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diff --git a/43840-8.txt b/43840-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 56e1388..0000000 --- a/43840-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5077 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries, by C. J. S. Thompson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries - -Author: C. J. S. Thompson - -Release Date: September 28, 2013 [EBook #43840] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POISON ROMANCE AND POISON MYSTERIES *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Eleni Christofaki and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note. - -Variable spelling has been retained. Minor punctuation inconsistencies -have been silently repaired. A list of other changes made can be found -at the end of the book. Original text is printed in a two-column -layout. Formatting and special characters are indicated as follows: - - _italic_ - =bold= - +underlined+ - - - - - IN THE NECESSARY TOIL - - AND - - SUFFERING OF THIS LIFE - - _MAN CAN INVENT NOTHING NOBLER THAN HUMANITY!_ - -THEN WHAT HIGHER AIM CAN MAN ATTAIN THAN CONQUEST OVER HUMAN PAIN? - - -[Illustration: THE LINE OF LIFE. ENO'S FRUIT SALT.] - -ENO'S 'FRUIT SALT' prevents unnecessary suffering and removes disease -only by natural laws. - -READ the 20-page pamphlet given with each bottle! - -ENO'S 'FRUIT SALT' rectifies the Stomach, and makes the Liver laugh -with joy by natural means (Or, in other words, Gentleness does more -than Violence.) - -Its universal success proves the truth of the above assertion. - - -_MORAL FOR ALL_-- - - "I need not be missed if another succeed me; - To reap down those fields which in spring I have sown. - He who ploughed and who sowed is not missed by the reaper, - He is only remembered by what he has done." - -The effect of Eno's 'Fruit Salt' upon any Disordered and Feverish -Condition is Simply Marvellous. It is, in fact, Nature's Own Remedy, -and is an Unsurpassed One. - - CAUTION.--_Examine the Capsule, and see that it is marked - ENO'S 'FRUIT SALT,' otherwise you have the sincerest form of - flattery--IMITATION._ - -Prepared only by J. C. ENO, Ltd., 'FRUIT SALT' WORKS, LONDON, S.E., by -J. C. ENO'S Patent. - - - - -POISON ROMANCE AND POISON MYSTERIES - - - - -POISON ROMANCE AND POISON MYSTERIES - -BY - -C. J. S. THOMPSON. - - - =St. James' Gazette=:--"There is indeed no more fascinating reading - ... very pleasant and readable.... It is full of good reading, - with some rather creepy and _saugrenu_ dippings into the past." - - =Daily Chronicle=:--"Poison is always a fascinating subject. There - is something subtle and mystic about the very word. On this - attractive theme Mr. THOMPSON has collected a great deal of - information from ancient and modern alike." - - =Daily Mail=:--"People who are fond of prying into the gruesome - subject of toxicology will find some interesting chapters in Mr. - C. J. S. THOMPSON'S book." - - =The Athenæum=:--"Decidedly sensible and well informed." - - =Literature=:--"Mr. THOMPSON writes a sprightly chapter on - toxicology in fiction." - - =The Saturday Review=:--"A great deal of curious information - concerning the history of poisons and poisonings." - - =Illustrated London News=:--"The story portions will attract most - attention, and the poisoned gloves and rings of old romance - supply satisfaction to that sensational instinct which is absent - in hardly one of us." - - =The Queen=:--"Will fascinate most people. Is very readably - written. Its only fault is that it is too short." - - =Liverpool Courier=:--"It is a readable book as well as an able - one. The author is an eminent toxicologist and writes pleasantly - on the lore connected with the science." - - =The Scotsman=:--"It is successful and interesting. Full of odd and - startling information." - - =Manchester Courier=:--"The book is extremely interesting and - particularly valuable." - - =Aberdeen Free Press=:--"Fascinates the majority of his readers. - One could wish that Mr. THOMPSON had written much more." - - =Glasgow Citizen=:--"A book of the week." - - =Glasgow Herald=:--"Light and eminently readable." - -+An edition of this book in cloth boards, price 2_s._ 6_d._, is -published by The Scientific Press Ltd., 28 & 29, Southampton Street, -Strand, London, W.C.