The San Francisco call., 1905-03-07

ner, was the week after New Years.
used it at the same time. The bottle
was in a trunk which Mrs. Stanford
took TO San Jose. This trunk was sent
to San Francisco on January %. The
bottle was taken from the trunk at the
California-street residence. It was
kept in a room to which the servants
had access, but this room was locked
at night. The bottle was packed by
me in a telescope basket for the Homo
lulu trip, and this basket was kept in
the stateroom. May Hunt, the maid,
was with Mrs. Stanford part of the
way, but as the maid was taken Ill l
changed places with her. The bicar-
donate of soda was not used on the
trip to my knowledge.
CALLED FOR HELP.
After Mrs Stanford retired on Feb
ruary 2S / was aroused from my sleep
by hearing my name called. recoe-
nized Mrs. Stanford's voice calling out:
'Bertha-May-I am so sick
I'VE rushed out and found her
clinging to the frame of her door. Mrs.
Stanford said:
Bertha. run for a doctor
Mrs. Stanford walked two steps
and then said:
Bertha, / am so sick
"She placed her arm around my
shoulders, leaning on me, and / led
her back to her room and tried to in
duce her to sit down. She said: /
have got no control Of my body. I
think 1 am poisoned
"I said to Mrs Stanford: Do sit
down., and then L got hot water and
filled a glass and held it to her lips.
She said:
I cannot drink
Her jaws were set. She turned her
face to mine and I said, Now, try to
drink and then she drank the hot
water. May Hunt and I were rubbing
Mrs. Stanford's limbs when the doc
tor arrived. She had taken altogether
about six or seven glasses of the hot
water when DR.. Humphris came. She
said to the doctor:
RECALLS FORMER ATTEMPT.
Doctor, 1 think L am poisoned.
Won't you brings stomach pump? 2
Then turning to me she said: Bertha,
tell the doctor what happened, refer
ring to the San Francisco episode OF
January IA.
II explained this affair to DR.. Hum
phris and asked him for ipecac. He
said that ipecac might affect the heart,
and tried to comfort Mrs. Stanford,
saying to her, Don't be afraid She
said, Another spasm is coming, and
then. My soul is prepared. ! go to
meet my dear ones. 0 God, forgive
me my SINS.
"The muscles became rigid. Then
there came a profuse perspiration, fol-
lowed by a violent spasm, and Mrs.
Stanford died"
Attorney General Andrews ques-
toned Miss Berner regarding the bot
tie of bicarbonate of soda. The wit
ness said it was Mrs. Stanfords GUS
tom to take the soda only occasionally.
and added:
mo one knew Of this custom, so far
as am aware, but myself, May Hunt
and Nora Hopkins, an employe at the
San Francisco residence Of Mrs. Stan
ford"
Questioned by Deputy High Sheriff
Rawlins with regard to the possibility
of Mrs. Stanford having committed
suicide, Miss Berner expressed pity for
any one who could be driven to such
a conclusion. st have not read the
newspaper reports of the case" said
she, because they would distress me.
Mrs. Stanford she said in conclusion,
ION a few occasions said she hoped
some day to rejoin her son and her
husband, to whose memory she was
always devoted, but this was not a
frequent topic of conversation with
her."
Dr. Murray described the body as
more like that of a woman of 65 years
than n. Every organ of the body was
normal on examination. No disease
existed, but the heart was little fatty
The left side of the heart was contract
ed, the right side relaxed The brain
was in perfect condition and she was
a wonderfully preserved woman. There
was nothing to indicate natural death
When he first saw the body he at once
concluded that she had been poisoned
and his opinion was Immediately form
ed that she had been poisoned by
strychnine.
Dr. H. v. Murray and DR.. F. H
Humphris testified substantially the
same as the other physicians. DR..
Murray expressed an absolute opinion
that strychnine caused death. which
he was convinced was an unnatural
one. There was. he said, an absence
of food in the stomach.
DR.. Humphris said that Mrs. STAN