The San Francisco call., 1910-02-10
DEATH DUE TO
STRYCHNINE IN
MEDICINAL DOSE
COrOner'S Jury in the SwOpe In-
quest Makes No Charge
OF FeIOniOus Intent
DIR. B. {. Hyde, Who Prescribed
the Deadly Capsule, Re-
fuses TO Testify

KANSAS CITY, No. Feb 9.-Colonel
Thomas H. Swope came to his death by
reason Of strychnine administered in
= capsule by DR.. B. c Hyde, husband
or the miIlionaire's niece. according to
the verdict Of the coroner's jury in In
dependence today.
Whether the drug was administered
with felonious intent. the jury said in
dts verdict. ii was unable to determine.
The jury was out little more than
an hour. The greater part of this
time was devoted to discussing the
case only one ballot was necessary.
NUMEROUS CONSULTATIONS
Although there were numerous and
= urried consultati tions between Attor-
Dezs for the state and Doctor Hyde and
his legal advisers, and although rumOrs
regarding probable prosecutions We're
plentiful tonight. the case stands just
as IL did when the coroners jury re-
turned its verdict
Prosecutor Virgil Conkling refused
10 discuss his plans He said positive
Is. however, that he would confer with
his associates in the prosecutors Office
before he took any action. He and
Henry I. JOst first assistant circuit
attorney. who has done the major por-
tion Of the investigating for the state
in the Swope mystery, viii confer to-
morrow
It is said tonight that Coroner B. H.
ZUart viii begin an inquest over
CE-isman SWOpe's body as soon as the
of7cia1 report of the physicians who
are examining the stomach and liver
Is received. J. E. Trogden, coroner's S
attorney. would not commit himself on
This rumOT-
WIFE OF PHYSICIAN I'LL
Doctor HYDE and his attorneys. John
N Cleary and Frank p. Walsh, spent
tile evening together at the physician's 5
home. They made no statement. Mrs.
Hyde is seriously Eli and the physician
is devoting all his spare time to her.
The suit that Doctor Hyde has pend
ing against Attorney John G. Paxton,
dr. Frank Han and DR.. Edward l.
Stewart for dana ges for $500, 600 for
alleged libel viii be dismissed if Doctor
Hyde is pressed for depositions in the
case now. ii is reported tonight It is
expected that the deposition contest.
which waged so hercely last week,
viii begin anew now that the coroner's
inquest is over
DOCTOR HYDE CALM
II Doctor Hyde is rufled by the YER
dict he is conceaIing his feelings. he
was present when the verdict was re-
turned. After hearing it read he
turned 10 his attorney, John N. Cleary,
and asked;
What does il mean2"
Cleary explained the verdict.
II see he simply said.
Then he asked his attorneys to 20 to
eft the building.
REFUSES TO TESTIFY
TIE morning barely had started when
Zr-1 r-r
per, upon which he carried the list Of
Witnesses His lips were just begin
ming TO frame the name Of Doctor HYDE
when Attorney Walsh arose and bent
over the table The courtroom became
suddenly quiet Walsh began slowly:
The attorneys for Doctor Hyde have
advised him not 10 testify" Walsh said.
we don't care for him to testify. and
therefore. at our suggestion, he must
decline TO be sworn
After some further discussion, during
which the coroner insisted that Doctor
HYDE should testify, the inquest pro-
ceeded. but Doctor HYDE did not testify.
NURSE TELLS OF DEATH
Miss Pearl Kellar again took the
stand and detailed that part of her
story Of yesterday in which she had
described the condition Of Colonel
SwOpe from the time he had taken the
capsule given her by Doctor Hyde until
he died
Miss KeIlar described the first con-
vu1sion experienced by Colonel Swope.
Then" she continued, after he had
turned his head from the window his
ewes were fxed-he went into the
-ouiverinE motion I told about yester-
DAY. His hands clenched and there
was terrible motion over the whole
body, and he was making sound. not
with his mouth open, but evidently
with his teeth clenched. with the mouth
tightly closed. He made this sound at
the same time he made this motion. I
suppose that convulsion lasted 10 min
1Ites. His arms were raised and his
hands clenched tight"