The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-07
TYPEWR|TING TEST IN POISONING CASE Russian Defendant Uses Ma
 chine in Court DIFFERENCE IN VIEWS Some Experts Declare That de Lassy Wrote the Letter on the Type
 writer While Others Express
 Different Opinions
DIFFERENCE IN VIEWS

St, Petersburg February 6-Count Patrick OBrien de Lassy who with Dr. Pantchenko is being tried for the pois- oning of Count Bouturlin, occupied the center of the stage at the proceedings today. The prosecution is endeavoring to establish that de Lassy wrote a letter tu Pantchenko relating to the plan to poison both General Bouturlin and his son. 1 The letter, which was typewriter, was found among Pantchenkos papers at the time of his arrest The enveop was
 missing and Pantchenko explained that he had thrown it away. The authorship of this letter has been attributed by Pantchenko to de Lassy who stoutly denies 1t. As test de Lassy was in- structed to recopy a portion of the letter cn his own machine, which was brought into court today. Surrounded by gend- srmes and typewriting experts he wrote two lines with great difficulty and then feigned eye fatigue. An examination of the lines showed that he had made one gross error.
 The experts were about evenly divided. One government expert declared the let ter had been written on de Lassy's ma- thine; another that it was written on union machine but that it was impos- sible to state whether it was de Lassy's One expert for the defense declared definitely that the letter had not been written on de Lassys machine. Others took the ground that the data was not sufficient to warrant any conclusion. The interpretation of the letter is also presenting difficulties. The letter bears no date and reads as follows:
 Dear Doctor-Received your letter but could not see you, as 1 was not alone. Could do nothing here as the weather was too cold for iodine, but commence in short while Shall soon come In ex- Iectation study well technical side Of the question. Your patient will arrive on the twelfth Accept best greetings for New Years till we meet soon. Go tc ,he ministry
 In his confession Pantchenl1o explained that iodine" referred to the plan 10 poison General Bouturin and the words technical side referred to the plan to poison young Bouturln. In his testi- mony yesterday Pantchenko said Tech nical side had no reference to Boutur- lin, but probably referred to a plan to open sanitorum at Velna or a labor atory or other business project which he had discussed with de Lassy. The ques- ton of poisoning General Bourturlin is not concerned in the present case and Pantchenko allowed himself greater lati- tude regarding the interpretation of the passage referring to iodine.
 He explained that 'iodinep did not refer to a scheme to dispose of Gen era1 Bouturlin, but to the preparation of one of the tablets of iodine which General Bouturlin was in the habit of taking. The plan was to bore a hole in the tablet and drop a poisonous powder therein, sealing the tablet again. Pantchenko said he gave De Lassy a quantity of sulphuric mag nesia for this purpose. Pantchenko made no objection to the remark of the medical experts that this com- pound was harmless. as his plan of de- fense seems to be to show that De Lassy proposed the poisonings and that he himself pretended to agree to the carrying out of the plot for the sake of the money, but that he did not em ploy any effective means to this end and that Count Vassilli Bourturlin's death was practically accidental.
 
 is that he has been made the victim of blackmail
 The testimony in the evening threw light on the mysterious schemes of Pantchenko and De Lassy long before the death of Count Vassili. A tele- gram from Pantchenko addressed to De Lassy dated March 15 1909, read ing, remit 300. will arrange affair."" was placed in evidence.
 Pantchenko explained that this re- ferred to the sale of De Lassy's house at Wilma, but the prosecutor estab- | lished the point that De Lassy acquired the house in July. 1909.
 Further testimony showed that the | two men met in the St. Petersburg house of M. Durnovo, a high railway official. where De Lassy was staying. The latter's financial entanglem ents, which were gone into extensively by the prosecutor, indicated that his trou- bles began at about the time the min istry of marine countermanded orders at De Lassy's shipbuilding works.