Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-01-16
TWENTY TWO


DR.. Lord says he was over at Withen-
bury that morning"
Horlick said miserably: yes, sir,
l heard him. But it was his car, sir
I'll take my oath on that"
Poirot said gently: Thank you,
HOrlick, that's just exactly what you
may have to do
Was it very hot in the court? Or
very cold? Elinor Carlisle could not
be quite sure. Sometimes she felt
burning, as though with fever, and
Immediately after she shivered.
She had not heard the end of the
Prosecuting CounsePs speech. She
had gone back to the past-gonc slow
w through the whole business again,
from the day when that miserable let
ter came to the moment when that
smooth-faced police officer had said
with horrible fluency: You are Eli
nor Katherine Carlisle. ! have here
warrent for your arrest upon the
charge of numbering Mary Gerard
by administering poison to her on the
9th of July last, and l must warn
YOU that anything you say will be
taken down in writing and may be
used as evidence at your trial"
Horrible, frightening fluency
She felt caught up in smoth-run-
ming, well-oiled machine-inhuman,
well-oiled machine-inhuman passion
less.
And now here she was, standing IN
the dock in the open glare of publicity
with hundreds of eyes that were
neither impersonal nor inhuman,
feasting upon her and gloating ..
Only the jury did not look at her.
Embarrassed, they kept their eyes
studiously 'urned away. She thought:
Its becC.use-soon-they know what
they're going to say +"
Dr. Lord was giving evidence. Was
this Peter Lord-that freckled, CHEEKY
Young doctor who had been so kind
and so friendly at Hunterbury? He
was very stiff now. Sternly profess
sional. His answers came monoton-
ouslv. He had been summoned by tel
ephone to Hunterbury Hall; too late
for anything to be done; Mary Ger
rard had died few minutes after his
arrival; death consistent, in his opin-
ion, with morphia poisoning in one of
its less common forms-the "foudroy-
ante" variety.
Sir Edwin Bulmer rose to cross
examine. "You were the late Mrs.
Welman's regular anedicfll attend
anti"
II was"
During your visits to Hunterbury
in June last, you had occasion to see
the accused and Mary Gerard to-
gether?"
Several times"
"What should you say was the
manner of the accused to Mary Ger
rard?"
Perfectly pleasant and natural"
Sir Edwin Bulmer said with slight
disdainful smile: "You never saw any
signs of this Jealous hatred we have
heard so much about?"
Peter Lord, his jaw set, said firm
ly: "No."
Elinor thought "But he did-he
did He told lie for me there
He knew !"
Peter Lord was succeeded by the po-
lice surgeon. His evidence was long
er, more detailed. Death was due to
morphia poisoning of the ''foudroy-
ante" variety. Would he kindly eX-
plain that term? With some enjoy
ment he did so. Death from morphine
poisoning migt result in several diff
ferent ways The most common was
period of intense excitement followed
by drowsiness and narcosis, pupils
of eyes contracted. Another not 50
common form had been named by the
French, ''foudroy ante" In these cas-
es deep sleep supervened in very
short time-about ten minutes; the
pupils of the eyes were usually dila-
ted ~
The court had adjourned and sat "a
gain. There had been some hours of
expert medical testimony. DR.. Alan
Garcia, the distinguished analyst, full
of learned terms, spoke with gusto
of the stomach contents. Bread, fish
paste, tea, presence of morphia more
learned terms and various decimal
points. Amount taken by the deceased
estimated to be about four grains. Fa-
tai dose could be as low as one grain.
Sir Edwin rose, still bland. Il
should like to get it quite clear You
found in the stomach nothing but
bread. butter. fish paste. tea and NOR