The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-06-15
COFFEE IN POISON PLOTS.
POPULAR BREAKFAST BEVER-
AGE is OFTEN so USED.
Weird and Mysterious Murders Ac-
cOmplished BY the Medium of
Drugs Are Recalled.

compIished BY the Medium of
Drugs Are Recalled.
Killed by strychnine administered
in cup of coffee. That is all that
is known about the mysterious death
of the late Mr. Scott, and, apparent
Iy, all that is likely to be known.
1t is curious how frequently cof
fee is used as a medium by poison
ers. In one of the most startling
poison cases of recent years a Ger
man nurse girl, Minna Wagner by
name, was poisoned by muriatic acid
administered in a cup of hot coffee.
The accused was FTaulein Elizabeth
Won Haussier, the distinguished Lady
Superior of the Royal Macmillan
Chapter, and neice Of the Royal
Chamberlain of the Bayarian court
Evidence was brought that Fraulein
Won Haussier had, in the presence of
the girl, spoken slanderOusly of
minister and a princess of the Ba-
yarian court, and that Minna had
ventured to demonstrate. Here was
a motive for the crime, but there
ever had such poison as muriatic acid
in her possession. Over one hundred
witnesses were called, and the trial
lasted a whole fortnight.
But the evidence was inconclusive,
and eventually Fraulein Won Haus-
sier was discharged.
Two years ago a wealthy Phila-
delphia physician, DR.. William H.
Wilson, met his death in a mysterious
fashion. One day he received by post
a bottle of beer, with a letter from
brewery, asking him to sample their
new brew.
He was sitting at dinner when the
package arrived with his wife and
children. Let us see what it is
like" he said. He swallowed a
glassful Then as his wife was about
to fill a glass he dashed the bottle
out of his hands. 1T is poisoned"
he cried, and, running out of the
room toward his surgery, fell on the
floor and died before any antidote
could be administered. The brew
cry denied all knowledge of the let
ter, and though a woman of wealth
and well known in society was sus-
pected of the crime it was never
brought home to her.
Doctors are not infrequently the
objects of the spite of prisoners.
One day in February, two years ago,
DR.. VitOlo residing at Olevano. in
the Province of Salerno, in Italy, re-
Ceived a parcel containing a packet
of sweets and letter signed "Muzio
Mattace," saying that in memory of
old times he sent the present, which
was to be divided among the family.
The sweets were divided among
the two children-a girl of nine and
a boy of three. Almost Immediately
both fell down in dreadful cOnvul-
Sions. The girls life was saved, but
the poor little boy died in his moth
er's arms.
When the doctor came home and
saw the letter he said he knew Mat
tace. but that he was not in Italy;
whereas, the box had been posted in
Naples. The police set to work and
discovered thatOn the day the sweets
were posted man staying at a GER
tain hotel in Naples had sent a boy
10 buy some sweets. Later in the
same day a man, presumably the
same, had given street boy a coin
to post a packet for him. When the
boy came out of the postoffice the
man had vanished. And that was the
end of it. Though they arrested sew
eral people they never traced the
criminal.
The last occasion upon which the
police unearthed any extensive poi
soning conspiracy in this country was
III the late nineties. A gang of con-
scienceless scoundrels are known to
have committed at least a dozen MUIR
ders upon individuals whose lives
were insured for sums aggregating
over $3.50, 900. The head of the
gang was accustomed to attach him
self to young men of means in the
capacity of valet or courier. He had
a most extensive knowledge of poi
sons, and those which he used were
among the ones least known to
science. Incidentally it may be
mentioned that out of over 100 poi
sons known to science not more than
40, at the outside, ever figure in the
registrar generals returns as causes
of death.-Answers