The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-04
MYSTERIOUS KAU DEATH PROB
ABLY MURDER.
Chemical Analysis of Contents of Kai-
mana's Stomach Shows Native Was
Beyond Any Doubt Given Poison.

SIS made of the contents of the stomach
! OF katmana by Government Chemist
/ Shorey the dead native was probably
Killed by slow poisoning. Evidence Of
| this character was found in the stOm-
! ach of the deceased and the report Of
| Or Shorey were forwarded to Sheriff
/ andrews at Kau today, by the Mauna
/ LOa.
| On Tuesday, the stomach of Kafmana
| was sent to High Sheriff Brown to he
analysed by the government chemist
as Sheriff Andrews and Chester Doyle
/ We're of the opinion that Kaimana had
| been murdered by slow poisoning. The
deceased was an important witness
against a native named Ku, who is to
De tried shortly at Kailua, on a charge
| OF having murdered Wong Kui. a Chi
nese fisherman near Honuapo last year.
/ Inc circumstances leading to the death
OF halmana, were very suspicious He
was questioned March 10 by Chester
Doyle, regarding his acquaintance with
| Ihe alleged crime of Ku. After leaving
| the police representative, Kaimana was
| invited to an entertainment by the
friends of ku Within a short time
halmana fellrill became worse and
hnally died at the house of Ku's father
in-law.
The case was regarded as so suspi-
cious that the Coroner's Jury demanded
that a chemical analysis of Kaimana,s g
| stomach, be made. The report made bv
pr Shorey, is of some length and with
De submitted to the jury, which viii
then bring in a verdict.
The report is as follows:
4 hand you herewith a report on the
examination Of the contents of a lar
Labelled Stomach and Contents Tyai-
mana March 2Sth 1902
This jar was received on the LIST inst.
with seals unbrOken and bearing the
label noted above. The contents Of the
jar were partially frozen, and very little
decompoisitiOn had taken place.
Ihe stomach contained 6 fluid ounces
oL uafk brown liquid; and adhering to
the walls of the stomach were found q.
number of undigested seeds. Thirtv-
one of these seeds, Weighing where air
arled Al grains were present. all hav-
ing the outer seed-cOat more or less
dlgested or removed. These seeds were
Identified as those of Datura Stramo-
mum, a somewhat common weed here
me seeds of which are poisonous.
While the outer coat of These was f0,,
lhe most part removed and the starch
ana soluble matter extracted from
lnem, the cellular tissue was from that
I oI Ifesh seeds The brown LIQUID i'm the
stomach contained a large amount of
Ihls seed tissue i'm a finely divided con-
Gltlon' which may have resulted from
III NtlblllS VI ground seeds from tbp
digestion of whole ones.
The stomach contents were found to
contain atropin, the active principle of
Datura StramOnium (also of Bella
doha)' also morphine with mecOnic acid
as found in opium The apprOXioa ta
WelghtS found were atrOpine one-tenth
Oh grain; and morphine one-twentv-
III IN or a grain This weight of afro
pine does not include what NAV have
been left in the undigested seeds
The amount of atropine in Datura
SJramonium varies but is usually stat
ed to be about 0.3gC. do not know
now much is contained in seeds grown
mere but know that they contain some.
There was a case of poisoning bv these
seeds in Honolulu a month or two ago.
NIhe medicinal dose of atroDine is
from one-hundredth to one-hftietb of
grain; one-twentieth of a grain is
sald to have caused toxic symptoms.
From the presence Of morphine with
mecontc acid ii is evident that the man
had taken opium some time, not very
Icng before death. The opium gen
elaIly used for smoking and eating Is
low in morphine
"Datura Stramonium, known com
monty as thorn apple, jamestown or
Jimpson weed (Hawaiian Eikania) is
common weed around Honolulu and l
think throughout the Islands. 1t is
haturalized in nearly every country and
while cases of poisoning by it have been
few, and for the most part accidental
IL Europe and America; it has been
and is much used for criminal purposes
IN India and China In a French record
of more than seven hundred cases of
criminal poisoning covered a period of
JWenty-One years, but three cases are
credited to this plant; while there is
one record of one hundred and twenty
cases Of Datum poisoning in India.
seVenty-tiVe of which We're criminal.
According to the manner in which it is
used it lends itself to the production of
sudden death, slow poisoning. or mere
stupefection for the purpose of robbery.
Dr. CheVers says in his Medical Juris-
prudendenCe of India, there appears
to be no drug known in the present day
which represents in it's effects so close
an approach to the system of slow pois-
oning believed by many to have been
practiced i'm the Middle Ages as doses
of the Datura"
1T must be remembered that in
case of death from an alkaloid which
causes death by absorption, the portion
OF alkalotd found in the stomach or
other organs after death is simply what
is lett after the poison has done it's
work; the portion which has caused
death having for the most part been
changed into other bodies of unknown
composition which cannot be detected
'Atropine is antagOnistic to morphine
and is one of the drugs usually adj
mlnistered i'm cases Of morphine poison
ing; and 1t is probable that i'm the Dois-
oning of an opium eater by atropino the
symptoms would bee complicated and
perhaps misleading,
81 inclose a small photo of Datura
Suamonium showing the leaves and
1rf4