Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-02
POISONED?
Suspicious Circumstanc.
es Surround the Death
|O' Mrs. Jane Lathrop Stanford
Of San Francisco.
Before Death Size Claimed to Have
Been Poisoned.

| Honolulu. March Mrs. Jane Ia,h.
| :op Stanford. of San Francisco widow
| Of United States Senator Leland Stan-
icrh. "led at ll.io O'Clock last night, 10
minutes after she was taken i'll 3t the
Moah' Hotel helo, under suspicious
circumstances, pointing. in the opinion
ct the physician who attended her and
her dying hour and seemingly in that
| Of others to poisoning by the admins
| ,ratiOn of stryrhnine in vial OF hi
| carbonate o. soda.
| Mrs. Stanford herself when found nv
| 4 guest of the hotel wE1 lac, heard her
| grooming in her agony and suffering
| nom cOnvulSiOnS, declared: II hay.
been poisoned" AID her las, words w.rc
This is a horrible death to die"
The physicians say that between con ..
| WILSON'S Mrs. Stanford repeated the as
s"rtiOn that sh- had been poisoned and
said 1t was the second time the ATTEMPT
| rad been made. the first time being in
January at hey San Francisco home.
| and that it WAS this attempt thai
| caused her TO come 10 Honolulu.
An autopsy on the remains showed
the cauS" of death was tetanuS of the
respiratory organs. but how this was
brought about will NOT he known UNI
| til after an examination Of the contents
OF the stomach. the result of which ex-
animation will probably he known to-
morrow.
BEFORE retiring. last night. Mrs.
stanford took dose of bi-carbOnate
of soda which she pure hased at San
| Francisco. 1t is reported that the soda
| contained strychnine. but this cannO,
| be verified. DIR. +. II. Humphreys, who
| attended Mrs. Stanford, is now making
an exanina ton of the contents IF the
| hottie which mad not been touched
since Mrs. Stanford left San Francisco.
Yesterday. Mrs. Stanford went to a
picnic. She ate heartily. On returning
| to the hotel she took no dinner and re-
tired shortly after 10 O'clock. At IL
| O'Clock guest of the hotel who occu-
| pied an adjoining room heard Mrs.
Sanford grooming and running to the
| room found her lying on the floor.
She had evidently tried to summon
help. Al the time of Mrs. Stanford'S
death there was present. Mrs. Burner.
her secretary, and her maid. May Will
son. Both are Frustrated. No state
ment has been issued by DR.. Humph-
reys or by DR.. II. V. Murray, who was
called into consultation.
The body was taken to an undertake
ing establishment where it is awaiting
an autopsy.
The Investigations of the police have
SO far failed to find any evidence of
poisoning. but the authorities decline
to express any opinion pending the re-
Il
the bottle of bi-carbonate of soda A
box of capsules also was found i'm the
room and these are being analysed.
The guest of the hotel who occupied
an adjoining suite and who. hearing
Mrs. Stanford grooming. ran tn her as
siStance is a. Heunische Of San Fran
cisco.
Miss Berner has been Mrs. Stanford's
secretary for 20 years. Former Judge
w. l.. Stanley represents the stanford
estate here.
Mrs. Stanford took n drive over the
Pail road. yesterday. accompanied by
Ter secretary and her maid. When she
returned to the hotel she seemed very
cheerful ana went Immediately to the
dining room. where she ordered soup.
see Mrs. stanford after she was taken
ill., said to the correspondent Of The
Associated Press:
81 retired shortly before II o'clock,
and soon fell asleep. My room is next
TO that occupied by Mrs. Stanford.
had not been asleep long when I was
awakened by hearing groan and then
another I opened my door and saw
Mrs. Stanford standing in the door
way of her room. She threw up her |
arms az, if suffering great pain and |
said: oh. am so i'll. Get me Il doctor. |
get me Il doctor. |
II ran to the elevator and summoned |
DR.. HUMPHREYS. who was n guest Of the |
hotel. Mrs. Stanford at that time did
not seem To be very weak"
DR.. HUMPHREYS and his wife, today. |
took very small portions of the con-
tents Of the suspected bottle Of bi-car-
Continued on Page Three.)