The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-03-07

the inquest at the Moana hotel yester-
day afternoon and evening. The physi-
clans both ante mortem and post NOR
tenn, agreed that all the symptoms and
signs of strychnine poisoning were
present and that there was no other
discoverable cause of death Mrs.
Stanford did not die natural death.
DR.. Murray's incidental statement that
the stomach was empty of food and the
contents of the intestines was fully
digested disposed of the theory that
the deceased's death might have been
caused by acute Indigestion, which was
a theory held by very many people.
The testimony of Miss Berner and Miss
Hunt did not bring out much that was
new, but it strongly indicated poison
ing and it showed that so many persons
have had access to the bottle supposed
to contain the poison that there is
practically no chance of tracing the
crime if crime there was, by tracing
the history of the deadly bottle.
Miss Berner was on the whole very
self possessed. Once, during the early
part of the investigation, when refer
ence was made to her late employer
and friend, Miss Berner showed signs
of a breakdown, and there were tears
i'm her eyes after the brief silence dur
ing which she regained her self-pos-
session. For the rest, she showed a
remarkably clear idea of the main
points of testimony wanted from her.
She had schooled and drilled herself for
the occasion, and she had talked so
much with Deputy Sheriff Rawlins
that she seemed almost to know his
next question i'm advance. She show
ed herself a woman of very clear mind
and before the testifying had gone far
was apparently as we'll controlled as
anyone in the room. At the conclu-
sion of her testimony she carefully
read it over, "A recess of half an hour
being allowed for the purpose. She
made number of corrections of the
English, explaining that they were not
important, After signing her testi-
mony she turned to the jury and bowed
and wished them good-day All rose
as they bowed i'm response and Miss
Berner left for her room, escorted by
Judge Stanley.
The witness statement to the jury
in response to Rawlins' questions was
substantially as already published in
The Star. Very little was added that
was not contained i'm the exclusive in
terview with her published in The Star
the day following Mrs. Stanford's
death. Attorney General Andrews ask
ed her a few questions, in the nature
of oss-eNamination. They brought
ont further details of the history of the
poisoned bicarbCnate and for the first
time here, bI ought the name of Nora
Hopkins into the case. Miss Berner
said that as far as she knew only three
persons knew of Mrs. Stanford Gus
tom of taking the bcarbonate. They
are Miss Berner, Miss Hunt and Nora
Hopkins, an employee in San Francisco.
Miss Berner denied that Mrs. Stan
ford was in the habit of saying fire.
quently that she wished to join her
dead husband and son. "She was de-
voted to them" said the witness land
hoped eventually to join them"
DR.. Wood, the first autopsy phys-
clan, did not go as far as others in
expressing an absolute opinion that
| strychnine poisoning was the cause of
death. But he declared that the body
was that of a well nourished woman in
good health and that the autopsy show
ed all the signs of strychnine poisoning
and revealed absolutely no other cause
of death DR. Wood began by saying
that if he had not known the age of
the deceased he would have placed it
at about 65. He examined the body
for external wounds that might have
caused death and found none. Then
| he looked for external signs. The jaw
was rigid and the teeth strongly clench-
ed Rigidity of muscles was one of
the signs of strychnine poisoning. The
muscles of the neck were not rigid,
nor were those of the upper arm. This
was not to be expected in a strychnine
case, said DR.. Wood, but he found that
the undertaken had released the rig d.ty
of the arms after death, i'm order to
drape the body in a gown. The fore
arms were rigid as were also the thighs
and legs. The feet showed strongly
! the signs of the poison. The insteps
! arched and the toes extended were
signs that are to be found in strychnine
cases. The organs were found to have
been in a healthy condition. Their
contents were all turned over on the
spot to chemist Duncan, who was pre-
sent at the inquest. There was no
natural cause of death to be found,
the doctor stated expressly, and all the
symptoms coincided with those of a
characteristic case of strychnine poi
soning.
Dr. F. r. Day, the second autopsy
physician called, agreed with Dr. Wood
All the organs were in a normal con-
dition. There was no discoverable cause
of death by disease of any kind, and
the signs of strychnine were generally
found.
DR.. Murray, who was present just be-
fore Mrs. Stanford died, went little
further than the other physicians. He
expressed the explicit opinion that the
cause Of death was strychnine poison
ing. He was called on the night OF
the tragedy and when he arrived Mrs
Stanford was in her last CONFUSION
The soles of the feet were turned uI
and the insteps very much arched. The