Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1921-10-06
TYPHOID DRAWN
IN To TRIAL Of
| MRS. SOUTHARD
Doctor, Witness For State,
Admits Cause of Meyers
Death Not Agreed On

TWIN FALLS, Ida, Oct. s. That ,
the Lydal test for typhoid was relia- |!
BILE and that specimens of the blood !
taken from the body of Meyer thirty |!
hours prior to his death reached posi-
lively to the test was drawn from DR..
J. F. Coughlin, witness for the state
in the case of LYDIA Meyer Southland,
charged with the murder of her for
mer husband, Edward F. Meyer.
DR.. Coughlin occupied the witness
stand during the greater part of the
day and told a lengthy story of his
connection with the case from the
time he was first called until the
death of Meyer ON September Z, 1920.
DR.. Coughlin had previously stated
that in his opinion, ptomaine poison
ing was responsible for Meyers death !
but in explanation of the signing of
the death certificate which attributed
death to typhoid, declared he was
guided by the tests made by the path
ologist of the Twin Falls county hos
pital which tests showed a positive
reaction indicating Meyer was suffer
ing from typhoid.
In his own judgment, he declared
upon tie witness stand, death was
due to the presence of some factor
other than the germs of typhoid prob
ably ptomaine poisoning.
The hospital record of Edward F.
Meyer from the time of his admission
as patient until his death on Septem
Der of last year formed the basis of
the testimony occupying the bulk of
the morning.
Drug Clerk Testifies
Meyers temperature was at all
l.
lily weaker until death ensued For
the most part, Mrs. Meyer had free
access to his room and spent consid-
cradle time there, the record showed,
and on one occasion she stated that
she knew her husband could not get
| better" according to one Of the wit
nesses.
The drug clerk who said he had
| sold the insect exterminator to the
! defendant in August, last year, testi
| fitd that the purchase was of an unus
ual amount and that az the time he
said to the defendant, What in the
world are you going to do with it
all?" To which the defendant replied
| that it was to go to ranch. The wit
| ness fixed the date OF the purchase
as upon August Is or Immediately af-
ter, last year
/ Resuming his testimony after the
noon recess, DR.. Coughlih said that
on the afternoon of September 6, the
day prior to Meyers death, the wit
ness discussed with Meyer. and the
! defendant the advisability OF dispens-
! ing with the services of the special
nurse heretofore in charge of the
case. That evening, he said, Meyer
was taken violently i'll, all the old
! symptoms reaSserted themselves an
! the patient grew steadily worse until
! death ensued the following day about
/ half past nine o'clock
DR.. Hal Bieler, hospital pathologist
was called into consultation by Dr.
Coughlin to make blood tests Upon
| the result of these tests, DR.. Coughlin
testified, he based his finding as set
! forth in the death certificate that the
| deceased came to his death through
| typhoid fever.
| The two post norton examinations
were described by the witness in min
! ute detail. The witness declared that
he was dissatisfied with Dr. Bieler's
findings and with his own diagnosis
/ of the case, and for these reasons
/ asked Mrs. Meyey's permission to eX-
. anime the remains.
/ Crowds Bring Lunch
Asked upon croSS-eXamination if he
! had ever administered a poisonous
| drug sometimes used in Insecticides
70 the patient. he declared that he had
I not. The symptoms in the case were
compatible with ptomaine poisoning
the witness stated. but not compati
BILE with typhoid The same symp-
toms, however, could be produced b.