The San Francisco call., 1905-03-22

doctors ability to clearly diagnose a
case of strychnine poisoning
1t is shown by the evidence gath
cred by Callundan and Reynolds and
attentively listened to by DR., Jordan,
that Mrs Stanford's death was attend
ed by only the ordinary rigidity of a
death from natural causes, and that
Immediately after she had passed
away she was removed from the chair
TO her bed, where little difficulty was
experienced in Strengthening out her
lfeless form, task that could not
have been accomplished had strychnine
poisoning alone caused her death.
Captain Burnett was furnished
another strong point against the
Coroner's verdict of strychnine poison
ing in these two facts: First that the
bottle of bicarbonate of soda, from
which Mrs. Stanford took a potion,
contained in all 662 grains of soda,
which, when analyzed was found to
contain only 4S hundredths of a grain
of strychnine, which, proportionately,
was only l-1326th of the total contents
of the bottle
Second, the cascara capsules, of
which Mrs Stanford took one, contained
one thirteenth of grain of strychnine.
which the chemists declare combined
with the strychnine in the soda. might
have produced death in person of
her system was upset by over-eating
and unusual exercise, such as she in
dulged in on the day of her death.
OTHER STRONG FACTS.
In further rebuttal of the original
testimony given by DR.. Humphris, Cal
lundan and Reynolds gave Captain
Burnett absolute proof of the fact that
Mrs. Stanford could not have possibly
fallen TO the floor after taking her
medicine, even if it did not contain poi
son, and regain her feet without as
sistance. 10 substantiate this asser-
tion the detectives produced state
ments Of Mrs. Stanford's physicians,
and of Miss Berner and Miss Hunt,
to the effect that for more than
year Mrs. Stanford had suffered from
stiffness Of the knees, and had found
Ii beyond her physical ability to rise
from the floor alone.
Although the physicians who con-
Quoted the autopsy made the state
ment that Mrs. Stanford's organs were
in a remarkably healthy condition for
a woman of her age. the detectives
CLEANED from inquiry among several
prominent surgeons who examined the
heart that the latter discovered that it
was anything but healthy. It was
found to contain portions of fat that
had not been examined by the autopsy
surgeons, and bore other noticeable in
dications of disease. Another surpris-
ing discovery made by the detectives,
and one that should have entered into
the considerations of the autopsy sur
geons, was the amount of food con-
sumed by Mrs. Stanford at the picnic.
On that occasion she ate four Swiss
cheese sandwiches, two tongue sand
wiches, two lettuce sandwiches, two OF
three large pieces of ginger bread, of
which she was very fond; two cups
OF cold coffee, which she had prepared
herself before she left the Moano Hotel,
also some fruit, and twelve or fourteen
pieces of French candy, which she
later complained made her slightly
sick at her stomach. 1t destroyed her
appetite for the evening meal.
STOMACH HURTS HEART.
The crowding of her stomach, after
considerable walking, naturally weak
ened her heart and might easily have
hasteneas the end of a woman Of Mrs.
Stanford's advanced age, so experts
contend. These facts, revealed by the
persistent inquiry of Captain Callun-
dan, readily appealed to President Jor-
dan and were responsible for his con-
clusions that Mrs. Stanford was not
poisoned. He has so advised Attorney
Mountford Wilson in a report prepared
during the return voyage to this city.
The document was handed to the at
torney yesterday afternoon by DR.. Jor-
dan and was later brought to this city.
Although Attorney Wilson refused
to make the report public last night
Confinued On I,aco . fsoI,,,,,n