The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-27

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! Brooks and DIR. K. NJ Earrar sworc out.
| warrant aga INST Mathews charging
him with having murdered his wife by
| administering strychnine.
The Insanity Plea.
| 1t was generally understood that the
| defense would be insanity.
| Ever since lie WIS placed In Jail on
| the right OF the ssia,li Of his wife. DR..
| Mathews has been apparently insane o.
demented At first he had To be given
| morphine. This drug WAS used in grad
| ually diminishing quantities until he
came near dying. For the past month
Mathews has greatly improved. mentally
and physically. and while convcrsing
with more intelligence. declares that he
| has no recollection whatever OF t.is.
events preceding or subsequent to his
wifcs death. his last recollection being
a visit TO his people in Durham
| Thanksgiving Day. preceding the awful
tragedy. His lawyers have been unable.
| they have repeatedly stated, TO get any
data whatever from him az to the events
of that tragic day and have had 10 rely
upon the testimony OF tho prosecuting
witnesses who related with much cir
cumstantlaiity what DIR. Mathews said
and what he did at the bedside OF his
wife. and his explanation while dope
drunk himself. of the cause of her con-
dtion.
Forced TO rely upon a plea OF insanity,
n is t,n,lerstood that several of the most
eminent specialists on morphine poison
Ing and it's effects on the mental ana
moral as well as physical organs of the
human machine, have been summoned
by the defense, among them being Profes-
sor l.. NJ Crowson. of Harvard Univer-
sity. recognized AS among the most emil
nent expert authorities on this subject
living WIN arrived Tonight.
A Startling Discovery.
But discovery has been made by the
attorneys for the defense in the past
twenty-four hours that outrivals, If pos
sible, the former sensational features OF
the case.
The hypodermc syringe which Coroner
Turner snatched from the hand of DIR.
Mathews said to have been loaded with
strychnia. and which WAS exhibited on
the preliminary trial. half full OF white
| powder, testified 10 being ,strychnine, was
taken by the coroner two weeks ago TO
| n professor of chemistry in a certain
university, and analyzed. 1t proved NOT
| TO have n trace of strychnia, but to be
| morphine. The color test was made. and
with sulphuric acid the result was ONLY
blue. the invariable morphine color. II,
must have been a moment ofsu preme
| tension to the coroner physician, as he
watched to see II the strychnne colors did
not appear. which are first blue, followed
in succession by violet. yellow, orange
and pale green. But the blue was all,
chemistry revealing unerringiys the secret
OF that. instrument kept In custody Of the
coroner since he snatcled 1t from the
grasp of the dope-drunk husband, as he
had made the last injection.
Upsets Theory.
The discovery strikes powerful blow
at the former theory of the prosecution
that DIR. Mathews, finding his wife WAS
about to recover from the morphine
poison, premeditatedy injected strchnine
to make death certain. 1t absolutely de-
inolishes this clement of diabolical de-
liberation and completely revolutionizes
the lines ofbattle on both sides.
In the absence of any assistance from
Or. Mathews or information relating to
the tragedy or crime, his lawyers were
cropping In the dark In the face of posi-
tive evidence from physicians that strych-
nine was administered by DR.. Mathews,
and that tho deceased died of strychninel
poison, all the symptoms showing this,
in addition to the analysis made by one
of them Of the contents sworn to have
been strychnne. 1t will be certainly an
interesting study to see how the two
sides will be able to adapt themselves
to the new; and true situation.
Another phase of The new case is, what
will lie the result of the new lines of
attack and defense with the preserved
evidence Of the prosecution that the ply
siciuns themselves gave the patient
srychnine frequently during theGdRy US q
counter poison to morphine. They said
Mathews explained that his wife had
swallowed a. large number. of strychnine
tablets, and he had been Injecting NOR
phine as a collnter-poison,, but that they
found that she had no symptom OF. NOR
phlne poison. and they We're giving small
injections Of strychnine, believing that
Mathews had lied.
Now that u test of the hypodermc
shows that Mathews was sticking to his
morphine Injection, while the other ply
sicians We're giving strychnine, and the
latter having sworn that she died from
latter having sworn that she died from
Immediate effeots, Of 8strychnine polson-'
| Ing, it Gun readily be seen what d broad
and long avenue OF eyentful and specu-
l4lative hypothesis 1T opens for the ,ablo
lawyers lin the case. I'M.
Mrs. NJ Rigan has returned to. Nor
folk after u delightful visit ia her sisters,
| Mrs r. Jacobs and Mrs II. T.. John