Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-09
TESTIMONY AT
SWOPE INQUEST
INVOLVES HYDE
Startling Facts Adduced in
Connection with Death
of Millionaire
EVIDENCE DRAMATIC
Nurse Tells of Last Housr
of Philanthropist and
Relatives Action.
EVIDENCE DRAMATIC
[Associated PressI

II ANSAS CITY. Feb. S-With the
N testimony of Miss Pearl Keller, a
"A nurse; of DR.. Ludwig Hektoen,
of Mrs. Logan H. Swope and of DR..
FRANK Hail in the inquest over the body
of the late Col. Swope in Independence
today came developments in the mys-
terry of the millionaire's death moro
startling than any facts heretofore adj
duced.
Miss Keller's detailed story of the
last moments of Col. Swope's life, re-
plete with startling features of hap
penings in the Swope household, pro-
| duced a sensation.
SO carefully had her story been
guarded that although much has been
written and rumored about the case
not until today had any one outside the
immediate circle interested in the in
quiry heard her narrative.
Miss Keller testified that:
Immediately following the death of
Col. Thomas Moss Hunton DR.. B. G.
Hyde asked her to use her influence
with Col. Swope to have him appointed
administrator of the Swope estate, vice
Mr.. Hunton
On the morning of Col. Swope's death
she gave him a three-grain capsule,
supposed to contain dyspepsia medicine,
at the direction of DR.. Hyde. Twenty
minutes later Col. Swope was in a con-
Vulsion His death soon followed.
Five minutes after Col. Swope's death
DR.. Hyde appeared, and with Attorney
John G.. Paxton took Col Swope'S will
from his vest pocket.
Doctors Testimony
DR.. Hektoen testified that:
One-sixth of a grain of strychnine
was found in one-seventh part of Col.
Swope's liver. He believed there might
be grain in the entire organ. Half a
grain would cause death. Traces of
strychnine were found in the stomach.
Strychnine might have been injected
into the body after death.
He did not believe the taking of
medicine containing strychnine would
leave as much as grain of the poison
in the liver
Mrs Swope testified that:
DR.. Hyde knew of Col Swope's inten-
tion to give $1,500,000 to charity and of
his plan to change his will to this effect.
She also said that Col. Swope had
told DR.. Hyde he had planned to give
Thomas Swope the largest part of his
estate. She denied she entertained any
i'll feeling against DR.. Hyde.
DR. Frank Hall said he was abso-
lutely certain Col. Swope did not die Of
cerebral hemorrhage or apoplexy.
o. H. Gentry, a druggist of Inde-
pendence, said he prepared the medi-
cine for Col. Swope, and that it con-
tanned elixir of iron, quinine and
strichnine. The strychnine in a tea
spoon amounted to only one one-hun-
dred and eightieth of a grain, he said.
DR.. Hyde was again present at the
inquest today and heard every word
of testimony. Especially did he follow
the testimony of Miss Keller closely.
But he gave no sign that her narra-
tive perturbed him in the least.
Testimony startIes
In the tense moments when Miss
Keller described the dying actions OF
Colonel Swope, jurors and spectators
leaned forward and listened eagerly
to every word. She told in detail how
she gave the man a capsule and how
he passed into convulsions. He cried:
"Oh, my God. 1 wish I had not
taken that medicine; L wish I were
dead"
Miss Keller also said that DR.. Hyde
suggested to her that she ought to
charge $S5. instead of $25 week for
her services.
After she had given most of her tes-
timony, and the room was quiet, Cor
oner B. H. Zwart asked her:
do you know of anything that
might have caused Colonel Swope's
death, other than that capsule?"
81 do not" she replied firmly.
The report made by Rr. Hektoen
on the liver was supported by affi-
davits from Drs. Walter S. Haines
the condition of the stomach was
given verbally by DR.. Hektoen.
DIR. Hektoen said the examination of
the organs Of the body had not been
completed.
A question that may have great
bearing upon the case was asked by
juryman in the afternoon. 1t was:
could the body absorb strychnine
that had been injected after death?"
YES" DR.. Hektoen replied. IF
strychnine had been injected after
death and the body had lain for a
long time, the poison could have found
it's way to other parts of the body
through diffusion. Strychnine would
have to be in solution for that, and
it would spread through the tissues"
Would Not Diffuse
DIR. Hel1toen said, however. that
strychnine would not diffuse through
body frozen, as was Colonel Swope's
Mrs. Swope told of the many eccen-
tricities of Colonel Swope. She said
she had thought for twenty-five years
that his death was imminent.
I'm the same as a dead man." she
testified that he once said to a rela-
tive. I'm just walking around to save
funeral expenses"
DR.. Hyde, his lips tightly set,
watched the nurse closely as she told
her story while Mrs. Logan 0. Swope.
his mother-in-law, heavily veiled, lis
tened attentively from another part
of the room.
Among the other witnesses to be ex-
amined were Mrs. Logan Swope and
her daughters. The latter were called
to tell of their illness while suffer
ing from typhoid fever during the
siege following Colonel Swope's death
and during which nine members Of
the family were stricken.
Mrs. Swope, the sister-in-law OF
Colonel Swope, and mother of Chris
man Swope. and Mrs. B. c. Hyde has
kept in seclusion since the Swope mys-
terry became a sensation. Mrs Hyde
was again absent and 1t was an
nounced that she was still i'll abed.
Dr. Hyde and the ather principals
CONTINUED Page Threel