The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-22
WAS SILVA
PO|SONED2
Probability He Drank
The Same Stuff.
EVIDENCE BEFORE CORONER
Peculiar Testimony Of Witnesse,
Relative to the Old Mans
Ceath.

There IL possibility that old man
silva came To his death from drinking
HIS own poisoned liquor which killed
three other Portuguese. Startling tes-
ttmony was brought out before he
Coroner's jury yesterday tending to
show that the old man had manufac-
tured the deadly. innocent-looking
liquid but four or fve days before his
death. and that he had drank Of IL but
two days before ne passed away.
The testimony Of a Portuguese wo-
man. Mrs. Gertrude DE AroneIles. was
To this effect The woman had been
invited into Silva's house on Sunday.
two days before he died. lie proffered
her n gin bottle In which was "a liquid
substance like the color Of tea" which
he said he had manufactured. II was
new drink. She 0cceded To- his re-
quest and was about TO drain "A glass
when he said In his odd manner, You
| have not the cheek 90 drink before me.
your host" with that he took the glass
| from her hand and drained the con-
tents. just to prove 10 her that u was
not poison. This he did as he said to
allay the suspicious Of his neighbors.
THIS woman upon retiring that night
vOmited severely and. was quite sick.
Old man silva too. vomited much Re-
i fore his death and was overcome by
the same peculiar blindness with which
those who died subsequently were
afflicted
The woman two days after her own
leNperience saw men In the act Of drink
ing the same stun while the body OF
old man silva lay stifr anS stark in one
Of the rooms. and as policeman Silva
was about TO take ~ long drink she
told him of It's effect on her and he de-
sisted.
Much of the testimony was conflict
ing but in the main the facts were
brought out that the old man had Pur-
chased n gallon OF alcohol. and rag
Of sugar. and stated his intention OF
preparing new drink This was said
In the presence of several persons
some of whom testified To- this yester-
day. saturday. November 10. was
probably the day on which the new
LIQUOR was ready for drinking and the
old mans friends were invited in tC
assist In christening IL. Whether oi
not any name was given IL did not
come out In the testimony and it'
secret probably died with the maker
Among the questions put yesterday
1 To- Dr. Shorey.' Government chemist
n who was recalled TO give expert testi
4 mony. was the following:
Would u not be possible that the ole
. man mixed his alcohol and sugar ant
. put II In "a bottle which had formerl!
| contained hellebOre In solution as al
= ant poison7"
mo. I don't think II ~ possible. Tn
J. quantity OF hellebore In each bottle o
= this liquid was too great TO make ia
a possibility"
4 The question of the saie OF pure nj
!, cohol and methylated spirits wa
: brought up and the jury manifested II
dlsapproval of the present law govern
], Ing the sale Of the two liquors. TIL
= law In reality permits the sale Of tn
2 poisonous liquor. the methylated spir
It's and prohibits that Of the pure a
- cohol ~. g. Pnuger. Of the Holliste
= Drug Company. stated that the law di
I" not prohibit the drug companies fror
selling uethylated spirits 20 any on
nor were the companies required
keep n list ~ such sales. As 90 pur
ir Nlf0nbls Nutft WtIt Itstit'NlpHS hf'h ~
4 sale. " had 70 be so,d 10 licensed ply
sicians only and n record kept.
- The law ls at fault" said Mr.. Pfu
ger. There IL no restriction whateve
4 on our selling methylated spirits. n
.. though n is only 90 per cent pure alec
- mol and 10 per cent wood alcohol.
pint bottle OF methyiated spirits Is sui
"a fcient TO kill n man. Yes, the fault {
er the present unrestricted sale lies CT
~ y, tIrely with the law and we are tryin
- To- get n changed. n will be better Il
W. an concerned when II is.
Natives and Portuguese alike con
- 20 the drug stores and buy methylate
spirits OF curse We don't sell u
p large quantities. consider that the
l- more harm nv dollar bottle Of <
than there ls In the same quantity
1 pure alcohol. and yet we can sell q
poison alcohol In any quantity"
The principal witness called befo
-. the Jury yesterday was young ms
mi named Xavier. who was with old ms
4, silva when he died. lie w-nt upon q
stand at 2 o'clock and remained the
- while the Jurors piled him with que
tions Ills testimony was cOnhlcti
"a and considerably ~ variance wi
that which he had given Co the poll
and others before he was sworn.
Nc ON the night when Silva was So
Xavier asked " he should call a ph
10 slcIen. This was shortly before
death. The old man answered. IN
90, not now can see the lights nov
u.fore that the patient could not 2