Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-09
POISON EXPERTS
TAKE STAND IN
BENNETT TRIAL
CHEMISTS AND PHYSICIANS IN
DIRECT CONFLICT
ALL AGREE THAT CONDITION OF
PATIENT is MATERIAL
Consensus of Opinion Is That stryoh.
nine Kills More Quickly Than
Ptomaine-Drug Found
in Stomach

and chemists yesterday in
the trial of Harper e. Bennett, charged
with the murder of his wife, Eugenia
Bennett, February 13, but
there was a general agreement that the
specific character of symptoms of
poisoning of any sort differs greatly
according to the mental and physical
peculiarities of the patient.
At the opening of the afternoon ses-
sion of court in department IL, where
the case is being tried, julius Koebig,
a chemist, who stated that he has had
thirty-four years experience in his line
in Germany and the United States, told
of exhaustive examinations and chem
ical analyses he had made in company
with DIR. L. B. Stookey of portions of
the body of Mrs. Bennett.
I'VE were not looking for any par
ticular poison" declared this witness
in answer to various questions by AS
sistant District Attorney G. c. Nc
Comas for the prosecution and Attor-
ney e. B. Drake for the defense.
Experts Found strychnine
"Our physical examination as we'll
as the chemical analyses was such as
to disclose any indication of ptomaine
had there been any, but there
was none. We found no trace. The
v
no Inflammation nor irritation
of any kind and they were in a re-
markable state of preservation.
I'm cases of ptomaine poisoning the
walls of the stomach are highly in
famed.
"In the stomach we found strychnine
and also in the liver, but in smaller
There was trace of strych-
nine in the fluid from the abdominal
cavity.
"Strychnine has no effect upon the
system while it remains in the stom-
ach, but must be absorbed into the cir
culation before the effect begins. 1t is
absorbed very rapidly. Death results
within three or four hours.
In cases of fatal ptomaine poisoning,
death follows, usually in from Is to
20 hours, but 1 have heard of cases in
which death result in to 10 hours
Hypoderme Theory Denied
Asked by the prosecutor if there
could be strychnine in the stomach as
result of hypodermic injection OF
the drug into the forearm, DR.. Koebig
replied:
mo, it never, could find its way into
the stomach at all Even where death
from strychnine poisoning has resulted
from hypodermic injection it is useless
to look for strychnine in the stomach"
DR.. D. C. Barber, the last witness in
the days proceedings, called, as was
DR.. Koebig, by the prosecution, de-
clared that strychnine taken hypoder-
in the forearm might find its
way through the blood to the stomach,
and that traces might be discovered
there even from an injection of so
small amount as one-thirtieth of a
grain.
DR.. Koebig at the conclusion of his
testimony stated that the body of Mrs.
Bennett had been embalmed, as evil
denced by the presence of a quantity
of formaldehyde. 1t was stated that
this would have the effect of concealing
to some extent the amount of strych-
nine Remaining in the small intestine.
Commissions a Symptom
DR.. Sumner j. Quint, police surgeon,
testified that in all cases of fatal
strychnine poisoning convulsions ap-
pear at some stage, while the cardinal
symptoms of ptomaine poisoning are
vomiting ~diarrhoea and cramps in the
stomach, followed by coma, the sufferer
into unconsciousnesS some time
before death. In the first stages of
strychnine poisoning, he stated, the
pulse is high, but did not think 1t
would go as high as 144.
DIR. G. w. Campbell testified that he
knew of no case of ptomaine poisoning
in which death resulted within twenty
four hours In other respects his testi-
mony in that regard was practically
the same as that of the other physl-
clans.
"The poison is produced by bacteria"
he said, "and nature seems to make an
effort to throw it off by
or purging. Such is not the
case with strychnine poisoning.
"In strychnine poisoning, the pulse is
raised in number; in ptomaine poison
ing the pulse is weakened"
Death Results Quickly
This witness declared that death
from the effects of strychnine results
in from half an hour to three hours
and that after the latter period, the
danger of death is past
Attorney Drake, not liking the tone
of this testimony, waxed ponderously
sarcastic in some of his questions, re-
hecting upon the general and specihc
knowledge of the witness. DR.. Camp
bell, taking counsels words as a re-
Election upon the profession rather than
upon himself alone, retorted heatedly:
doctors are the best class of men
in the world, the most conscientious.
"But you make mistakes sometimes?
insinuated Drake.
"All mortals make mistakes" re-
turned the witness. 81 am inclined to
the belief that doctors make far less
than the lawyers do"
Drake seemed to forget about the
case and began fiery discourse in de-
fense of lawyers as compared with
when Attorney McComas
gently reminded him what he was
there for and the excited attorney sub
sided.
Surroundings Affect Pulse
DIR. Campbell did not believe the
pulse of 140 could have been caused by
alone, but declared that any
startling circumstance tends to raise
the pulse, especially of women, and
that sometimes the entrance of the
doctor will make the pulse go up.
Drake then wanted to know If the
pulse wouldn't fall as soon as the pa
tient recovered from her terror of the
DOCTOR" The witness ignored him.
DIR. d. c. Barber declared that
poisoning, when fatal, kills
in. from five minutes to three hours.
of grain has been known
TO cause alarming symptoms, and half
a grain is supposed to be fatal dose
If all absorbed. Ptomaine poisoning,