The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-10
BOY WAS POISONED
CONCLUSIVE PROOF OF AC0NITE IN
TOMMY LANNON'S STOM-
ACH
REM MAKES FINAL REPORT
Experiments on Mouse and Guinea
pig Leave Little Doubt in
Case-COunty Attorney
VIII Act.

There is now but little doubt that
Tommy Harmon died Of acorite poison
ing. DR.. REM has completed his tests
on the contents of the dead boys sto-r-
ach and has made his report to Coroner
A. w Miller. The report is conserva-
tive one, and says that there is room for
a reasonable doubt owing to the limita-
tons Of chemistry, but these are so in
tinitesimally small as to be Of little con-
sideration.
white mouse secured by DR.. ReTz
died Of commissions a few moments after
a solution of the contents of Tommy
lannon's stomach had been hypodar-
mically injected under it's skin. Both Dr.
Miller and Dr. REM tried the tongue
test with portion of the stomach con-
tents and mad distinct and lasting sensa-
tons of aconite poisoning.
A control experiment was made with
a known solution of aconite on a guinea
pig and it. died with the same symptoms
as did the mouse that was poisoned by
the contents of Tommy lannon's st0m-
ach. Every known test leads the doc
tors to believe that Tommy Harmon
came to his death on March Is, as the
result of aconite poisoning
IN MS report to Coroner Miller, Assist
ant Health Commissioner REM states
that there is room for a reasOna bic doubt
aIkaloids for which we have at present
no test" The doctors state as a chemical
fact that alkaloids are so numerous that
an ordinary ldIge-siZed dictionary would
not contain the names of them all and
OF these there are a great many whose
properties are not definitely known. The
chemist in making his tests is never pos
1llFe until ne mas exhausted every posi-
BILE chance of an error in any respect and
1t being an utter impOssibility to expert
ment Tor all the known and unknown al
kaIolds, DR.. REM has inserted his clause
OF reasonable doubt. The words
reasonable doubt are used in the ned
ical. sense, as with chemists any doubt
Whatever is reasonable one
IN his first report to Coroner Miller
some weeks ago, Assistant Health Com
missioner REM stated that there were
distinct and unmistakable signs OF aeon
tie IN the boys stomach. The medical
authorities in speaking of this form Of
poisoning state that a chemical test is
nafdly Suflcient to determine, without
. oount' that Geath resulted from this
zeal test by hypOdermic injections be
made on an animal
Tried on Mouse.
At $50 last night Dr. REM and Cor
ohef Miller went to the health depart
ment laboratory to experiment with the
con GT9ntents OF young lannon's stomach.
Inc nrSt experiment was on a white
mouse that had been secured from the
state university. A white mouse was
CHOSEN for this test for the reason tbat
Inc ordinary house mouse in the course
u MS existence abSOrbS so much pois IN
OF all kinds that it is not exactly a fair
SUBJECT TO test, for the reason that to a
certain extent it might be immune.
q small syringe was used, All a small
Cuahtlly OF the contents of Hann1ri's
Stolnach was injected under the mouse 81
SAln. IN a lew moments the mouse gave
signs OF the poison working and shortly
afterwards it was in a conclusive state
Win all the known SIGNS Of
onlhg. Inc c0nVulSiOnS lasted out a
short time until the mouse was dead.
coroner Miller and DR.. REM then each
paced small quantity of a solution of
the boys stomach on their tongues Their
sensations We're those laid down " fll
authorities for acOnite There was 2 hot
numbness of the tongue. which was per-
siStent, lasting for a long time and the
other symptoms were distinctly of aeon
lite.
TO compare the death Of the mouse
that was killed by an injection of a solu-
ton of the stomach, a guinea pig was
brought forth and some known aconite
was injected under his hide. The guinea
pig was soon in the same condition as
the mouse and expired in about the same
time.
This completes all the known tests for
acOnite and the doctors are nearly posi-
tive that it was the cause of the h5ys
death. DR.. Rentz states in his report that
the quantity found was exceedingly
small, but it is estimated that he was
able to secure no more than one-fftieth
of what the boy originally had in his
stomach
The following is the report made by Dr..
REM to Coroner Miller:
Il have the honor to report that m en-
examination of the stomach o. Thomas
Harmon, deceased, [ have found the
same evidences of aconite. The 2hySo-
logical experiment has tended to carry
out this idea. The quantity present was,
however, so exceedingly small that it
no nv tn v1ciSG ~1o
doubt due TO the possible presence Of
such alkaioids for which we have at pres
ent no test"
Coroner Miller will make his official re-
port to County Attorney Kane this norm
ing, and in the meantime the Harmon
residence, near Sibley school, on Mar
garet street will be under surveillance.
When seen by T h G / 0 last night,
not take any action in the case until he
had held a consultation with both AS
sistant Health Commissioner REM and
Coroner Miller.
History of the Case.
Tommy Harmon was the fourth child
of Michael Harmon, a labOrer employed
at the Minnesota Malleable Iron works,
to die under the same mysterious cir
cumstances since last July. He was
found dead in the family WoOdShed and
a post-mortem gave sufficient evidence
to warrant a closer investigation. At the
time Of his death the father and mother
NCIG OOllA dBSC14l7 anu The only n6I0DSr
Of the family of reasonable age at home
was a sister, Mamie Harmon, aged SIX
teen.
These circumstances were almost ex
actly the same as in the three previous
deaths. In July a fifteen months old
child died while both parents were alb
sent III August a child three years of
age died under almost identically the
same circumstances. Johnny Harmon,
aged five, was the next 20 die and the
details of his death conceded in almost
every particular with the previous ones.
When Tommy Harmon died the neighbor
hood became suspicious and the officials
were called in to investigate.
Since the advent of the officials on the
scene the Harmon family has become rcti-
cent. The girl, Mamie, is of hysteric9I
type, and whenever there are visitors
there she is given a sign to keen still
and other times she hides in the cellar
The. family, at the time of Tommy Han
mons death, lived at 1881 Minnehaha ave
nue., but have since moved to Margaret
street. near the Sibley school.