+ - - - - -POISON ROMANCE AND POISON MYSTERIES - -BY - -C. J. S. THOMPSON, F.R.HIST.S. - -AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY AND ROMANCE OF ALCHEMY AND PHARMACY" "THE -CHEMIST'S COMPENDIUM" "A MANUAL OF PERSONAL HYGIENE" "PHARMACY AND -DISPENSING" ETC. ETC. - -[Illustration] - - LONDON - - GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, LTD - BROADWAY HOUSE, LUDGATE HILL, E.C. - 1904 - - - - -ROUTLEDGE'S CAXTON LIBRARY - -OF - -Fiction and Standard Works - -_Medium 8vo. Price_ =6d.= _each_. - -OVER 300 VOLUMES. - -_Write to Messrs. Routledge for a complete list of the Series._ - - - - -PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION - -IN response to the wishes of many who read this work when it appeared -in serial form, it is now reproduced with much additional matter, -which I hope may prove of value to those interested in the fascinating -subject of poisons and the study of toxicology. It has been my -endeavour to collect, in the following pages, the scattered fragments -of historic and romantic lore connected with poisons from the earliest -period, and to recount the stories of some notable "poison mysteries" -of ancient and modern times. I am indebted to the works of Dr. Wynter -Blyth for many facts concerning the poisons of antiquity. - - C. J. S. T. - - 1899 - - -PREFACE TO NEW EDITION - -IN presenting a new edition of this work to my readers, the opportunity -has been taken to introduce several new chapters, one of which deals -with the "poison mystery" which recently aroused such widespread -interest in the United States. In response to suggestions, detailed -accounts of the "Horsford case" and the "Lambeth poison mysteries" have -also been added. - - C. J. S. T. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I POISONS OF ANTIQUITY 11 - - II POISONS AND SUPERSTITION 21 - - III ROYAL AND HISTORIC POISONERS 26 - - IV PROFESSIONAL POISONERS 34 - - V POISONING PLOTS 43 - - VI CONCERNING ARSENIC 45 - - VII THE STRANGE CASE OF MADAME LAFARGE 49 - - VIII THE CASE OF MADELINE SMITH 53 - - IX THE MAYBRICK CASE 55 - - X ABOUT ACONITE AND HEMLOCK 60 - - XI THE CASE OF DR. LAMSON 63 - - XII THE BRAVO MYSTERY 65 - - XIII THE CASE OF DR. PRITCHARD 70 - - XIV THE PIMLICO MYSTERY 75 - - XV THE RUGELEY MYSTERY 80 - - XVI OPIUM EATING AND SMOKING--MESCAL BUTTONS 85 - - XVII HASHISH AND HASHISH EATERS 90 - - XVIII TOBACCO LORE 95 - - XIX POISON HABITS 99 - - XX POISONS IN FICTION 103 - - XXI THE LAMBETH POISON MYSTERIES 110 - - XXII THE HORSFORD CASE 114 - - XXIII THE GREAT AMERICAN POISON MYSTERY 117 - - XXIV SOME CURIOUS METHODS EMPLOYED BY SECRET POISONERS 121 - - - - -POISON ROMANCE AND POISON MYSTERIES - -CHAPTER I - -POISONS OF ANTIQUITY - - -LONG before the action of vegetable and mineral substances on human -beings and animals was known, it is probable that poisonous bodies in -some form were used by primitive man. - -When injured in battle by perhaps a flint arrow-head, or stone axe, he -sought for something to revenge himself on his enemy. In his search -after curative remedies he also found noxious ones, which produced -unpleasant effects when applied to the point of a weapon destined to -enter the internal economy of an opponent. - -He doubtless also became aware that the spear-points and arrow-heads on -which the blood of former victims had dried, caused wounds that rapidly -proved fatal, owing to the action of what we now call septic poisons. -This probably led to experiments with the juices of plants, until -something of a more deadly character was discovered. - -This was the very earliest age of poisoning, when pharmacy was employed -for vicious or revengeful purposes. - -Thus we find that almost every savage nation and people has its own -peculiar poison. In Africa the seeds of _Strophanthus hispidus_, -or kombé, a most virulent poison, are used for this purpose; while -explorers tell us that the ancient pigmy race of Central Africa employ -a species of red ant crushed to a paste, to tip their arrows and -spears. The South American Indians poison their arrow-heads with curare -or ourari, produced from a species of _strychnos_ and other plants, -while the Malays and hill tribes of India use aconite, and other -poisonous juices and extracts. The _Antiaris toxicaria_ is also used as -an arrow poison by the Malays. - -The bushmen of the South African district "Kalahari," use the juice -of the leaf beetle "diamphidia" and its larva for poisoning their -arrow-heads. Lewin, who calls