The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-04
aOsls luta POISON.


INSANITY Dodge Proving A Failure
A. a Means OF Evading Punish-
mcnt Bank Wreckey Swallows
Dose of HyociDe.
New. Yor, Dec. 30.--with head
eerct, shoulders squared and eye
lsvslsl az the battery Of cameras
teo ned on aim, Joseph G.. Robin.
the addicted banker, stepped from
~ sisters home this morning to
fSse arraingment. calm In the know
ledge that he had swallowed dose
of hyocine. the subtle and deadly
ajkaloid with which DIR. Crippen
killed his wife. Belle Elmore. He
collapsed before he could be taken
into court with the exclamation:
I'm a dead man; I've taken poison
tabletsi"
The case was postponed In the
greatest excitment a stomach
pump was hurridly brought into play
and As sick man was carried first
70 the prison hospital and later to
Be.fssss. where he lies tonight in
rtno pris,p ward. No charge Of at
.sNptes suicide is entered against
->-slnn and II Is thought he will recov-
or. although the action Of hyocine
Is slow and much will depend on his
vitality.
The time at which Robin took
the drug is approximately fixed BY
the testimony of DR.. Austin Flint.
retained for Robin by William Trav-
ors Jerome. his counsel, DR.. Louise
Robinovieh. his sister. and two de-
tectlves from the district attorneys
once, who rode with him to the
criminal court building. DIR. Flint
told the court that as nearly as he
could Judge from the symptoms the
poison had been In Robins system
about three-quarters OF an hour
when he collapsed. The two detec-
lives were positive their prisoner
swallowed nothing on the way to
court. DR.. Robinovich said her
brother was In the habit of taking
nyocine In small doses to counter
act the effects OF morphine. which
he used TO deaden the stabbing pains
by which gall stones make them
selves known. She kept the drug in
her house and she thought her
brother swallowed IL tablets. At
Bellevue tonight the examining sur
seons estimated that Robin had
taken about one-tenth of a grain.
Robin was In good health this
morning. better than at any time
aimee his troubles came upon him.
Tile iirst sign Of illness was when he
ste tssred. on stepping from his
e1 - obile TO the criminal court
building. In the elevator he weak
enea % rapidly that the detectives
tlod 30 lift him to a couch There
a. sank into Inconsistencies and
! Wa a0t revived until the stomach
4 pur ? had been worked vigorously.
It's prompt use undoubtedly saved
HIS .. al least temporarily.
Our ide the corridors of the cri-
minal courts building fairly hummed
With excitement. but In the court of
seneral session itself Judge Craig
was transacting business as usual
vhen Wn. r.. Jerome stepped rapid
~ down tho aisle.
n Your honor" he began hurried
ly, II am here in the Robin case. It
appears that the defendant has TAX
en- deadly poison. Ho can not be
stimulated. A. ambulance has been
called and surgeons arc now pump
lng out his stomach Tho circum-
stances are unavoidable.
On Information that prisoner
could not possibly be Rrralgued, the
case vas postponed until the receipt
OF further adyicet as 10 Robins
condition.
Hyocine is described In the ext
book as an alkaloid OF hebuno and
In &C. action a cerebral and spinal
sedative. Cases are recorded IN
.1 which a dose OF 1-i25th % srain
applied to the membranes OF the
eyc has produced severe general
toxic symptoms.
Robins frustrated attempt today
leaves the question Of his sanity still
open.
There were no further develop
ments today In connection with eth
= er Northern Bank OF New York or
y the Washington Savings bank, both
az which are In the hands of the