Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-06

T"nr'nucd from pase l.,

MN WHen lie 0l0o. After the man died
witness went after +. M. Henderson.
the coroner. Witness did not know
Farnham: never saw him. and knew
nothing of his connection with the ball
team. Thought the man was dying
when he first saw him. Noticed a
smell Of alcohol.
Cross-cXamtncd. When witness ar
rived on the scene. there was no one
there but DR.. Milliken and himself:
Mr.. Brann and others came later: saw
body under the pear tree; did not no.
tice how II was lying; body seemed to
be carefully covered: did not notice
arms: saw vOmit on vest, smelled
liquor on breath: man breathed heavy,
and acted as II dying; throat seemed
to be filled UP. Brought man down
town in express wagon, laid on blank
cts. Doctor administered no medicine:
said that Farnham was full of alco-
hol. Witness was there when man
died; noticed no change; doctor was
working on him.
DIR. Howard A. Milliken testified that
he had been in practice three years.
two in Hallowell. Studied in Maine
Medical School. Quinn called him up
about $50 Tuesday morning. saying
that man was in field. dying. Wit
ness dressed quickly. and went to the
scene. in the team with Quinn. The
body lay on its back. with head turned
up on one side. There were boughs on
top and hay under body.
Man was unconscious, limp. notion
less. Breathing was shallow Kneeled
besides him to examine pulse; smelt
breath; man had vomited. and II had
trickled down over the side Of his face
and through the hay. Pulse was ir-
regular. and there was rattle in
breath and tubes. Face was dusky. and
ears more SO. Witness helped put the
man in the wagon and brought him to
City hall; man died in Is or 20 minutes:
was beyond medical aid; died at about
6 o'clock. Cause of death was an over
dose of alcohol.
At suggestion of Mr.. Leigh. witness,
with Dr. w. H. Harris Of Augusta,
performed an autopsy. Tuesday morn
ing. beginning at about II o'clock:
completed same in four Of five hours.
Decided that man died OF acute alco-
hOlism. Examined heart and lungs.
then stomach and intestines. kidneys
and bladder. spleen and liver. gall
bladder brain. and also covering Of all
organs. Found blood clOt on right side
of heart: organ otherwise healthy:
blood clot was caused by overdose of
alcohol: clot would cause death. Stom-
ach was apparently empty: was in
famed. and covered with mucous
smelled of alcohol when first removed.
Kidneys were slightly congested, but
otherwise normal; the liver was nor
NAL. and the lungs also with the ex-
ception that some air cells We're dis
tended which indicated that the man
had worked hard To get air in his lungs.
The covering of the right lung was
slightly abnormal The brain was
merely congested.
II Il man who never drank liquor
should drink 20 ounces. witness would
expect to find just such conditions ex-
isting Witness then described the
feelings resulting from drinking liquor.
from the first drink up to the stage
where paralysis ,ensues and animation
becomes temporarily suspended. said
that If man OF Is. who had never
drank liquor. should drink 20 ounces.
witness should expect him to die.
Cross-examined. Body had been
moved a little Witness was ready to
start in four minutes after Quinn call
ed; took medicine case: asked Quinn
about the time: ii WAS about $50: was
at the field 10 minutes: felt the mans
heart and pulse. and examined breath
ing: was not getting enough air to
aerate lungs: was partly asphyxiated
Examined reneX--tapped knee to see il
man would draw up legs. but there
was no response. Eyes were normal.
Administered no restoratives. Die
not give hypodermic injections OF
strychnia: did not know sure what was
the cause of the mans condition. Inc
effect of alcohol on the heart Is to in
crease the frequency of the beats an
to decrease their force; never BEFORE
met with a case of death from acute
alcoholism. The condition of the in
testines was normal: there We're slight
traces of pleurisy on the right side o:
one lung.
Injections of strvchnia would have
done no good. as the man was beyond
medical aid. The rattle in the throat
showed it, What is known as the
death rattle is caused by the passage
of air through mucous in the bronchial
tubes.
DR. w H. Harris of Augusta. was the
last witness called for the afternoon
His testimony WAS largely corrobora-
tive of that given by DR.. Milliken. re-
garding the condition of the organs as
revealed by the autopsy. and the eff
fects of an overdose Of alcohol upon a
person unused to indulgence in strong
drink In speaking of the probable eff
feet of a young man of Is. who, drink
ing liquor for the first time. should
drink 20 ounces Of mixed liquor. he said
that the man would be terribly SICK
and If the 20 ounces were more than
half alcohol. he should think 1t would
kill him. Would say that liquor was
directly responsible for death in case
like Farnham's.
Witness cited cases where his expe-
ricnce had brought to his notice cases
of men who had drank quart of
liquor and died. and he had read of
men who had drank pint with fatal
results Could not say that he had eve-
I,aop coIIod IN attend case like Farm