Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-03-08
Coroner's Inquest Pro.
misses Verdict Of Death
By Poisoning
CHEMI,T tXPfRTS TESTIFY
RESULTS OF Their ANALYSIS
TAKING OF TESTIMONY Is NEAR.
~ coMPLETED-THE PHYsi.
CLANS CONCLUSIONS
sTRENGTHENED.

tnat the verdlct OF the coroners jury
on the Stanford case, which will he
reached at the last meeting of the jury
tonight, will state that Mrs. Jane l..
Stanford came to her death by strych.
nine poisoning at the hands of person
or persons unknown. The expert ties. ,
timony Of doctors and chemists alike
can point to no other conclusion. One /
and all agree on strychnine-being found !
gans, and the doctors have strongly ,
maintained their opinion that strych !,
nine was the cause Of death.
The continuation Of the inquest yes
terday afternoon and evening brought
out little that was new. II served to
assert more definitely what in gen.
eral way was already known. Chemists
Duncan and Shorey made their long
awaited report, and with this report
the knowledge Of the cause Of death
was practically decided.
| II now remains for detectives to piece
together the meagre clues leading TO
the crime. and to hunt down the MUIR.
derer. From present appearances that
will be almost impossible.
The jury yesterday afternoon was
called to listen to the report Of the
chemists. When r. A. Duncan was cali
ed to the witness chair the excitement
among the little group in an upper
room Of the hotel dining annex grew
more intense than at any previous time
Of the inquest. To this report every
power OF chemical analysis in the
hands of experts had contributed. On
this report every later step hinged.
As Chemist Duncan made his report
the jurymen leaned forward over their
table. and the little group Of specta-
tors in the outer room became totally
silent.
Mr.. Duncan testified as to receiving
, the bottle of bicarbonate Of soda, the
capsules, the spoon. and the stomach
and contents. He placed them In seal.
ed room, and with DR.. Shorey he made
the analyses.
I'VE found 43 grains or 662 grains
weight In the bottle Of bicarbonate OF
soda. In the first ten grains exam.
ined we found seven-hundredths Of o
grain Of strychnine, in the second ten
grains thirteen.hundredths, in the
third ten fourteen-hundredths. From
this we calculated the bottle contained
about half grain OF strychnine.
I'VE next made an analysis OF the
body.stomach and contents, kidney, and
urine with negative results for strych
nine. But In the contents Of the In
testine we used the fading purple
test and obtained color reaction
characteristic Of strychnine. We com
bined all the remaining organs ant
again the fading purple" test SHOWED
a color reaction characteristic o.
strychnine.
I'VE found no residue Of strychnin'
that we could Identify. but the colo
reaction showed Its presence.
I'VE examined the capsules. The,
contained nux vomics. each one abou
/ 1870 Of grain. The Tablespoonful
OF soda contained by calculation IL
\ Of q grain Of strychnine, which is tn
alkal0id of nux vomica. The strycf
nine and brucine were in equal part
in the nux vomica. each about lis q
o grain. In nothing else did we fin
indications of strychnine. In the cal
sules there was much more than ne
essary to give the color reaction"
DIR. Shorey. next on the stand, test
fed almost exactly Is Mr.. Duncan. II
said that under the conditions no otht
substance but strychnine could hay
given the fading purple" reactio
He could not estimate the amount
strychnine found. Witness did not Il
lieve there was more than one on
thousandth Of a grain Of strychnine
the organs. Testified that liz Of
grain was not an unusual amount
strychpine to be prescribed as
adults dose.
Fl Mrs. Henry Il. Highton was ne
called. Evidently much moved as .
talked Of her friendship with Nj
Stanford. Mrs. Highton told the j.
ors Of her knowledge Of the first
tempt at poisoning. The conversati
referred to took place on the hotel
mai. Mrs. Stanford said that enou
poisoning had been given her to X
twenty persons. When Mrs. Hight
expressed surprise at the attempt, M
Stanford had said There is no do,
about It,"
Mrs. Highton further testified
asked her who she thought did II.
answered that It was confined to
own household and that she was h
ing It investigated. No other clue v
given. She seemed greatly distress
and had fear as II she was be
followed by the would'be poisoner.
81 Contrary to expectations. Mrs. Hi
TX ton was not asked about Mrs. st
ford's belief as to spiritualism.