Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-27
CHAPTER XIX.
The ANALYST to the Home Once.

Next DAYS evening papers contained
full accounts of the adjourned inquest
which, disregarding the fact that l was
again under the surveillance Of the police,
attended with Cunliffe.
I sat in the small crowded coroners
court listening. like a man in dream,
~ the dry, businesslike tones of three
doctors vino gave evidence
Presently short, rather stout, bald
headed man in frock coat and black tie
| took the oath and stated that he was the
| analyst of the home Office, and that he
| had been engageu in trying to discover
| the cause of the unfortunate woman S
DEATH
| 1T was poison, undoubtedly he said.
After a great number of experiments !
| have come to the conclusion that the
poison used must be one unknown TIC
modern Psychologists. The deceased was
apparently inoculated with it. and Its
action was very rapid. The poison was,
the middle ages, and of the preparation
of which the secret has, perhaps for
/ tunately, been lost In some respects
| however, the symptoms were very sim
liar to the poison used by the Cherokee
Indians
That was snake poison, was 1t not?'
asked the coroner, himself a doctor, inter.
| rupting while in court there fell dead
| silence as all listened breathlessly.
Eyes, snake poison. with a vegetable
poison added" the analyst replied THE
| Indians took a fresh deer liver. fastened
| ii to long pole. and went to certain
place where they knew they would find
rattlesnakeS in abundance. The snakes
when disturbed. would strike repeatedly
at the liver. and the Indians would keeI
| up the work until the liver was well
soaked with snake poison. Then the pole
was carried home and fastened in an up
right position until the liver became sun
dried and hard. 1t was then ground t6
! a fine powder. and vegetable poison
added. and placed in a buckskin bag to be
used as needed for arrows
| And Its effect. you say. was very SIM
liar to the symptoms Of the present case"
| remark the coroner, looking up from
| the dispositions he was engaged in taking
Similar But in the present case there
are certain features which are extremely
puzzling. That the deceased was poisoned
! I have established beyond sall doubt, bu,
| with exactly what substance | and those
| assisting me are unable to declare
Then. speaking plainly, the poison is
an unknown one?"
/ EXACTLY
"Have you ever met with this particular
poison previously in your eXperence!'
| asked the coroner.
"Never. 1t is to me entirely new"
and believe you are well known
toxicologist?'
sons. including 'Poisons and Their Treat
ment. which Is. ! believe. a text book
well known to the medical profession"
And can you give us no theory as to
how the deceased came to her death?'
| "None-except that the poison could no,
have been self-administered; and. fur
Their. that whoever inoculated her was
practiced in the prisoners art"
| siludder ran through the public al the
back OF the court, as 1t was realized that
4 actually w lkinrr ahant
and going free who could thus poison
their fellow men in secret and in perfect
security.
| The analyst went OH to describe with
much technical detail the various tests he
had applied and the experiments he had
made. a full report of which it is unnec-
essary to give in these pages. To it all
| the public listened open-mouthed. while
reporters scrubbed necessarily.
| CunifTe sat at my side. but wrote notn-
ing. He was not an ordinary reporter
| That was left to the younger and less ex-
perienced members of the staff.
| Was Granny Cough the expert poison
| err That was the question uppermost in
my mind, as it ever now was, night and
day.
Cuniffe had declared to me that there
was actually a witness-Elfrida Maynard,
the pretty dark-eyed girl by whose beauty
| I had become entranced. Yet not word
was mentioned regarding her. She was
not in attendance, though all the time my
eager eyes were on the alert to catch
| sight Of her.
| Why was she not called?
A dozen times ] was on the point OF
putting that question to my friend at my
side. but l saw that to be unduly anxious
might be to betray myself.
What possible connection could Elfrida
have with that unknown foreign woman
or with Granny Cough? She was friend
of Myra and therefore probably had
known Granny through her.
| No mention was made Of Granny's ar
rest. The police we're. no doubt. keeping
! that fact a secret until the coroner's jury