The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-11-04
NURSE DENIES
STORY POISON
VICTIM D0PED
Miss SpratIey Recalled to
Stand to Defend Girls
Dying Statement.
HIGH FEVER STRESSED
Doctors Occupy Stand Best
Part of Tuesday.

Times staff C~orrespondont
CIRCUIT COURTROOM, NO
BLESVILLE. Ind, Nov. 4.-Denial
that Madge O~berholtzer was under
the influence OF drugs when she
signed the dying declaration, March
2S, was made late Tuesday after
noon in the trial Of d. c. Stephen
son, Earl Gentry and Earl KlinclS.
on charges Of numbering the girl,
by Miss Beatrice M. Spratley,
Madge's nurse.
Medical experts occupied the
stand the greater part Of the time.
Miss spratley was recalled to the
stand by the State to clear UP a
point in her testimony Monday In
which she said DR.. John K. Kings
bury, family physician. had given
Madge morphine the same evening
she signed the dying declaration.
what time in the evening was
she given the morphine?" asked
the state.
ut was about 1870. DR.. Kings
bury gave her about n one-quarter
grain"
WAS that after or before Mr..
Smith was gomez"
1T was after"
Mr.. Smith was Asa ]. Smith, the
Oberholtzer family attorney, who
prepared the dying declaration from
different conversations with Madge.
and who had her sign 1t the eve
ming Of March 2S, after he had read
1t to her and she had verified 1t.
The nurse said that Mrs. Smith and
the others who were present at the
signing left Just before the morphine
was administered, and the latter
was given because she was suffer
ing greatly.
on cross-examination, defense at
torneys, who are very Jealous OF
the fact that morphine was given
Madge on the eventful day, obtained
from Miss Spratley a statement chat
Madge had never had morphine be-
fore that day, the first dose being
given her at 9:30 a. m.
ION the 28th Of March at $50 a.
m. you gave her morphine2" the
defense asked.
IT didn't, DR.. Kingsbury did"
at was the first she ever had2'
yes"
ION that same day she was beg
ging for morphine all day, was she
not"
Before tho first dose"
During the day did she beg for
more?"
"Oh no. she was soothed."
Miss Spratley said that although
she did not see Smith and the others
who were present at the signing, she
heard them talking. That was
shortly after 6 p. m.
While Miss Spratley was on the
stand Charles f.. COX impressed
upon the jurors the fact that Madge
died in a blaze Of fever, her tenn
perature being 1868 ten minutes be-
fore her death. This was TO empha-
size testimony of DIR. j. A. Mac
Donald, Indianapolis medical expert,
who testified during the morning
session that person suffering from
bichloride OF mercury poisoning
generally had a normal temperature
or ~sub-normal, and that If there
was any present it must have been
due to other infection.
Although DIR. Macdonald was told
- - 4LoN L. mould Ia axofaaH
he was called bacy by the State at
the opening of the afternoon session.
Cox asked him OF the bruises and
decorations on the body could have
been the origin Of the blood poison
ing. Ey
my opinion is that the skin in
lection was the origin" DIR. Mac
Donald said, and added: THE gen
eralized infection was the cause
of her DEATH
Asked by Cox II the one-fourth
grain OF morphine given her on
March 2S, prior to her signing the
death bed statement could have az
fected her senses, he replied that he
thought not. This was a point the
defense had seized upon eagerly
Monday afternoon, presumably with
the thought in mind OF building up
the ideas that her senses had been
deadened whe nshe signed the state
ment.
Cox then yielded the witness to
the defense and Inman repeated part
Of the morning experiment with a
bichloride Of mercury tablet.
would 1t be possible for a person
to put three of these in a glass OF
water, swallow the solution and then
repeat the process?"
Yes, a determined person could
do that" DIR. Mcdonald said rather
doubtfully.
Inman followed with a series Of
questions seemingly to discount the
States theory that she had died from
blood poisoning after the mercurial
poisoning had been stemmed. In
man also dwelt on the defense's the
DRY that the poison, taken as a pro-
phylactic, could have had the same
intermediate and ultimate effect as
II taken through the mouth.
DR.. Macdonald followed DIR. Vir-
gil Fl. Moon, pathologist Of Indiana
University, in a morning devoid Of
excitement much to the disappoint-
ment OF the crowd that packed the