The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-06
SENSATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
In the Case OF DIR. Matthews of Green's
boro. Charged With the Murder of
his Wife by ~Strycbnine Poisoning.

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Der LIST last, when d.. 7. B. Matthews,
now incarcerated in the city Jail, was
charged with the murder Of his wife / II
a manner more terrible than was ever
pictured ny Victor Hugo in Les Miser.
ables.
The young physician who was suf-
fering from the effects of morphine. in
an almost incredible manner injected
into his dying spouse what was at the
time believed to be %strychnine in the
presence of three physicians.
The same night these same three
physicians, DR.. j. 2. Turner, county,
coroner, DR.. T.. II. Brooks and DIR. NJ.
r. Farrar, swore out a warrant against
DIR. Matthews, charging him with hav-
ing murdered his wife by administer.
ing ~strychnine.
The news of the tragedy, where both
principals were well and prominently
wildfire.
In a short time DIR. Matthews was
arrested.
He gave but an incOherent state
ment of what had occurred.
A STARTLING DISCOVERY.
But a startling discovery has been
made by the attorneys for the defense
in the past twenty-four hours that out
rivals, if possible, the FORMER sensa~
tional features of the case.
The hypOdermic syringe which Coro-
ner Turner snatched from the hand CT
DR.. Matthews, said TO have been load
ed with S~trychnine. n which was ex-
hibited on the preliminary trial half
full of a white powder, testified
to as being strychnine, was taken to a
professional chemist in Il certain uni
yersity and analysed. 1t proved not
to have a trace of s%trychnine, but to
be morphine. The color test was
made, and with %sulphuric acid, and the
result was only blue, the invariable
morphine color.
1t must nave been a moment of SUI
preme tension to the coroner-physician
as he watched to see if the strychnine
cOlOrS did not appear, which are first
blue, followed in succession by violet,
yellow, orange II pale green. But
the blue was all, chemistry revealing
unerringly the secret Of that instru-
ment kept in custody u the coroner
since he snatched it from the grasp Of
the dope drunk husband rs he had
made the last injunction.
Although this test WAS made two
weeks ago, it vas only Dy Il chance re-
mark made by a man on the platform
Of the Southern railway station here
last Wednesday,, that a rumOr reached
the ears of the defendants lawyers
here, that the Matthews syringe had
been tested by a certain chemical lab
ratOry in the state and found to con-
tain morphine, instead of s~trychnine.
Still in the dark, these attorneys set
to work and traced the origin ST the
with the result that they have
not only seen the chemist who ana
lived the hypOdermic, but who confirm
ed the report that it contained not a
trace of s%trychnine, and he was served
with a subpoena and will arrive in
Greensboro tonight as a witness for
the defense.
STRIKES A POWERFUL BLOW
The discovery strikes a powerful
blow at the former theory Of the pros
ecution that DR.. Matthews, finding his
wife was about to recover from the
morphine poison, premeditatedly in
jected strychnine to make death GER
tain. 1t absolutely demolishes this ele-
ment of diabOlical Elaboration and
completely revolutioniZes the lines Of
the legal battle on both sides.
In the absence of n assistance
from DR.. Matthews or information re-
lating to the tragedy or crime, his law
yers were cropping in the dark. In the
face of positive evidence from physl-
clans tina ~strychnine was administers
by DR.. Matthews, and that the de-
ceased died of strychnine poison, all
the symptoms showing this, in addl
ton to the analysis made by II OF
them of the contents sworn to have
been %strychnine, it will be certainly
an interesting study to see how the
two sides will be able to adapt them
selves to the new and true situation.
Another phase of the case, is what
will be the result of the new lines of
attack and defense with the prescribed
evidence of the prosecution that the
physicians themselves gave the pa
tient s%trychnine frequently, during the
day as a counter poison to morphine.
They said Matthews explained thai
his wife had swallowed Il large mum
Der of strychnine tablets, and that he
had been injecting morphine as a u
ter-poison, but that they found she had
no symptoms of morphine poison ana
Ihey were giving small injections OF
s%trychnine. believing that Matthews
had lied.
Now that a test Of the hypodermlc
shows that MattheH rs was sticking to
his morphine injenctI'n, While the
other physicians were giving stty6h-
nine and the latter having sworn that
she died from immediate effects OF a
%strychnine poisoning, it can readily be
seen that a broad and long avenue OF
eyentful and speculative hypothesis it
opens for the able lawyers in the case.
INFORMATION TO CORONER.
Information of the possession OF the
facts of the chemica: test ny his cor
-a.-a..io-+ u-aS inn1.a Cd 10 ENrQner