The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-02


ONOLULU. March Mrs. Jane
n Lathrop Stanford. of san Fran
cisco. widow OF United States
Senator Leland Stanford, died at II 40
O'Clock last night, forty minutes after
she was taken i'll, at the Moano hotel
here. under suspicious circumstances,
pointing, in the opinion of the physi
clan who attended her in her dying
hour and seemingly in that of others,
TO poisoning by the administration of
strychnine in vial of bicarbonate of
soda.
Mrs. Stanford herself, when found by
a guest of the hotel who had heard
her grooming in her agony and suffer
ing from commissions, declared L have
been poisoned" and her last words
were This is a horrible death to die
The physicians say that between
commissions Mrs. Stanford repeated the
assertion that she had been poisoned
and said it was the second time the at
tempt had been made, the first time
being I'm January at her San Francisco
home and that it was this attempt
which caused her to come to Honolulu
An autopsy on the remains showed
that the cause of death was tetanuS OF
the respiratory organs, but how this
was brought about will not be known
until after an examination OF the con-
tents of she stomach, the result OF
which examination viii probably be
known tomorrow.
Mrs. Stanford came here from San
Francisco on the Korea. Feb 81 In
conversation with Mrs. Henry Hight
ON of san Francisco, who is now here,
Mrs Stanford said that an attempt
bad been made to poison her in that
CITY and that this was her reason for
calling on the Korea. 1t was Mrs
StaufOrd's belief. according TO Mrs
Tfghton that enough poison had been
used to kill twenty persons.
l.. Il hot an irax a.
ton Of the case is now being made by
the police of San Francisco. The 20
lice here are also conducting an in
EestigatiOn.
Used Bicarbonate of Soda.
Before retiring last night Mrs. Stan
FORD took a dose Of bicarbOnate of soda
which she purchased in San Francisco.
J is reported that the soda contained
6trychnine. but this report cannot be
verified. DR.. F. II. HUMPHREYS, who
attended Mrs. Stanford, is now making
an examination OF the contents CT the
bottle which had not besn touched
since Mrs. Stanford left San Fran
cisco.
Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Stanford
Y ent to A picnic She ate heartily on
returning TO the hotel but took only
soup for dinner and retired shortly
Dfter 10 O'Clock.
Was Heard Groaning.
Al II O'Clock a guest of the hotel
who occupied an adjoining room heard
Mrs. Stanford grooming and, running
30 the room, found her lying op the
floor. She had evidently tried 10 sum-
mon help. At the time of Mrs. Stan
lords death there We're present Miss
H,2%rner. her secretary. and her maid,
49, Hunt. Both are Frustrated.
q The remains were taken TO an IN
q rtaking establishment, where they
are awaiting an autopsy.
No Evidence So Far.
The Investigations of the police have
so far failed to find any evidence of
poisoning. but the authorities decline
20 express any opinion pending the re-
suit of the autopsy and the analysis
of the bottle of biCarbOnate of soda a
fox of capsules was also found in the
room and these are being analysed.
The guest of the hotel who occupied
Pm adjoining suite and who, hearing
Mrs. Stanford grooming, ran TO her as
distance is A. HeuniSh of San Fran
cisco.
Miss Berner has been Mrs Stan
fCrd's secretary for twenty years. For
Jner Judge W. L. Stanley represents
the Stanford estate here
Had Been Out Driving.
Mrs. Stanford took a drive over the
Pail road yesterday accompanied by
her secretary and her maid. When
she returned to tho hotel she seemed
very cheerful, and went Immediately
10 the dining room, where she ordered
only soup, saying that she was not
hungry as she had eaten a hearty
luncheon. She spent the evening on
lie verandas of the hotel, and appar-
emily was in good spirits.
NIr. Heunish, who. as already told.
was the first TO see Mrs. Stanford after
she was taken i'll. said 10 the cores
pondent Of the Associated Press:
Suffered Great Pain.
Il retired shortly before II O'Clock
last night and soon fell asleep. Ny
TOom is next TO that occupied by Mrs.
Stanford. / had not been long asleep
when / was awakened by hearing a
ErOan and then another groan.
opened my door and saw Mrs. Stdg-
ford standing in the doorway of her
room. She threw up her arms as If
suffering great pain and said:
%. am 50 Ill. Get me doctor, set
me a doctor
I ran to the elevator and summoned
Dr. HUMPHREYS. who WAS guest of
the hotel Mrs Stanford at that time
cid not seem to be very weak"
Soda Tasted Bitter.
4 DR. HUMPHREYS and his wife today
- took very small portions OF the con
fcnts of the suspected bottle Of bicar-
Donate or SODA ana say lnat ~ tdSleu
very bitter and that they believed il
contained strychnine, The doctor says
there were indications of strychuipe.
but ne declined to express a positive
opinion before making an analysis.
In accordance with the local law a
coroner's Jury was Immediately sum
inoned and viewed the remains in the
hotel at $50 o'clock this morning. Tire
members of this jury are w. Q. Pea
cock. proprietor and j. II Hertsche.
manager or the hotel; r. A Hays n.
jeffrey and j. " Harvey. guests, and
J.. s. Cunha who lives near the hotel
Dr. Humphries appointed former