The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-26
|.CORONER'S JURY
IN PERKINS XII CASE
Crisis Will Be Reached
TO-mOrrOWsWhen In
quest ]. is ! He; Held. d..
ALL EXPECTANCY
OVER THE RESULT
Police Are Not Talking and Are
AS Much in the Dark, APP
parently, AS the Public.
Coroner Taylor
Found Traces
Of Mercury.

& Expectancy, entirely unrelicved by any
remission of the sphinx-lIkc silence OBJ
served by the police authorizes was the
sole distinguishing feature or the Navy
Hill poisoning mystery yesterday.
Gossip con tinued rife us 1t always does,
where facts are absolutely unknown, but
for the most part the near approach OF
the coroner's inquest. with the unlimited
possibilities 1t NOUS in the way of real
sensations served to cast this specula-
ton Into obscurity. The jury viii sit
tomorrow morning and the entire pro-
gross OF the Investigations made will
ut this time be revealed. What the days
work will bring forth 1t is impossible 10
say and difficult to predict It Is prac-
tical1y certain that the verdict will de-
clare the children Of the Perkins woman
were poisoned. Last night it seemed un-
likely that sufficient evidence would be
In hand to fasten the responsibility for a
murder upon any person. Further de-
pelopments may come to-day. to change
the situation, but at the present writing
Il does not appear pro bable that the long
awaited and much heralded arrest will
be made tomorrow.
I Result Of Investigation.
While official statements Of any sort
are denied and police authorities and
court officers alike are doing ali in their
power to guard the secrets supposed to be
In their possession, 1t was possible last
night to obtain toerably clear and
correct idea of the present sta tus OF the
investigation.
The two weeks Of chemical analyses
da+ hx,C ITO pf,f
to an end Tuesday night The coroner,
under instructions from the Comm on
wcalth's attor1R. will in no way indi-
cate The na furc of his discoveries The
ispnblicatio yesterday of a statement de-
clared In the article containing 1t to be
absolutely correct. and purporting to give
the result Of the Investigation OF the
coroner, created somewhat of n stir until
u was fatty denied. This statement as
serted that the coroner had discovered
| not !. trace OF poison In the stomacils OF
the Perkins children. but that they were
partially: eaten away by poison Of some
character
When seen last night the coroner de~
cllned to discuss the report he would
make to the jury. but was willing to say
that he had found a trace of poison in
one of the stomaclis-that of the little
girl. Octavia. This poison. however. was
mercury, and It's presence was probably
caused by a dose Of calomen. The mer-
curry did not in any way contribute to
cause the death OF the child, and its
presence in the stomach is unimportant
DR.. Taylor declined to reply to an In
qniry of whether he had discovered traces
OF any other poison, and In response to
u point-bank question whether or not
he believed the children were poisoned
at all, would only say that his opinion
upon this point would become known at
the. inquest tomorrow.
There Is reason to believe that the
chemical analyses produced no traces OF
poison beyond the mercury. The word
trace, however. refers to the actual
presence Of poison In the stomachs. 1t
is believed that evidences that poison
had been in the stomachs at some time
were discovered, though the poison itself
was not there-always excepting the mer-
curry. These evidences refer TO the effects
caused by the poison before 1t had been
yomitcd out. In numbers OF cases. death
by poisoning has been clearly established
where there was actually no trace
whatsoever OF the poison itself.
Police Keeping Quiet.
This understanding Of tho results OF
the coroner's investigation Is not officially
confirmed. It appears likely, neverthe-
less. from inquiries carefully made, mat
the report to be given to the jury to-mor-
row VIII be OF such character as to war
rant a verdict OF death by poisoning. To
Indicate In what manner this poison was
administered and, more particularly, to
bring Il charge Of murder against any
person, causing tho Issuance of a warrant,
Continued on Third Page.)
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