The daily Alaskan., 1908-11-13
A TraC0I0SS Poison
LorlgInal

III CuSulAlkg III SAS -NSAsNA SoSSg ~N- cluded my testimony with the remark, "A person desiring to kill another would be more likely to use poison that would leave no trace" where upon the prosecuting attorney asked me If there was such poison. l hay- ing replied that there was, he asked me to name It. The judge forbade me to do so. The prosecutor insisted, but the judge was immoyable. He would not permit me to name publicly poi son that would leave no trace.
 Immediately after my testimony was published l was deluged with letters inquiring the name of the poison that left no trace. Most of them doubtless came from Idle curiosity, but I was as- tonlshed at the number of those which showed plainly, from the pains the writers took to conceal their Identity, that they were written for an evil pur- pose.
 One day I received a call from wo- man who asked for the secret, She said she had made bet with her brother, who was a scientist, of S1,OO0 that there was such G poison, and she desired to prove 1t to him by trying 1t on dog. If would give her the name or the poison and she won she would give me half the amount
 l questioned her, then. going into an other room, returned with a tiny pill, which l gave her, saying that if 1t killed the dog and left no trace sho might refer her brother to me for evl- dence that she had won the bet When she left l sent a housemaid to follow her, who brought me her address. Sending for a detective, I directed him to establish some sort of a watch on the house where she lived, 10 shadow her when she went out and report to me any case of illness that might occur to any one with whom she might be connected.
 In a few days my man reported that the lady's husband had died suddenly. It had been given out that he had suf- fered an apOp!ectIc stroke and had not lived an hour after
 l was thmdcrsuuck. alone knew the nature of the pill l had given the woman, and of course she would keep the secret Nevertheless l was very much troubled at the result. directed the detective to keep her under strict surveillance. Later be reported to me that she had visited the office of a life insurance company. Upon inquiry he had learned that her husband had been Insured for $5O,OOO. I hurried to the insurance office, called on tue pres ldent and advised him before paying the claim to make sure that there was DO trickery connected with it. But l would answer no questions
 The next l heard of the case was that upon examination of the body exhumed for the purpOse-it was dis covered that 1t was the remains of the brother of the man insured. The in- sured himself had disappeared. Pay ment was refused, and the woman was arrested on charge of fraud, to which was added a charge of murder.
 The body of the deceased was given. over to physicians with view to dis covering if the man had died natural death One reported apoplexy as the cause, another heart trouble and an- other kidney disease Three different experts reported three different poisons found in the body, There was opium, arsenic and one other the name of which l have forgotten. l was sum moned as q witness for the prosecution and produced Il sensation by refusing to testify on the ground of self merlin nation.
 Afterward I consented to give my evidence l informed the court of the womau's visit to me, of her request for a poison that would leave no trace and the use she proposed to make of It. Then told them that I had given her the pill At this point a technical ob- jection was interposed by the defend ants counsel and the judge sustained him. I was forbidden to tell what was In the pill, the reason being that it had not been proved that the pill had been used. This left me In very uufortu- nate position.
 After long trial the woman was ac- quilted of the charge of murder, and the charge of fraud was never pressed. The prosecution had failed to prove she knew that the man who was buried was her husbands brother or that she had poisoned him. Her counsel con trlved to throw all tie blame on her husband, who had disappeared.
 After her acQuittal the woman came to see me. She was curious to know if I had been deceived by her story about the bet and If had really given her traceless pill. Before replying asked her to explain the case to me, and, aft CT a solemn promise on my part to keep her secret, she did so.
 Her husbands life was largely in- sured, and since they were an i'll mated couple she resolved to poison him. Just as she was about to give him the pill I had furnished her her husbands brother came to the house for visit. His health had been broken down by .excesses, especially drugs that he had