the beetle _Diamphidia simplex_, found -in its body, besides inert fatty acids, a toxalbumin which causes -paralysis, and finally death. According to Boehm, the poison from -the larva also belongs to the toxalbumins, and Starke states, that -it causes the dissolution of the colouring matter of the blood and -produces inflammation. - -A halo of mystery, sometimes intermixed with romance, has hung about -the dread word _poison_ from very early times. In the dark days of -mythology, allusions to mysterious poisons were made in legend and -saga. Thus a country in the Far North was supposed to be ruled and -dominated by sorcerers and kindred beings, all of whom were said to -be children of the Sun. Here dwelt Æëtes, Perses, Hecate, Medea, -and Circe. Hecate was the daughter of Perses and married to Æëtes, -and their daughters were Medea and Circe. Æëtes and Perses were -said to be brothers, and their country was afterwards supposed to -be Colchis. To Hecate is ascribed the foundation of sorcery and the -discovery of poisonous herbs. Her knowledge of magic and spells was -supposed to be unequalled. She transmitted her power to Medea, whose -wonderful exploits have been frequently described and depicted, and -who by her magic arts subdued the dragon that guarded the golden -fleece, and assisted Jason to perform his famous deeds. Hecate's -garden is described by the poets as being enclosed in lofty walls with -thrice-folding doors of ebony, which were guarded by terrible forms, -and only those who bore the leavened rod of expiation and the concealed -conciliatory offering could enter. Towering above was the temple of -the dread sorceress, where the ghastly sacrifices were offered and all -kinds of horrible spells worked. - -Medea was also learned in sorcery and an accomplished magician. It is -related that, after her adventures with Jason, she returned with him to -Thessaly. On their arrival they found Æson, the father of Jason, and -Pelias, his uncle, who had usurped the throne, both old and decrepit. -Medea was requested to exert her magical powers to make the old man -young again, an operation she is said to have speedily performed by -infusing the juice of certain potent plants into his veins. - -Some years after, Medea deserted Jason and fled to Athens, and shortly -afterwards married Ægeus, king of that city. Ægeus had a son by a -former wife, named Theseus, who had been brought up in exile. At length -he resolved to return and claim his parentage, but Medea hearing of -this, and for some reason greatly resenting it, put a poisoned goblet -into the hands of Ægeus at an entertainment he gave to Theseus, with -the intent that he should hand it to his son. At the critical moment, -however, the king cast his eyes on the sword of Theseus, and at once -recognized it as that which he had delivered to his son when a child, -and had directed that it should be brought by him when a man, as a -token of the mystery of his birth. The goblet was at once thrown away, -the father embraced his son, and Medea fled from Athens in a chariot -drawn by dragons through the air. - -Circe's charms were of a more seductive and romantic character. She is -said to have been endowed with exquisite beauty, which she employed -to allure travellers to her territory. On their landing, she entreated -and enticed them to drink from her enchanted cup. But no sooner was -the draught swallowed, than the unfortunate stranger was turned into a -hog, and driven by the magician to her sty, where he still retained the -consciousness of what he had been, and lived to repent his folly. - -Gula, the patroness of medicine and a divinity of the Accadians, was -regarded by that ancient people as "the mistress and controller of -noxious poisons" as far back as 5000 years B.C. - -According to some authorities, the Hebrew word _Chasaph_, translated in -the Old Testament Scriptures as witch, meant poisoner. Scott states the -witches of Scripture had probably some resemblance to those of ancient -Europe, who, although their skill and power might be safely despised as -long as they confined themselves to their charms and spells, were very -apt to eke out their capacity for mischief by the use of actual poison; -so that the epithet of sorceress and poisoner were almost synonymous. - -The oldest Egyptian king, Menes, and Attalus Phylometer, the last king -of Pergamus, were both learned in the