The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-01-14
BY NIxoLA eREsLEY-smlTH.

The poisoned needle has been re.
vived
The poisoned napkin has followed
tiff not In fact, at least in the super
heated imaginations OF dozen ar
more young women in New York who
believe that they have been made vic
tins of a mysterious stranger VINO
abs them in the arm with an enNen-
omed needle or thrusts before their
nostrils cloth or napkin permeated
with a subtly sweet odor which makes
them dizzy and Ill
White slavers" say the sensational
Interpreters OF these alleged occur
rences "Hysteria, answer the cold
blooded scientists and physicians and
the bored police.
Either a great wave o. hystefla now
envelopes New York or we are threat
ened with revival OF the strange
practices OF the Age Of Poison the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when
death lurked in a bouquet OF flowers
or established its icy grip through me
medium OF pair OF poisoned gloves
In those days tainted money WAS
not merely figure OF speech used By
sensational cleric TO get his name
in the papers 1t was fact.
In 1874 the Cardinal de Lorraine
fell dead after opening q purse OF
tainted money" and II was generally
believed that some enemy had sent
him the envenomed gold TO put an
end to his life Later historians say
that he died OF pleurisy. and II is in
deed. rather difficult 10 believe thai
death could have been communicated
through the golden medium
Perhaps the most celebrated in
stance of death by a poisoned bouquet
was that dramatized in the play. 'Ad
rienne lie Couyreur,' in which sarah
Bernhardt has appeared so often ia
the United States. Adrienne was a
celebrated actress with whom Prince
Maurice OF SaXony Was very much III
love. The Duchess de .Bouillon. q
lady OF the highest French aristoc
racY. was even more enamored OF
him SO she sent her rival "a bouquet
OF flowers which had been sprinkled
with deadly poison. The actress
smeled the blossoms and died IN
horrible agony
Poisoning as a fine art is said &c
nave Utfl luAl OhhA tN INV
from Italy, where il hourished under
the Borgias and where it was not I'M
known for a nobeman 10 have an
official poisoner attached 10 his
train,
Certain historians record that the
mother Of Henry ~, was killed by
putting on pair OF poisoned gloves
sent to her by Catherine de MedicL
In several museums In England are
preserved what are called poison
rings In these strange relics OF the
Age OF Poison there we're secret reser
voirs hidden under tho settings when
contained death-deaiing drugs. In the
edge OF the setting was tiny con
cealed needle. and IL was by prick
OF this needle, while shaking hands
that death was communicated,
A strange fact connected with the
age of poisons is that it, murders
were accomplished without the ald
of the two most fatal potions known
70 the modern world. strychnine ana
prussic acid. These were then uh
known. Arsenic was the favorite
weapon OF the medieval poisoner. Tor
until the invention OF Marsh's test
about a hundred years ago. there was
no way OF tracing II in the human
body.
The Marquise de Brinyilliers. per
haps the most famous woman poison
or that ever lived, killed her rather
and two brothers by small doses o'
arsenic administered over period Oh
several months, and II was only
through the treachery of her servants
that she was convicted and executed
When Madame DC Montespan, ioi
years the sovereign power at the
court OF Louis XIV. made the discoV
cry that the grand monarch had trans