Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-07-05

Agents OF DcAths ms Gnefr BFhces
Remain I'm the Victim Indefinitely.
Poisons I'm Novels and Plays.
"A recent newspaper article" said a
physician, called attention TO two
curious facts, or rather. alleged facts.
about poison. First that II is so sell
dom resorted 70 by m~urderers, and,
second. that its use is almost invaria-
big followed by detection. One might
answer both statements with the ques
don: How do we know How do we
know that the few clumsy cases that
come to light represent the sum Of that
kind OF crimei
1T is ~undeniably true that there are
certain drugs which, IL administered
with skill, would be almost impossible
to detect. Their symptoms are practi-
cally identical with those OF familiar
diseases, and a little while after death
they decompose, change form and dis
appear.
at would be possible, too, to innocu-
late a victim with the germs OF some
deadly malady. He would then go TO
HIS grave with a real cas- Of consunp-
tion or pneumonia or lockjaw, and
there would be nothing TO arouse the
shadow OF suspicion. I believe firmly
that such crimes are committed and
never discovered, but l believe also
that they are very rare. The real safe
guard OF a community lies In the fact
that SO few murderers possess the req
uisite skill.
Educated people seldom commit de-
iiberate murder" continued the doctor,
'and the uneducated mind instructive
ly associates poison with two sub
stances-arsenic and ~strychnine. 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 a metallic product, its traces re
main In the body an indefinite time.
Last summer a woman In BARGE
Iona, Spain, confessed that she had
poisoned her sister with arsenic ID
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 kill
ing her husband with arsenic, and 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 a 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 a
wealthy farmer. He knew the latter
was taking quinine for a cold and,
meeting him M day, asked to see
what size capsules he used. While
pretending to examine them, he slip
ped In n containing strychnine. The
farmer happened on 1t nearly a week
later and died In commissions. An au-
topsy revealed the poison, but the af-
fair was a deep mystery until the doc
tor committed suicide, leaving a writ
ten confession.
'"rhe p~oisonings that occur in novels
and on the stage are usually very
amusing to a student of toxicology,"
said the physician In conclusion. 81
remember in SAINT of Posen,' which
was produced with such success by NJ.
B. Curtis, the drummer hero was tenn
porarily knocked out by d poisoned ci-
gar. He took two or three whlffs, and
over he rolled. / 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 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
Us 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 Medicls are pure
moonshine, especially those about poi
Boned 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 a foundation in
truth. but, ! confess. / would be pug
zled to know how to prepare such a
volume. Almost anything that might
be used would instantly betray itself
by Its taste.
I'm the middle ages powdered glass
iE said to have been a favorite material
with which to doctor food, and you'll
Elnd some Interesting data on the sub
ject In the autobiography Of Cellini,
the goldsmith. 1t is occasionally used
by negroes right here In the south. OF
powdered glass isn't a true
Ii sometimes kills by setting
I'D internal inflammation. Oftener Il
no effect at all" New Orleans
Hraes- Democrat.
L
The Geographical Center.
The exact geographical center OF the