knowledge of the properties -of plants. The latter monarch also knew something of their medicinal -uses, and was acquainted with henbane, aconite, hemlock, hellebore, -etc. Other Egyptian rulers cultivated the art of medicine, and there -is little doubt that, probably through the priests, who were the chief -practitioners of the art of healing, they gathered a considerable -knowledge of the properties of many poisonous and other herbs. Prussic -acid was known to the Egyptians, and prepared by them in a diluted -form, from the peach and other plants. It is highly probable, indeed, -that the priests had some rudimentary knowledge of the process of -distillation, and prepared this deadly liquid from peach leaves or -stones, by that method. The "penalty of the peach" is alluded to in a -papyrus now preserved in the Louvre, which points to the liquid being -used as a death draught. - -The ancient Greeks, like the Chinese of to-day, looked upon suicide, -under certain conditions, as a noble act, for which poison was the -usual medium. Their "death cup" was mainly composed of the juice or -extract of a species of hemlock, called by them cicuta. The Chinese, -from remote times, are supposed to have used gold as a poison, -especially for suicidal purposes, and at the present day, when a high -official or other individual puts an end to his life, it is always -officially announced, "He has taken gold leaf"; a curious phrase, which -probably has its origin in antiquity. - -Nicander, of Colophon, a Greek physician, who lived 204-138 B.C., in -his work on "Poisons and their Antidotes," the earliest on the subject -known, describes the effects of snake venom and the properties of -opium, henbane, colchicum, cantharides, hemlock, aconite, toxicum -(probably the venom of the toad), buprestis, the salamander, the -sea-hare, the leech, yew (decomposed), bull's blood, milk, and certain -fungi, which he terms "evil fermentations of the earth"; and as -antidotes for the same he mentions lukewarm oil, warm water, and mallow -or linseed tea to excite vomiting. The same writer also made a rough -classification of the poisons known in his time, twenty-two in all, and -divided them into two classes--viz., "those which killed quickly," and -"those which killed slowly." - -Of the minerals, arsenic, antimony, mercury, gold, silver, copper, -and lead were used by the Greeks; the antidote recommended in case -of poisoning being hot oil, and other methods to induce vomiting and -prevent the poison being absorbed into the system. - -Bull's blood is classed as a poison by various ancient writers, -and it is recorded that Æson, Midas King of Phrygia, Plutarch, and -Themistocles, killed themselves by drinking bull's blood. It is -probable that some strong poisonous vegetable substance, such as -cicuta, was mixed with the blood. - -Dioscorides throws a further light on the poisons of antiquity in -his great work on Materia Medica, which for fifteen centuries or -more remained the chief authority on that subject. He mentions -cantharides, copper, mercury, lead, and arsenic. Among the animal -poisons are included toads, salamanders, poisonous snakes, a peculiar -kind of honey, and the blood of the ox, probably after it had turned -putrid. The sea-hare is frequently alluded to by the ancient Greeks, -and was evidently regarded by them as capable of producing a very -powerful poison. Domitian is said to have administered it to Titus. -It is supposed to have been one of the genus _Aplysia_, among the -gasteropods, and is described by the old writers as a dreadful object, -which was neither to be touched nor looked upon with safety. - -Among the poisonous plants enumerated by Dioscorides are the poppy, -black and white hellebore, henbane, mandragora, hemlock, elaterin, and -the juices of species of euphorbia, and apocyneæ. Medea is said to have -been the first to introduce colchicum. The black and white hellebore -were known to the Romans, and used by them as an insecticide, and -Pliny states that the Gauls used a preparation of veratrum to poison -their arrows. Arsenic was employed by the Greeks as a caustic, and for -removing hair from the face; while copper, mercury, and lead were used -in their medical treatment. The study of poisons was forbidden for a -long period, and Galen mentions the fact that only a few philosophers -dared treat the subjects in their works. - -In the East, poisons