Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-06-22
CAN NOT ESCAPE
No Chance for Murderer Who
Uses Poison.
Science Has Made That Form Of Kill
ing a Lost Art, Unlike the
Days Of Old.


Ever since medieval times silent
but none the less determined war has
been going on between the subtle art
of poisoning ana the more subtle art
of discovering and locating poisons IN
the human body.
In the old days fortunes awaited
those who could prepare some concoc-
ton that would remove people from
this world without leaving traces of
how ii was done Poisoning, ass UNI
derstoOd by Catherine de Medici, was
grand art. Today il is lost art
for science has practically won the
long fight and is now able Ia discover
and classify every known poison even
months after the victim has sue.
cumbed 10 its effects.
Within the last generation almost
every kind of poison has come within
the scope of the eNerincreasins eNpe-
rience of medico-legal experts who
have been called 10 give evidence In inn
pOrtant cases-from the hyoscyamiue
OF the Crippen case 10 the arseuical
fypaper of the Seldom affair.
Arsenic, anthony, prussic acid car
bolic acid, oxalic acid, mercury, bella
donna, opium. heron, morphia cAlabar
bean, croton seed. nitric acid, pNridlno
that most deadly poison found i'm mil
mute quantities in dirty tobacco pipes
all have been traced, tabuiated and
chained by the patient, emotionless de
tective Science.
So highly has the work of scientific
detection been developed that the pres
ence of arsenic may be discovered even
years after il has been taken. 80 more
delicate tests in chemistry, and at the
same time no more infallible ones, can
be used than the tests for arsenic ana
anthony. In the former poison the
tests are so severe that one part in
sixty millions can he revealed.
1t is To the Borgia that one must
go 10 hear about the incredibly subtle
poisons which could not be detected,
but the light of modern science proves
that much which is credited 90 that
familys knowledge of the art of poi
soning was really impossible Of ac-
complshment unless We concede-
which is just possible-that they knew
more about toNicology than do mod
ern savants.
There was one particular poison
which the Borgias are credited with
using which has remained a secret. II
was tasteleSs, could Kill The victim
quickly or leisurely, rs the poisoner
willed, and it left no trace discernble
t. the chemists of that time.
The lists of mobiles and dignitarie~
of the church who died by this subtle
means is believed to be formidable. II
was used in two ways. powder and
liquid and its method of manufactur,
was related by an obscure scientist OF
the period.
The powder form of the poison was
white like flour with taste like
sugar. II was called Conlareila lbs
composition was never known. but the
liquid was prepared in the following
way:
A wild boar was caught, and To Il
was administered strong dose - ar
senic. AS soon as the poison began
to take effect the boar was hung W
by the heels Commissions caue on
and froth, which ran from it's jaws
was collected in silver dish and
then was transferred 10 bottle which
after some Contarelia WAS added, WA.
Theoretically sealed. This was kept
for certain time and the result Wa,
the notorious poison
Certain II is that no poison known
today is secret Chemistry and scienc,
can provide the means of detection
and can often supply the antdote.-
Overseas Daily Mail.