The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-05-29
A Singular
Advertisement
II Led to q Curious
Result.
By RYLAND BELL

NNAN" &OibC6C "uISh lllduc tuc al .M
d. ! concluded for the purpose Of
broadening my ideas to spend a year
in travel. Then l would return and
begin where ! had left of. | have
never regretted this resolution. Being
an observant man. travel was Of great
advantage to me. teaching me that all
had learned thus far vas not neces.
sarily true. that | had only begun to
learn and that IL l lived a thousand
years ! would not know 1t all.
If there was any one country that
interested me most of all it was India.
The Hindus seemed to me a unique
people. Like other s~emicivilized races.
they have lived for ages in their ruts.
while their narrow scope has led them
into correspondingly restricted inves-
legations. What European civilization
has produced in the way of assistance
to live the Indians have brought forth
for death. We have discovered a
number Of antitoxins; they have
brought out an innumerable number
Of poisOns.
While in India I gained through a
friend admission to the palace OF a
rajah. He seemed to take a fancy to
me. probably because he found in me
a good listener. l said nothing ex-
cept to guide him into channels that
interested me. Drugs being in the
line Of my profession, l was pleased
to hear what he had to say about the
various Indian connections. and these
included poisons.
confess | was surprised to learn Of
the various substances that will pro-
duce death and the knowledge the In
dams have acquired in handling them.
! was interested in the flower to
breathe which is death: in the process
OF a poison. taking increased doses Of
which n may become impregnated
with it. and would be poisonous to
others. But my attention was chiefly
arrested by a poison the rajah men
toned which left no trace.
Why was l especially interested in a
traceless poison? Because 1 expected
to spend my life in a land where there
are. as there must always be. murder
and suicide. l knew that as a medical
practitioner l would be constantly call
ed upon in such cases. and the words
'~traceless poison" meant a great deal to
me-not that ! expected to have any
thing to do with such a thing. but it at
once occurred to me that IL a knowl-
edge Of it should be common property
1t would be the chosen instrument Of
murderers and suicides.
did not bring home with me a sam
pie of the rajah's traceless poison. In
deed. | was not interested in it for
itself. l did not even care whether or
not there was such a thing as a trace
less poison. But on my return to Amer
lea l began some experiments concern
ing the interest that would be taken in
procuring it by various persons. | took
the precaution to notify the chief of
police in the city in which | lived of
my intended experiments. and he was
much interested in them. Then | wrote
an advertisement announcing that a
physician whose sands OF life had
nearly run out" and who had spent his
life investigating the various aids and
enemies to human life had succeeded
In discovering a poison that left no
trace. He had concocted a powder
which. If scattered about in places in
tested by vermin, would destroy them.
lea ving no odor or other disagreeable
consequences.
l was we'll aware that those who
would attempt to buy my powder
would do SO for other purposes than
killing vermin. My advertisement had
appeared but once when l received a
number of applications for it. Nearly
all of the replies were so worded as to
conceal the identity of the writer's.
Some of them gave directions as to
sending the powder which were EVIL
IDENTITY calculated to cover its route to
its receiver.
After accommodating a number of re-
plies to my advertisement l took them
to the chief Of police. who seemed to
be able to tell what each writer intend
ed to do with the poison. But this was
a simple matter. because whether or
not the intention was legitimate could
be OWNED by the care the writer took
to conceal his or her identity. The
chief desired to Investigate a few ap-
p%lications. and l gave them to him. l
was not interested in the criminal side
Of the matter and never took the trou-
BILE to ask him for results. l confined
myself to the Investigation of those
from persons who seemed intent on de-
stroying themselves. for in such cases
l might say some one whose mind had
become d%isordered either by mental or
physical suffering.
received one advertisement that
puzzled over a great deal. The writer
was q woman. and from certain ex-
pressions she used / judged that she
was young. The c~hirography. the Ian
guage used. a certain refinement In her
methods Of expressing herself. indicat-
ed that she was a lady. Even the pa
per on which she wrote bore a crest.
There were but three possible reasons
why any one should want my powder
murder. suicide and for the extermi-
- - E- NNA A.