The San Francisco call., 1905-03-02
Friends Of Deceased
Say the Story
Is Absurd
POLICE BAFFLED
Attorney M. Wilson
SCOTS Idea Of
Foul Play.

The story that an attempt to poison
Mrs Stanford was made In San Fran
cisco on January il of this year ap-
pears TO have been unfounded. Her at
torneys are reticent about the occur
renee and the other people who have
Information on the subject veil their
ideas with the plea OF professional Sc
crecy. Mrs. Stanford was firmly CON
WINGED that some one had tried to take
her life, but her theory could not be
substantiated even after the most rigid
investigation.
She was taken sick at her stomach
on the evening in question and suffered
considerably for an hour or two froIn
nausea She Vomited violently three or
four times. Mrs. Stanford Immediately
suggested poison. An hour previous to
the attack she had taken drink of
Poland water. She had stated that it
seemed to taste bitter Elizabeth
Richmond, a maid and Miss Berner
Mrs Stanford's companion, both tasted
the water and each stated that it tast-
ed bitter. An emetic w given to Mrs.
Stanford, and she had recovered by the
next day except that she was greatly
disturbed by the idea that an attempt
had been made 20 take her life.
DOES NOT CONSULT DOCTOR.
No physician was consulted, as Mrs
Stanford did not have the habit Of ap-
peelfng to doctors except under extra
ordinary circumstances For few
days she was confined to the house by
an attack Of the grip. At that time
DR.. William Boericke was summoned.
He found that her he. IT was normal,
that she had some lsonehiaI trouble
and that she was otherwise in excellent
physical condition for a woman of
her age Mrs. Stanford still adhered to
the theory that she had been deliber-
ateiy poisoned and would talk of little
else =
Some OF the water Of which she
drank had been saved and this was
subsequently given TO Attorney Wilson.
de visited Wakelee's pharmacy, where
his client made her purchases in drugs.
and asked where he could find thor
oughly competent analytical chemist
The manager of the establishment re-
terred him to Louis Falkenau of 52s
sacramento street. Wilson proceeded
70 the chemists with Charles Lathrop,
Mrs. Stanford's brother, and directed
that qualitative and quantitative
analysis be made. 7other bottle of
Poland water was secured at random
and the chemist went to work.
About the result Of his labors there
- sun CJatlE my alA0Ough II is
stated from authoritative sources that
the research failed to be productive of
the results expected by Mrs. Stanford.
Strychnine in solution has a bitter
taste and the chemists experiments
We're directed mainly to see if this al
kaioid showed its. presence in the reac-
uons. F'aikenau states that his pro-
fessional honor is involved and that he
cannot make public the report he re-
turned TO Attorney Wilson. At any
rate neither the lawyer nor Charles
1Sathrop were at all disturbed bv the
information Cleaned, and when the
story came from Honolulu that Mrs.
stanford had been poisoned they -scorn-
eo H. The investigation was immedi-
aIely ended When the chemist had fn-
ished his work
DETECTIVES LEARN NOTHING.
Meanwhile, aroused by Mrs. Stan
fora's assertions that an attelnpt had
been made to poison her, Attorney VIII
son applied to Harry Morse for GOOD
men for secret service. These defao+-
ives MADE a complete investigation
OF the whole affair. BY process of elm
snation they found who the guilty. per.
sons. II such there We're might he
=. The bottle Of Poland water came in
q case with others TO the house and
was stored downstairs until used In
ssNAf tAlAca4lADi1 1tSluEflCe on California
street there were but nine persons be-
sides the owner. These were: Rertba
sBerner, the lady's companion. Nora
Hopkins, hOusemaid: Elizabeth Rich-
Jnono. Hnaidi William McWhinnev. blt.
=, Ter; Wong, second butler; Yene. cook.
An Lee, second cook: All Wing, facte-
D. tunn. and All Young. the -hoIseboy.. All
OF fthese employees were carefully dlies-
toned by the detectives and ali; d.
MED any knowledge Of the affair ex-
. cept Miss Rjehmond and Miss. Betner
who told about Mrs. Stanford's attack
Of sickness and Of tasting the. bitter
Poland water
Then careful investigation was.
rnade as TO who might. possibly benefit
by the deaEh Of the philanthropist All
OF the serreI1ts had, as il ha appenad
been zerpem bered in Mrs. Stanford's
Will but none OF them had known of
this fact. As far as could be learned
every employs, understood thet the fu
ture would be better if the lady con-
tinued 70 live than otherwise.
DRUG STORES ARE VISITED.
The secret service men. of whom,
there were several. visited every Srilg
store in San Francisco and riear-bv
cities. The previous movements of the
employees We're also traced as far as
possible. At last Morse reported TO
AtNOtHey NilSou Sndl none OF the house
servants had the slightest motive for
trying 70 kill Mrs. Stanford, that none
OF them had purchased poison recently
and that none Of their relatives or
friends had done so for them, so far
as could be learned
DR.. Boericke stated yesterday that
his patient showed no symptoms OF
having been poisoned. She was upset
by the grip and possibly worried, but
no trace Of poison was apparent, nor
did Mrs Stanford discuss the subject
with him The detectives were dis
missed and the philanthropist decided
TO take a trip abroad She had planned
several big social affairs, but these
were Cancelled. and IN company with
Miss Berner and a maid she sailed for
Japan