort of ef-
feet. Nearly ell the poisoning in fiction
is equally surprising. There is a WELL
known English romance, in which the he
rome inhales the fragrance of a bunch of
roses and instantly falls dead. Needless
to say, the poisoned perfume is wholly I'M
known to science. Another story-but I
could keep on citing instances all night.
History isn't much better. Most of the
yarns OF the Borgias and the Medicis are
pure noonshine-especially those about
poisoned gloves, poisoned tapers 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 20 turn the
leaves, has possibly a foundation in truth,
but / confess l would be puzzled to know
how to prepare such volume. Almost
anything that might be used would in
stantly betray itself by its taste. In the
middle ages powdered glass is said to have
been a favorite material with which to
doctor food. and you'll find some interest
ing data on the subject in the autobiog-
raphy Of Celini, the goldsmith. II is oc-
oasionally used by negroes right here In
the South OF course, powdered g.ass isn't
a true poison. 1t sometimes kills by set
ting W internal Inflammation. Oftener IL
has no effect at ALL"