New-York tribune., 1910-04-19
FLAYS HYDE
Charges Cyanide Plot in SWope
Murder Address.
WITNESS FOR STATE DIES
DR.. Twyman Was Family Physl-
cian-Wife Stands Loyalty
by Accused Doctor.

Kansas city Mo. April 1S.-The state
had hardly completed its opening state
rnent to-day in the trial OF Or. r. {. Hyde
for the murder OF Colonel Thomas n.
Swops when Or. @. T. Twyman, the
Prosecutions most important witness. died
at a hospital from acute divertculitis. with
which he was stricken last Saturday.
Mr. Twyman was for years the Swope
family physician. When the nurses struck
at the Swope home and accused Dr. HYDE
they carried their complaint TO Dr. ivy
man. lie called DR. HYDE to mis- Office and
told him he was suspected. DIR. Tywfnan
vas a confidant Of the Swope family
While the state depended Tuch on the tesi-
mony Of Dr Twyman, he gave Or. Hyde's
attorneys A deposition in which he refused
20 criticise Dr. Hyde.
Dr. Hyde sat calmly between his wife
and his father. the Rev. George Hyde. OF
Lexington. Mo, I'm the crowded Criminal
Court room to-day and heard himself de-
sc1bed as a man whose greed for gold
had made him a prisoner and murderer
After James a. Reed. special prosecuting
attorney, closed the prosecutions opening
statement Mrs. Hyde turned. hammered
her husband on the shoulder and said: You
did fine
y rev rect 6enlDu Tne ftNnfS Sdt hiN.
Logan O. Swope. mother of Mrs. Hyde
and employer Of Attorney Reed. She, too.
paid strict attention TO the address, but
displayed no emotion.
The charge that DR.. Hyde poisoned Colo
mel Thomas ". and Chrisman Swope by
the use of cyanide Of potassium. as well as
strychnine was the only feature
brought out I'm Mr.. Reeds address.
he death nf f'nlnrHl
Suope and Dr. Hyde's contention that he
gave tho patient nothing but a digestive
tablet. NJ. Reed said
I'VE shall show you that cyanide Of po-
tassium is the most dangerous poison.
Prussic acid is one OF the deadliest of poi
sons The poison OF the asp or the adder
is not TO De compared with II Seldom is it
sold I'm its original form. but one Of the
compounds containing prussic acid is cya-
nide of potassium. 1t. too, is rarely used
as a medicine.
We shall show that on September 13 Dr.
HYDE purchased cyanide Of potassium cap
sules and Holenden digestive capsules.
The Cyanide Capsule.
These appear so nearly alike that it
would be almost impossible for the average
person to tell the difference between them
II was by the use of these capsules. similar
in character. that Dr. Hyde hoped to cover
up the administering of the deadly poison
A long recital Of how Dr. Hyde obtained
th. typhoid and diphtheria germs Of DR.. f.
L. Stewart, and the appearance of Typhoid
fever in the Swope residence followed. This
tvphoid could not have come from the water
used il was said. because the water came
from Cistern and was we'll filtered. 1t
was on the occasion of DIR. HYDE taking din
ne- with the Swope family on November -
that he is thought to have spread the germs.
IL was said.
significant feature of that part of the
statement which referred to Hyde purchas-
/ ing poison was the reference to the store of
the druggist from whom the poison was
I bought being burned recently.
said Mr.. Reed: There is druggist in
! Kansas City named Brecklein whose store
was near the Office of Dr. Hyde and at
/ which the physician obtained some of his
| medicinal supplies. After Colonel and
1 Chrisman Swope had died and after the
suspicion. this drug store was burned.
. How or why do not know. nor, per
/ laps will il he necessary 10 investigate. but
whilc il burned the books of account Of
Brccklen were not burned, and these books
/ disclosed that on December and u Hyde
purchased cyanide of potassium i'm cap
suIes at the store"
After Mr.. Reed had addressed the jury
/ for an hour this afternoon. Frank =. Walsh.
/ for the defence. announced he would not
deliver his opening statement until to-
/ morrow, and adjournment was taken.