have been used from remote times, not only for the -destruction of human life, but also for destroying animals--arsenic, -aconite, and opium being employed by the Asiatics for these purposes. -The Hindoos have many strange traditions concerning poisons, some being -attributed with the property of causing a lingering death, which can -be controlled by the will of the poisoner. But this is doubtless more -legendary than correct. One curious and mysterious substance mentioned -by Blyth, and known in India as _Mucor phycomyces_, is stated to be -a species of fungi. When the spores are administered in warm water -they are said to attach themselves to the throat and rapidly develop -and grow, with the result that in a few weeks, all the symptoms of -consumption develop, and the victim is rapidly carried off by that -fatal disease. - -The early Hebrews were also acquainted with certain poisons, the words, -"rosch" and "chema" being used by them as generic terms. Arsenic was -known to them as "sam," aconite as "boschka," and ergot probably as -"son." - -The ancients attributed poisonous properties to certain bodies simply -on account of their origin being mysterious and obscure, and many of -these errors and traditions have been handed down for centuries. As -an instance of this, the belief that diamond dust possessed deadly -poisonous properties seems to have existed until recent times. Many -mysterious deaths in the Middle Ages were attributed to it. There is -little doubt that death might be caused by the mere mechanical effect -of an insoluble powder of this kind, if it were possible to introduce -it into the stomach in sufficient quantity, but powdered glass or sand -would have the same effect as diamond dust, viz. in causing violent -irritation of the stomach. Yet some of these old traditions have a -substratum of fact. - -The poisonous properties of the toad have long been regarded as -fabulous, but recent investigation has proved that the skin of a -species of toad secretes a poison, similar in action to digitalis. - -The venom of the toad has had the reputation of possessing poisonous -properties from a very early period, and was probably one of the -earliest forms of animal poison known. - -The old tradition, that King John was poisoned by a Friar who dropped a -toad into his wine, was regarded as a ridiculous fable until some years -ago, when it was discovered that the skin of the toad secretes a body, -the active principle of which, "phrynin," is a poison of considerable -power. - -One of the most curious uses to which the toad has been put is recorded -on a medical diploma now in the Library of Ferrara, which was granted -to one Generoso Marini in 1642. Marini having made application for a -Ferrarese diploma in medicine, the judges in whom the power of granting -such degrees was invested, ordered him to exhibit some efficient proofs -of his capability to practise the medical art. - -Marini at once agreed to comply with their demand, and the result is -recorded in his diploma, which was discovered by Cittadella in the -archives of Ferrara, and is translated as follows:-- - -"Having publicly examined and approved the science and knowledge -of medicine of Signor Generoso Marini, and his possession of the -wonderful secret called 'Orvietano,' which he exhibited on the stage -built in the centre of this our city of Ferrara, in presence of its -entire population so remarkable for their civilization and learning, -and in presence of many foreigners and other classes of people, we -hereby certify that, also in our presence, as well as that of the -city authorities, he took several living toads, not those of his own -providing, but from a great number of toads which had been caught in -fields in the locality by persons who were strangers to him, and which -were only handed to him at the moment of making the experiment. An -officer of the court then selected from the number of toads collected, -five of the largest, which the said Generoso Marini placed on a bench -before him, and in presence of all assembled spectators, he, with a -large knife, cut all the said toads in half. Then, taking a drinking -cup, he took in each hand one half of a dead toad, and squeezed from -it all the juices and fluids it contained into the cup, and the -same he did with the remainder. After mixing the contents together, -he swallowed the whole, and then placing the cup on the bench he -advanced to the edge of the stage, where for some minutes he remained -stationary. Then he became pale as death and his limbs trembled, and -his body began to swell in a frightful and terrible manner; and all the -spectators began to believe that he would never recover from the poison -he had swallowed, and that his death was certain. Suddenly, taking -from a jar by his side some of his celebrated 'Orvietano,' he placed a -portion of it in his mouth and swallowed it. Instantly, the effect of -this wonderful medicine was to make him vomit the poison he had taken, -and he stood before the spectators in the full enjoyment of health.