The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-12
NEW LIGHT ON THE
STANFORD CASE.
Continued from page l.,

1t is not in evidence that very much
was done to ascertain the previous his
tory of Mrs. Stanford's case, but if the
tetanic spasm were hysterical, that
would account for the fact that the
organs were all found in normal con-
dition after death. Patients who scare
themselves to death would show or
gans in normal condition at post NOR
tenn examination.
And there is yet another point for
the San Francisco detectives to clear
up. Mrs. Stanford, having tasted the
poisoned Poland water which did have
strychnine in it, presumably knew the
taste of the drug. According to DR..
Reese again. strychnine is the bitter
est substance known" The doctor
found a distinctly bitter taste yielded
by one grain of strychnine dissolved in
several gallons of water. The Witness
es at the Stanford inquest who tasted
the bicarbonate of soda. although they
put only the most minute quantities in
their mouths, all remarked the bitter
taste
Knowing the taste of strychnine from
her experience with the Poland water,
if there was enough of the poison in
the bicarbonate of soda which she
swallowed to cause death. why did not
Mrs Stanford discover the taste and
reject the drug? It is hardly con-
ceivable that she would have sought
to take the drug of her. own motion,
and then repented at the eleventh hour
and called for help. Such cases have
happened but not with persons in the
position and of the temperament of
Mrs. Stanford.
The evidence taken at the inquest,
and Mrs Stanford's own story. point
to the fact that she did take the BIZ
carbonate of soda that had the strych-
nine in it--but, if the others noted the
bitter taste why did not she, also, who
had the best reason to remember it?
Could it be possible that the bicarbon-
ate of soda was made away with in
some other way unknown to anyone
but Mrs Stanford herself. and that
she took no more strychnine than was
contained in the cascara capsule
enough, merely, to cause the faint
trace found by the chemists? This
question, like the others. is up to the
San Francisco detectives.
REJECT SUICIDE THEORY.
There is absolutely no foundation
Fl,
Jordan last night ''I know Mrs. STAN
ford too well to put any credence in the
stories that she took her own life. She
never had any poison in her house if
she could help it, and had homeopathic
remedies because she desired to avoid
poisons as far as possible. I know as
we'll as 1 know anything about any
body that she did not commit suicide.
1t was part of her religion that one
should live his life out and make IL
count for good to Others"
When asked regarding the develop |
ments in the detectives Investigations |
DIR. Jordan replied that he was not a |
detective I'd that he did not come |
down primarily for the purpose of max |
ing an investigation. His purpose in |
coming was to escort the remains of |
this great and good woman back to |
California. You may say, though"
he added, that we still hope that it |
may turn out that Mrs. Stanford was |
not poisoned
At this point Mr.. Timothy Hopkins |
entered the room and in response to a
question. most emphatica1ly stamped |
he suicide theory as false.
There is no language too strong for
ne to use on this point he said. The
suicide theory is absolutely silly. She
lad everything to live for and nothing
o die for. I knew her too we'll to ever
believe that she committed suicide.
The stories to that effect are both cruel
md silly"
THE EGYPTIAN STORY.
1t was suggested yesterday by one
Who was very intimate with Mrs. Stan
ord that the reason for her fears on
he trip up the Nile was not that she
night be poisoned or murdered but
ather that she might be kidnapped.
Iiss Ellen Stone had been carried into
he mountains of Bulgaria and held for
ransom but a short time before and
theirs had been kidnapped. Mrs. STAN
ord had been heralded in the newspa-
ers as the richest woman in the I
'orld' and might have feared with