The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-28
MOTHER FOLLOWS
GIRL To. THE 4 ! GRAVE J. \ \
After Living Sixteen Days in
Trance Woman Slowly Sank
and Died Sunday.
PHYSICIANS ARE BAFFLED
PHYSICIANS ARE BAFFL |
Poisoning BY Gas Believed to
Have Been Die to- Condition
of Two Women.
tspecial 10 The -pispatch.)

New YORK, March e1.-In spite OF all
a,hat medical men, could do, Mrs. James
III II ,iestis died at the Presbyterian Hos
pital yesterday. Her death followed tliat
OF her daughter. Lueiln j. 1iuestis, by
only a short interval Miss Huestis died
8 on Friday
Both deaths resulted from a mysterious
.trance-like condition. which has puzzled
X medical men Mrs. Huestis and her daugll-
3 ter were people Of wealth and social POI
4 sition at White Plains. They were cousins
Of the wife of Henry ", Heller. law
yer, whose home Is at No. aa$i East one
Hundred and Thirty-first Street.
Early this month Mrs. Huestis, who was
sixty-one years old, and her daughter,
who was twenty, came TO visit Mr. ana
Mrs. Heller. They intended going TO
Atlantic City after stay in this city.
Gas Turned On.
Mrs. Hnestis and her daughter did not
3 respond to breakfast calls on March 1fh.s
mr.. Helfer fearing that something was
4 wrong, broke III the door of the room,
VI NJ, i.,l1 "a they occupied. and found gas
let partially turned on. The two women
were In a deep coma in their bed. me
y gas. which had evidently been left burn
ing BIZ Mrs Huestis, the last 10 retire
on the night before. had gone out. The tn
gas va Dor had asphyxiated them.
M DR.. +. W. Perkins, the Helfer's family
physician. was called. He found that
neither OF 3tne Two patients yielded to any
known treatment for gas poisoning. rms
was inystifyiEg. 1nhaling illuminating
gas. CO uses coma. but usually the patient
dies quickly or RECEIVERS.
Instead. Mrs. Huestis and Miss Luella,S
lay in q conatos condition. 1t was inl-5
1 possible to rouse them. They breathcd
regularly, t,i Il deeply. " They did not re-
srond to tests usual in poisoning by gas.
There was nothing for a physician to do
except to try. to get the couple back to
a. con scious state. but this seemed to be
Impossible. As several days passed and
the condition OF. the patients neither i'm
proved nor grew worse, and as each was
in what seemed to be q trance. DR.. Per
kins and other doctors who examined them
decided to send them to the hospital.
Physicians Puzzled.
TIE trance-like$ state continued Miss
lHuestis seemed at times to be about
To regain her faculties. Her color was
&good, and her brain seemed to be nor
I nal at times. for when nurse or.
doctor moved IN her room her eyes seemed
was conscious of her surroundings. Mrs
&Huestis also at times seemed about
to rouse from her stupor. but her case
from the first seemed to be the most
desperate.
Many theories were formed by medi-
+ cal experts. 1t was thought by some of
them that the trance was hypnotic.
Then 1t was thought there might be or
ganic troubles to cause the condition. A II
/ the time there was he problem of keep
+ ing rhe8 spark Of life in each patient
Everything that science could suggest was
tried. It seemed al one time as If there
Il the sixth day seemed to be gaining, but
4 soon there came a change and she began
10 sink. 4s5;
Could Not Save Them.
Thirty physicians from time to time
examined the mother and daughter. Dr..
q. a. II. Oliver, of the Presbyterian Hos
Tital, thought that the history of the case
indicated gas poisoning Of an unusual
type, but where other physicians advised
various modes OF treatment 10 followed
their suggestions.
When Miss Huestis died DR.. Philip
O,1anlon, coroners physician, made an
autopsy. An uncommon condition was
found in that there was dminution
Of the blood supply of the brain, which
& resulted in a softennB Of the brain tis-
sue. This was caused by the gas poi.
sonng, 1t was stated. and it was hoped
that with this knowledge the mother $
K life could be saved by using means TO abb
( sorb the blood clot which caused the lack
OF blood in the brain.
s This treatment was equally Intellectual
ind for the twentyfour hours before her