[1] - -"The populace applauded him highly for the indisputable proof he had -given of his talent, and he then invited many of the most learned of -those present to accompany him to his house, and he there showed them -his dispensary as well as his collection of antidotes, and among them -a powder made from little vipers, a powerful remedy for curing every -sort of fever, as he had proved by different experiments he had made -on people of quality and virtue, all of whom he had cured of the fever -from which they were suffering, etc. - -"In consequence of the rare talent exhibited by Signor Generoso Marini, -and as a proof of our love and respect for his wisdom, we have resolved -by the authority placed in our hands publicly to reward him with a -diploma, so that he may be universally recognized, applauded, and -respected. In witness thereof we have set our hands and the public seal -of the municipality of Ferrara. - -"Data in Ferrara con grandissimo applauso il di 26 Luglio, 1642. - - "JOANNES CAJETANUS MODONI, - "_Index sapientum Civitatis Ferrari_. - - "FRANCISCUS ALTRAMARI, - "_Cancellarius_." - -But although the toad under certain conditions was credited with -poisonous properties, during the Middle Ages it was esteemed a valuable -remedy for the plague, and was employed for that purpose in Austria as -late as the year 1712. - -Cantharides, or Spanish fly, was very commonly used as a poison in -mediæval times, the usual method of administering being to chop it -up and mix it with pepper. It is said to have been the first poison -tried on the unfortunate Sir Thomas Overbury, although his murderers -finally finished him off with corrosive sublimate. Poisoned rings are -said to have been the invention of the Italians, who fashioned rings -in which the poison was inserted in a receptacle where the jewel is -usually set. Attached to the inner part of the ring was a sharp point -which, when the hand of the wearer was grasped, scratched the flesh and -injected the poison. Rings were also used for carrying strong poisons -secretly--such as arsenic, or corrosive sublimate--and in this manner -many were enabled to commit suicide after being imprisoned. - -Hyoscyamus, commonly called henbane, is a herb which has been employed -from remote times. Benedictus Crispus, Archbishop of Milan, in a work -written shortly before A.D. 681, alludes to it under the name of -hyoscyamus and symphoniaca, and in the tenth century its virtues are -particularly recorded by Macer Floridus. In the early Anglo-Saxon works -it is called henbell and sometimes belene. In a French herbal of the -fifteenth century it is called hanibane or hanebane. From a very early -period it has been employed as a sedative and anodyne, for producing -sleep, although simple hallucinations sometimes accompany its use. - -An old tradition states, that once in the refectory of an ancient -monastery the monks were served with henbane, instead of some harmless -root, in error by the cook. After partaking of the dish, they were -seized with the most extraordinary hallucinations. At midnight one -monk sounded the bell for matins, while others walked in the chapel -and opened their books, but could not read. Others sang roystering -drinking songs and performed mountebank antics, which convulsed the -others with uncontrollable laughter, and the pious monastery for the -nonce was turned into an asylum. Certain stones which were sold for -large sums of money were supposed to change colour when brought near a -poisonous substance, and they were consequently much sought after by -high personages. The horn of the unicorn was said to become moist when -placed near poisoned food. Bickman records his belief that several slow -poisons were known to the ancients