The San Francisco call., 1905-03-28
TRY TO FIND WHERE
POISON WAS BOUGHT
Police BUSY on the Stanford Case
Full Report OF Honolulu
Doctors Received.


the Stanford mystery, but there were
no developments of Importance yes
terday. Captain Callundan of the
Morse agency has not yet finished his
report to Attorney Mountford 8. Will
son, but other men of the agency are
detailed on a search of the likely
places where members of the house
hold service may have purchased the
strychnine that was placed in the Po-
land water in the local poisoning case.
Attorney Wilson himself will peruse
the evidence and finally decide
whether the investigation of the
Honolulu case shall be prosecuted
further. He will not conclusively ac-
cept the statements of the detectives
or of President Jordan and Timothy
Hopkins that death was due to nat
ural causes.
The organs of Mrs. Stanford's body
that were submitted to chemical
analysis in Honolulu have not yet
been analyzed in this city, as planned.
Il have not had an opportunity to
talk with Mr.. Lathrop as to that mat
ter said Mr.. Wilson yesterday, "and
his wishes as to what shall be done
will determine the course we shall
pursue
brought the statement in full of
Chemist Shorey and the physicians
that they issued in reply to the Jor-
dan-Hopkins statement. The cabled
dispatches heretofore published con-
tanned but excerpts from their version.
The doctors seek to make out their
case that Mrs. Stanford died from
poisoning, as follows:
STATEMENT OF DOCTORS.
The official statement of David
Starr Jordan and Timothy Hopkins
published in the Honolulu evening
papers of March g and the morning
incumbent upon the undersigned to
issue the following statement and give
it the same publicity.
1T is our opinion that Mrs. Jane
l.. Stanford died of strychnine poison
ing. Our reasons for coming to this
conclusion are the following:
Il. She died after brief illness
of half an hour. following the in
gestion of a dose of bicarbonate of
soda, containing an unknown quantity
of strychnine, in convulsion having
the characteristics of the strychnine
convulsion and which was seen by
Drs.' F. H. Humphris and H. ".
Murray.
.2 The post-mortem rigidity was
identical with that found in known
cases of strychnine poisoning.
IS. The post-mortem examination
revealed no other cause of death, the
vital organs of the body. the brain,
heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and spleen
being normal for woman of her age
and habits of life.
a. There was no undigested food
in the stomach or intestines, which
presented a healthy. normal condi-
ton.
rs. The post-mortem appearances
conformed in every respect with the
post-mortem appearances in authenti-
Gated cases of strychnine poisoning
- Add to these facts. OF which we
have personal knowledge, the sworn
statements to the Coroner's jury, of
two authorized chemists that they
found strychnine in the contents of
the intestines, and in the contents of
the bottle marked 'bicarbonate of
soda from which the dose that Mrs.
is a chain of evidence that will hold
fast under the fiercest assault.
FOOD WAS DIGESTED.
I'VE affirm that she did not die of
acute indigestion because the contents
fectly digested, and death was too
sudden to be caused by that COM
plant
I'VE affirm that she did not die of
ptomaine poisoning because that dis
ease Is not SO rapidly fatal.
She did not die of angina pectoris
because neither the symptoms of the
attack nor the condition of the heart
I.confirms that diagnosis.
1T is imbecile to think that a wo-
man of Mrs. Stanford's age and Known
mental characteristics might have died
of an hysterical seizure in half an
hour.
Her advanced age, the unaccus-
toned exertion, surfeit of unsuitable
food and the unusual exposure, either
separately or combined, could not
! cause death as Mrs. Stanford died.
mo Board of Health In existence
! could allow a certificate based on such
cause of death to go unchallenged.
Until the report of the chemist in
San Francisco who found a fatal
amount of strychnine in the bottle of
Poland water and the presence of the
strychnine in the bicarbonate of soda
is explained away and until convincing
proof has been offered to an unpreju-
diced medical profession that she did
not die of strychnine poisoning, our
diagnosis must stand.
Nov as to the astonishing state
ment signed by David Starr Jordan
and Timothy Hopkins. 1t begins as
follows:
In our judgment after careful con-
sideration of all the facts brought to
our knowledge we are fully convinced
that Mrs. Stanford's death was not due
to strychnine poisoning nor to inten-
tional wrong-doing on the part of any
one. We find in the statements of
those with her in her last moments no
evidence that any of the characteristic
symptoms of strychnine poisoning were
present
WITNESSES CORROBORATE.
Now let us see first of all what
were the statements of those with her
in her last moments, and then we will
look at the characteristic symptoms of
strychnine poisoning. The following
are the statements sworn to before the
Coroner:
Miss Berner said in speaking of
Mrs. Stanford: She said. cannot
| take it, my jaws are set (referring to
| the hot water). SO / rubbed her
cheeks, making her face pink.
"2 The doctor came in and pre-