The Washington times., 1905-03-03
HONOLULU AWAITS
CHEMISTS REPORT
Stryehnine Cause OF Mrs.
Stanford's Death.
DRUG IN W0MAN'S BODY
California Police Busy Canvassing
Characters of Employees
in State.

HONOLULU, March 3.-The police,
certain that Mrs. Stanford was the VIC
tim of poisoning, are awaiting the re-
port of r. A. Duncan, a government
chemist, on the contents of the bottle
supposed TO have contained bieaToonate
of soda.
High Sheriff Henry sent this cable dis
patch to Acting Chief of Police Spill
lane, Of San Francisco:
THE Stanford bottle Of bicarbenate Of
soda contained IS drains e62 grains OF
strychnine. An examination of the or
gans is now under way"
\ medical expert said: six hundred
and sixty-two grains Of strychnine east
" would kill 662 persons. The maxi
mum dose administered is only one-hf-
teenth of a grain. while the average Is
one-fortieth Of q grain"
The organs of the dead woman were
removed at the autopsy for chemical
analysis.
The coroner's inquest is held over for
the reports cf the chemists.
DR.. Duncan Cautious.
from my investigation, said DR..
Duncan. II found sufficient TO warrant
the belief that there was strycfnine in
the bottle labeled .bicarbonate of soda. ;
l will not say at this time positively
that st-yohnine was in the powder, but
1 feel certain OF 1t.
I have asked that another chemist be
called in consultation and expect to
make a report TO the high sheriff on the
contents of this bottle.
The various organs have also been
taken for analysis and their appear
anee indicates a poor condition of health
Miss Bertha Rerner, private secretary
for Mrs. Stanford, is positive her mis-
tress was poisoned
Yes she said. II believe Mrs. Stan
ford was poisoned. She said so repeat
eddy while were working over her
before she died. She exclaimed aImost
as soon as I entered her room, oh,
Bertha, L believe / have been pois-
oned.
Asked for Stomach Pump.
When the doctor came she told him
to get stomach pump. as she believed
she had been poisoned He said she
must be mistaken. but she repeated it
and certainly believed she had been
poisoned. Mrs. Stanford told me to tel
the doctor what had happened before
meaning the previous attempt, on Jan
uary II, to poison her, at her home ir
San Francisco.
She realized that unless she could
was perfectly clear. While we were
WORKING over her. giving her hot water
10 drink and bathing her feet, she was
IN commissions. but her mind was cIea,
until the last moment. She did not sa.
anything about who had poisoned her
got the medicines out of the trunk
Tor her just before she retired to bed
Tuesday night She told me to take sou,e
SODA / replied I was going to take q
capsule and would not take soda.
Il have seen the glass bottle marked
'bicarbonate OF soda for some time II
had the label of an Adelaide druggist
but I do not recall the circumstances ri
its purchase
For some reason she kept that bottle
My mind is not clear as TO the bottle
but ] am under the impression that a:
last as its contents were used by Mrs
Stanford she either sent 1t out to have il
refiled at druggists or got powder ir
quantity 10 have the bottle filed al
home. i never had anything to do witt
that. I am at present unable to recall
anything about il.
Used to Take Soda.
Mrs. Stanford was in the habit o.
taking bicarbonate of SODA when he
stomach did not feel well, but she did
not take it regularly or in any larg.
quantities,
The bottle which is believed by the DO
lice TO have contained the strychnfn,
that killed Mrs. Stanford was packed fl
a steamer trunk by Miss May Hunt
Mrs Stanfords maid. 1t was about one
third full when found on the night @
The tragedy. Miss Hunt does NOT re
member the quantity il contained whe,
she put it in the trunk. Neither Mrs
Stanford nor Miss Berner was presen
when the trunk was packed.
The police are positive the medicine fl
the bottle was not purchased In Homo