which cannot now be identified. The -Carthaginians also seem to have been acquainted with similar poisons, -and, according to tradition, administered some to Regulus, the Roman -general. But we cannot endorse Bickman's belief. - -An incident which happened to the army led by Mark Antony against -the Parthians, and described by Plutarch, is said to have been caused -by aconite. At one time during the expedition, "the soldiers being -very short of provisions, sought for roots and pot-herbs ... and met -one that brought on madness and death. The eater immediately lost -all memory and knowledge, busying himself at the same time in turning -and moving every stone he met with, as if he were on some important -pursuit. The camp was full of unhappy men stooping to the ground, and -digging up and removing stones, till at last they were carried off by -bilious vomiting.... Whole numbers perished, and the Parthians still -continued to harass them. Antony is said to have frequently exclaimed: -'Oh! the ten thousand!' alluding to the army which Xenophon led in -retreat; both a longer way and through more numerous conflicts, and yet -led in safety." - -Nine active or virulent poisons are mentioned by most ancient writers -on Indian medicine, many of which are at present not identified. Most -of them are apparently varieties of aconite. Besides these, they -employed opium, gunja, datura, roots of _Nerium odorum_ and _Gloriosa -superba_, the milky juices of _Calotropis gigantea_ and _Euphorbia -neriifolia_, white arsenic, orpiment, and the poison extracted from the -fangs of serpents. - -Most of the older Sanscrit MSS. are written on paper prepared with -orpiment to preserve them from the ravages of insects. Three varieties -of _Datura_ yield atropine, a powerful poison. These plants were -frequently employed in India for putting a sudden end to domestic -quarrels, and to this practice may be traced the origin of the custom -of "Suttee," or widow burning, as the Brahmins found from experience -that, by making a wife's life conterminous with the husband's the -average husband lived considerably longer. - -It is worthy of note that the diamond was celebrated as a medicinal -agent by the Hindoos, who prepared it by roasting seven times and then -reducing it to powder. It was given in doses of one grain as a powerful -tonic. - - -[1] The celebrated "Orvietano" was doubtless some preparation of -antimony. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -POISONS AND SUPERSTITION - - -AMONG the ignorant, poisons have ever been closely associated with -superstition, and thus we find in the dark ages, even among the more -civilized nations of the West, a belief in the occult concerning those -things the action of which they did not understand. To most of the -poisonous herbs used by the ancients certain curious superstitions were -attached. The mandrake, in particular, excited the greatest veneration -on this account. It is supposed this plant is the same which the -ancient Hebrews called Dudaïm. That these people held it in the highest -esteem in the days of Jacob is evident from the notice of its having -been found by Reuben, who carried it to his mother; and the inducement -which tempted Leah to part with it proves the value then set upon this -remarkable plant. It was believed to possess the property of making -childless wives become mothers. Mandrake was among the more important -drugs employed by the ancients for producing anæsthesia. Doses of the -wine made from the root were administered before amputating a limb -or the application of the hot iron cautery. Pliny says: "Mandrake is -taken against serpents, and before cutting and puncture, lest they be -felt. Sometimes the smell is sufficient." According to Apuleius, half -an ounce of the wine would make a person insensible even to the pain of -amputation. Lyman states it was this wine, "mingled with myrrh," that -was offered to the Saviour on the Cross, it being commonly given to -those who suffered death by crucifixion to allay in some degree their -terrible agonies. In Shakespeare's time mandrake still kept its place -in public estimation as a narcotic. Thus we have Cleopatra asking for -the drug, that she may "sleep out this great gap of time" while her -Antony is away; and Iago, when his poison begins to work in the mind of -the Moor, exclaims-- - - "Not poppy, nor mandragora - Nor all the drowsy syrups