Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24
Baked IN TRACING
POISON TOPROCTOR
F7osers Meet Delays in In
vcstigation of Youths Re-
ported Suicide Plans.

Whether John Cline Proctor, ex-
ecuted Busch murderer, and his friends
consoi.ed to defeat justice by sending
hin to a suicides grave may not Be
known bafore the middle of this week.
Obstacle upon obstacle blocked The
r1fh Of Investigators last night. and
v-,i,e fhesa obstacles will not prevent
.r--,,,t,lal solution OF the problem sur
rounding Proctor's fate. they have
s>rved to delay the investigation.
District chemists who bsgan labora-
tcrv examinations yesterday TO deter
,aine whether Proctors stomach showed
traces OF poison found their search
complicated by the fact that the BODY
had been enlbalnled.
To Analyze Fluid.
The chemists sent to the undertaS-
fnr parlorS of Adolph j, Schippert. 2o08
PENNSYLVANIA avenue, for sample OF
ths ennbalning fluid, and it was an
ncgnced that they would have TO give
pp their examination until after an
aralys.s mas been made of the fluid,
v,li,h was known to contain a large
percentages of formaldehyde.
T,ae ro.ice investigation to determine
~ rc1son could have been Smuggled
:. 10 the condemned man, either in
t,ae death row at the jail or while he
vas at the District courthouse. also
vas attended by many difficulties. The
fast that no record was kept al the
jasl OF packages received by Proctor
pcoved the first barrier.
An examination of his clothing re-
suited in 8 promising clue when it was
found that a cuff had been ripped from
n shirt which was sent to him at the
jaii. 1t is thought likely the cuff con-
tanned poison in solution and that
Proctor may have either chswed the
Gun Or soaked the cloth in glass Of
water AMI swallowed the solution.
Shirt Cuff Missing.
The shirt was turned over to the
Police Department by jail officials but
the cuff has not been found Had It
been found and the suspicion that II
contained traces of poison verified, not
oagy would the work of the chemists be
expecited bat detectives would be af-
f1rSsd a definite clue in tracing Proc
tors outside assistant in his fight TO
bsst the law.
There is some hope that a direct clue
may be obtained from jailmateS Sf the
executed man, following the disclosure
Yesterday that Proctor had boaSted to
Louis W. Hoffman. awaiting sentence
1or second degree murder IN the death
Of Miss Eleanor Lehman IN his off1ce
LIT March, that he would never 60 70
The chair.
While Proctor did not disclose enough
Of his intentions to Hoffman TO throw
direct light on the manner N which
he proposed to cheat the chair, IL Is
thought possible he may have spoken
more fully 70 other prisoners regarding
kss plans and that one Of them may
b. induced to make disclosures. Ho1-
man vas hostile to Proctor and did not
encourage the youthful murderer to
talk. it was learned.
Poison Group Eliminated.
Because Of Proctor's condition prior
o. his execution, when he lay for many
hours in a coma, though heart and
RESPIRATION were normal. District chem
tsss and physicians have been able TO
eliminate a certain group of poisons
5Trm consideration In their tnvestiga-
tIcn
A local physician called police head
quarters yesterday afternoon and
zciced the opinion that Proctor had
taken q powerful drug often used 10
induce sleep. He named drug which
lss said would induce o ccma similar
70 that in which Proctor lay Friday
morning. There are several other
g-cups of drugs and poisons. however,
which might work In q similar man.
ne-. either singly or In combination,
# was pointed out.
The District chemists do not expect
70 complete their work before Tuesday
CT Wednesday. although they said they
rlseh. stumble on q clue at any time
during the tests
Proctor's body. On which an autopsy
was performed early yesterday morn
s1g. was turned over TO his family
shortly before noon yesterday and was
taken By his relatives TO Joplin, Va.
where the funeral win be held at 2:30
o'clock this afternoon