The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-04-28
DRUGGIST DRINKS
SWOPE'S TONIC IN
SIGHT OF JURORS
Alleged Victim of DR.. Hyde
Called to Stand by State in
Murder Trial.

Kansas City, Mo, April 27.-There
was nothing harmful about the strych-
nine tonic which Colonel Swope was
accustomed to taking, testified o. II.
Gentry, an Independence druggist, In
the Hyde murder trial today. This
druggist filed the prescriptions for
James Moss Hunton for many years.
Hunton induced Colonel Swope to take
the medicine.
This tonic" said Mr.. Gentry, "is
a general one for building up the sys-
tenn n adding red corpusles to the
blood. 1t contains a small amount Of
strychnine, but is harmless"
AS he talked he held in his hand
a six-ounce bottle OF the medicine.
Proof that he had faith in his own
goods was not lacking. for occasionally
he uncorked the bottle and o a drink
of the contents.
Besides compromising the tonic. Mr..
Gentry says that he sold Mr.. Hunton
many other kinds of medicine which
went into the Swope house. None OF
them contained cyanide of potassium
or other poison in dangerous quantities,
he said. DR.. Hyde wrote some of these
prescriptions. On December 9. however,
said the druggist, he sold to some mem
Der of the Swope family two tubes Of
hypodermic s~trychnine. The testimony
of MI. Gentry was generally conceded
to be a hard blow to the defense. BY
proving the %colonels habit of taking
the tonic. The defense expected to eX-
plain the alleged presence of strychnine
IN the body.
Alleged Victim on Stand.
DR.. Hyde faced the first of his all
legged victims shortly before noon to-
day, when Miss Margaret Swope took
the stan The physician is indicted
on three counts charging him With poi
soning her. No witness that has been
before the jury has interested DR..
Hyde and his wife so much as this
girl. Both followed the witness closely
and watched her carefully.
The testimony of Miss Swope this
morning was uninteresting in the main.
She had just begun to discuss her ILL
ness when court adjourned for the noon
recess.
Court hours were heightened, to be-
gin today, by Judge Latshaw because
of his desire to free the jury as soon
as possible. The morning session now
is from 9 to ~ o'clock and the after
noon Is from 1880 to 6 o'clock. Night
sessions will be held Of the court
thinks them necessary.
Nurse On the Stand.
The subject OF the hypodermic in
Swope by DR.. Hyde, was among the
first touched on the cross examination
of Nurse Houlihan today. who was on
the stand when court opened.
1T is not true" asked Mr.. Walsh,
that a hypodermic injection often
causes a hard lump to raise on ne
arm?"
Sometimes" Miss Houlihan an
swered.
"Margaret's arm was sensitive to
these injections and you had been
ordered to cease giving them to her, l
believer"
The arm was sensitive.'
You gave her fou injections Mon
day, d the direction of DIR. ivy
man?"
II can't remember"
Her heart action was weak and in
termittent?"
1T was weak"
The nurse told of a visit she made
to DR.. Hyde's room in the Swope
home one night when the patients
temperature began to fall rapidly.
"Margaret's temperature fell from a
fraction more than 102 to about SO,
and 1 went to call DR.. HYDE" said the
witness. II told him about this. He
did not arise, but told me he done
all he could do"
That DR.. Hyde reprimanded her be-
cause she did not give the girl her
medicine at the proper time, was ad-
mitted by Miss H%oulihan.
H spoke sharply and seemed
greatly put out about it." said the
nurse.
"Did chrisman swope suffer from
hallucinations?" asked Mr.. Walsh.
YES" replied Miss Houlihan, me
imagined DR.. Hyde was going to oper-
ate on him, and that Margaret was
dead"
The inroads the defense was making
upon the testimony Of the nurse SEEM
ingly %perturbed Mrs. Logan o. Swope.
latter listening for an hour m Tho o~-
animation Of the witness, she called
one of her special attorneys to her side
and held a lengthy consultation
What did DR.. Hyde say when he
handed you the capsule to give Chris
man swope?" asked Mr.. Walsh.
"The patient is getting along all right
and it Is time to Civ him his medi-
fHoulihan gave h capsule and con-
~vulsion followed. The attempt Of Mr..
Walsh to show Miss Houlihan disliked
Dr.. Hyde, and had quarreled with him
in the Swope residence, brought a Wig
orous denial by the nurse.
on December 1872" asked Mr.. Reed,
when Mr.. Walsh had finished with the
witness. Three of DR.. Hyde's attorneys
objected at the same time to the wit
ness answering. and the court upheld
the objection.
Druggist Is Called.
o. P. Gentry. the independence drug
gist who compounded the %strychnine
tonic for Colonel Swope, and James
was apparent that Mr.. Gentry did not
fear his own prescription. He took a
bottle of the tonic to the stand with
him, and betimes. took a drink of it.
II have a slight palpitation Of the
heart" he explained to the court when
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