Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-09
>Coroner's Jury Not Com
mitted as to FeIo-
nious Intent.
DOCTOR NOT WITNESS
Shown that the Body Contained
Strychnine Enough to
Kill Two Men.

Kansas City, Feb. e.-The verdict Of
the coroner's jury in the Swope case
follows:
Colonel Swope came to his death
by reason of strychnine administered
in capsule by DR.. Hyde, but whether
with feIonious intent or not we, the
jury, are unable to say"
The jury was out one hour.
Hyde Kept OF stand.
Kansas City, Feb. 9.-When the
sSwope inquest opened today DR.. Hyde
was called to the stand. His attor-
neys. however, declined to let him
testify and after much wrangling he
was excused. Miss Pearl Kellar, the
nurse, was recalled. She repeated
her story of yesterday, detailing the
scene at the death bed of Colonel
Swope. After hearing the expert
testimony of DR.. Gayle the case went
to the jury.
Name Not Called.
The morning barely had started
when DIR. Zwart, county coroner, look
ed at the piece of paper upon which
lie CdTIl6u d ASl VI WlIu0SS6S. he
was about to call the name of Dr.
Hyde, when Attorney Walsh announc-
ed the attorneys for Hyde had advised
him not to testify. Prosecuting At
torney Conkling stood up and announc
ed:
Il have here copy of a newspaper
Of Feb. 1 1t contains a signed state
ment by DR.. B. c.. Hyde, and in the
light Of his refusal to testify de-
sire to-
There was an interruption from
Walsh:
''If this is done for the purpose of
publication" he almost shouted, q"
Hold a Conference.
Zwart was on his feet, and between
the two men, and for a moment he
and Conkling conversed in a whisper,
and the two retired to a private room.
The coroner and prosecutor return
ed, and Zwart said:
II still hold the coroner has a right
to examine witnesses and that Hyde
was suhpoenaed in the regular way
and is therefore entitled to testify"
Prosecutor Insists.
81 stated before that, on advice of
counsel. Hyde refuses to be sworn to
testify" promptly replied Walsh, land
since that"
Conkling again interrupted: "The
prosecutor asks that the same rule
apply here as with all Witnesses" he
said vehemently.
Walsh refused to allow Hyde to tes-
fifv and tho in No
should, and again Walsh objected.
Conkling, still with a newspaper copy
of Hyde's statement in his hand-a
statement In which Hyde said he was
willing to testify at any inquiry; that
he was eager for an investigation and
anxious that the mystery of Swope's
death be cleared up-looked at Hyde,
at the attorneys, and at the specta-
tors. Then" he said, that is suffi-
cient for the purposes of the prosecu-
tor"
walsh in Statement.
This ended the incident. Later
Walsh made the following state
ment:
gha evidence In the investigation
by the state Derore the CUroners Jury
dS 70 the QedIn Oh COlOu01 0WOpe IS
not such as to impress counsel for DR..
HYDE With che oer1ef that anything of
d substantial nature has been showA
tending to discredit his statement
heretofore made that he is neither re-
sponsible by accident nor design for
the death Of Colonel Swope, or that
death resulted from other than nat
ural causes. Statements of experts
employed by Mrs. Swope are so at
variance with one another no reason
able conclusion could be drawn there
from
Accepts Full Responsibilities.
Counsel for Hyde therefore refused
20 permit him to be sworn as a wit
ness, accepting full responsibility
therefor with assurance to the public
a complete investigation will result in
the exoneration of Dr. Hyde from all
@'blame in the matter"
Much Poison I'm Liver.
Or. Ludwig Hektoen of Chi
cago, Mrs. Logan H. Swope
and DR.. Frank Hall testified
yesterday after Miss Pearl Keller, the
nurse, had concluded her sensational
recital. DR.. Hektoen testified that one
sixth of a grain of strychnine was
found in one-seventh part of Colonel
Swope's liver. He believed there might
be grain in the entire organ Half
grain would cause death. Traces
OF strychnine were found in the stom- ]