The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-03-08
MRS. STANFORD WIS POISONED.
Report Of Chemist Shows That
Death Was Due TO Strychnine.
Poisoning 1I;e Work of Some Cne in San
Francisco as Charged by Mrs Stanford
Before She Died.

| FCiSCHIHS tGC TC.K vi S5Hle Guc III Gan
francisco as Charged by Mrs. Stanford
Before She Died.
Honolulu, March Mrs. Jane
Lathrop Stanford, Of San Francisco,
widow of United States Senator Le-
land Stanford, died at IL. 40 o'clock
last night at the Mcana Hotel here
Suspicious circumstances surround
the death of Mrs Stanford. She was
taken i'll at II o'clock and said:
81 have been poisoned. -
Mrs. Stanford came here from San
Francisco on the Korea, February q.
In conversation with Mrs Henry
Highton, of San Francisco, who is
now here's Mrs Stanford said That an
attempt had been made to poison her
in that city, and that this was her
reason for sailing on the Korea. Il
was Mrs. Stanford's belief, according
to Mrs. Highton, that enough poison
had been used to kill twenty persons
Before retiring last night Mrs:
Stanford took a dose of bi-carbonate
of soda, which she purchased at San
Francisco. 1t is reported that the
soda contained strycbnine, but this
report cannot be verified. DR.. F. II.
Bumphries, who attended Mrs. Stan
| ford, is making an examination of
the contents of the bottle, which had
not been touched since Mrs. Stanford
left San Francisco.
Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Stanford
went to picnic. She ate heartilys On
returning to the hotel she took no
dinner and retired shortly after 10
O'Clock.
TAKEN SUDDENLY ILL.
At II O'Clock a guest Of the hotel
who occupied an adjoining room.
heard Mrs. Stanford groaning, and
running to the room found her lying
on the floor. She had evidently tried
to summon help. At the time of Mrs.
Stanford's death there were present
Miss Berner, her secretary, and her
maid, May Wilson. Both are pros
trated.
In accordance with the local law a
coroner's jury was Immediately sum-
moned and viewed the remains, which
were later taken to undertaker's to
await an autopsy.
Honolulu, March 2.-The re-
port of the chemist made today
removed the last doubt of the
cause of the death of Mrs. Stan
ford, the wealthy Calofrnia wild
ow, which occurred here Tues
day night. The analysis of the
contents of the bottle of the bi-
carbonate Of soda disclosed the
presence of a large quantity of
strychnine. According to the
statements of Miss Borner, Mrs.
Stranford,s secretary and her
lmaid, the bottle was brought
from the medicine chest of the
ISan Francisco mansion unopen-
ed until when the fatal dose was
taken. This proves conclusively
that the death Of Mrs. Stanford
was the result of a plot formed
in California over a month ago.
San Francisco, March 3.-A Dispatch
from Honolulu announces that Ber-
tina Berna, Mrs. Stanford's secretary,
has named a Chinese cook, employed
by Mrs. Stanford, as'the man connect
ed with poisoning her mistress This
man, with three, other servants. were
inmates of the Stanford mansion, No.
8 Hill, his city. Acting on this infornaa-
ton the members Of the household are
under guard. The police have barely
began work on the case Of the pre-
vious poisoning, the affair never hav-
1 ing been reported to them. 1t was
handled entirely by a private detec-
! tive agency. AS soon as the ofhc1aI
report Of the analysis is received the
police who are prepared for action,
declare that arrests are likely to be
made soor.
A dispatch from Palo Alto says a
discharged employe on the Stanford
! farm who cut the water pipe and val
liable rugs for revenge, is suspected.
There is evidence on hand that ne
purchased strychnine in Palo Alto, but
the story is discredited by some be-
cause he had no access to Mrs. Stan
ford's medicine chest. The stories told
by Miss Berna is given by relatives full
confidence and is, fatty contradicted
by statements Of others.
4
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