The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-03-07

, life was practically extinct. The posi-
ton of her hands and feet were I'M
changed after death, but her jaw had
dropped open.
81 inquired from DR.. Humphris where
the bottle of soda was from which she
had taken a dose. He showed It to
me-"
DR.. Murray then described the re-
moval of the bottle of bicarbonate of
soda, the bottle of capsules the spoon
the glass and the container containing
vomit to DR.. Humphris sitting room.
| There they were left in charge of DIT.
| Murray and DR.. Day while DR.. Hum
phris went to notify the High Sheriff.
They turned the articles all over to
! Deputy High Sheriff w. r. Rawlins.
DR.. Murray tasted the contents of the
bottle of bicarbonate of soda and found
it quite bitter; evidently some foreign
substance had been introduced into it.
81 remarked" said DR.. Murray. that
1 would not say it was strychnine but
it was bitter enough to be-"
DR.. Murray took part in the autopsy
! There We're present Dr. Wood, DR.. Day.
DIR. Taylor, r. A. Duncan and himself.
DR.. Wood performed the autopsy. The
body was well nourished and well pre-
served and seemed more like the body
of a woman of IS than of II as was
stated she was.
The body showed purplish red spots
over most of the posterior parts of the
body, the cheeks and face. The hands
were still clenched. The feet still
maintained their position with the
soles turned in. There were no ex-
! ternal wounds.
There was practically nothing in the
stomach but the water that had been
administered to produce vomiting. 1
mention this because there has been
something said of the lack of a stomach
pump, any substance introduced i'm the
stomach would have been absorbed and
| acted very rapidly. Even if there had
been a stomach pump used, it would
have done no good"
The contents of the intestines were in
perfect state of digestion The con-
dition of many of the muscles showed
that she died in a spasm. The pecu-
| liarly contracted conditions of the mus-
cate death from strychnine poisoning.
Under the conditions if there had been
nothing said DR.. Murray testified that
he would have suspected strychnine
poisoning.
DR.. F. Howard Humphris testified
that he was called shortly after lis
and went at once to Mrs. Stanfords
room whittier he had been called. Mrs
! Stanford. Miss Berner and Miss Hunt
We're there. Mrs. Stanford said: Doc
tor have been poisoned; get a STOMACH
pump" She was then standing by the
washstand drinking hot water How
do you know you have been poisoned?"
Because l have been poisoned be-
fore" she replied.
What do you mean by that?" l ask
ed
Tell him about it, Bertha" Mrs
| Stanford said.
Miss Berner then said that Mrs
Stanford had been poisoned by drink
| ing Poland water"
What was in the Poland water?" 1
asked.
Miss Berner said it was arsenic, but
afterwards corrected this to strych-
nine.
MRS. Stanford said she was not in
pain but insisted that she had been poi
soned. l asked her what she had taken
and she said bicarbonate of soda and a
cascaret capsule. l asked what she
took them from and Miss Berner said
she had given them to her. 1 asked
her if she had seen Mrs. Stanford take
it. She said no, but Mrs. Stanford said
she had taken them later.
Il went and got some mustard. When
l got back Mrs. Stanford insisted re-
peatedly that she had been poisoned,
| though at this time aside from ner-
vousness she showed no symptoms.
sent for my emergency bag. She re-
peatedly said she was poisoned; hoped
that she was prepared to meet her
family; and that it was horrible
death to die.
II prepared some choral and bromide
and gave it to her i'm a glass to drink.
She said My jaws are rigid l felt
them and found they were. 1 took the
glass in my hand. A spasm seized her.
1t lasted about three minutes and from
the time it seized her I do not think she
breathed. 1 had meanwhile sent for
DR.. Murray. He came In at this time.
After a decent interval after she had
died we picked her up from where she
had been seated and laid her on the
bed.
From the time / saw her first until
the spasm seized her, aside from a lit
tie nervousness there seemed nothing
the matter with her. Her mind was
clear and she talked nationally"
Following this DR.. Humphris des-
cribed his actions following death, his
notification of Mrs. Stanford's bother
and lawyer
He was positive that she had died OF
strychnine poisoning. She had beer
thrown out of her bed by a spasm
She had lived apparently half an hour
and had died i'm a spasm that was
markedly that by strychnine poisoning
1t bears no likeness to any other spasn
except the spasm of tetanus or lock,