of this world, - Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep." - -Some of the old names applied to the plant, such as semihomo and -anthropomorphon, refer to the appearance of the root, while the -term "love-apples" applied to the fruit relates to their imaginary -aphrodisiacal properties. It is mentioned in the Scriptures in -connexion with such episodes. Josephus states "baaras" (supposed to -be mandrake) was capable of expelling demons from those possessed. -Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, is said to have compared his -lethargic hearers to those who had eaten mandrake. Dioscorides states -that "a drachm of mandragora taken in a draught, or eaten in a cake, -causes infatuation, and takes away the use of reason." The Greeks -bestowed on it the name of "Circeium" derived from the witch Circe. -They believed that when the mandrake was dragged up from the earth, it -gave a dreadful shriek, and struck the daring person dead who had had -the presumption to pull it up. The method of obtaining it, therefore, -was by fastening the plant to the tail of a dog, who thus drew the root -from the ground. The shriek was supposed to be due to an evil spirit -who dwelt in the plant. The Romans also were very particular in the -manner in which they obtained the root. Pliny tells us that he who -would undertake this office should stand with his back to the wind, -and before he begins to dig, make three circles round the plant with -the point of a sword, and then turning to the west proceed to take it -up. The small roots, which are much twisted and gnarled, sometimes -bear a resemblance to the form of man, and this was turned to account -by some of the old German doctors, who fashioned them into rude images -and sold them as preventives of evil and danger. They called them -Abrunes. These images were regularly dressed every day and consulted as -oracles and were manufactured in great numbers. They were introduced -into England in the time of Henry VIII, and met with ready purchasers. -To increase their value and importance, the roots were said by the -vendors to be produced from the flesh of criminals which fell from the -gibbet and that they only grew in such situations. Lord Bacon notices -their use in the following paragraph--"Some plants there are, but rare, -that have a morsie or downie root, and likewise that have a number of -threads like beards, as mandrakes, whereof witches and impostours make -an ugly image, giving it the form of a face at the top of the root, -and these strings to make a broad beard down to the foot." Madame de -Genlis states that "the mandrake roots should be wrapped in a sheet, -for that then they will bring increasing good luck." The plant is still -used medicinally in China, where it is said to be largely taken by the -mandarins, who believe it will give them increased intellectual powers -and prolong their lives. From recent investigation the activity of the -mandrake root is proved to be due to an alkaloid called mandragorine. - -The black hellebore, Melampus root or Christmas rose, another poisonous -plant known to the ancients, was believed to have magical properties. -It was called after Melampus, a great physician, who flourished at -Pylos, about one hundred years after the time of Moses, or about one -thousand five hundred and thirty years before the birth of Christ. He -is reputed to have cured the daughters of Proetus, King of Argos, of -mental derangement with hellebore. Pliny mentions that the daughters -of Proetus were restored to their senses by drinking the milk of goats -which had fed on hellebore. Black hellebore root was used by the -ancients to purify their homes and to hallow their dwellings, and they -believed that by strewing it about it would drive away evil spirits. -This ceremony was performed with great devotion, and accompanied with -the singing of solemn hymns. They also blessed their cattle in the same -manner with hellebore to keep them free from spells of the wicked. -For these purposes it was dug up with many religious ceremonies--such -as drawing a circle round the plant with a sword; then, turning to -the east, a humble prayer was finally offered up by the devotee, to -Apollo and Aesculapius for leave to dig up the root. The flight of -the eagle was particularly attended to during the ceremony, for when -this bird approached near the spot during the celebration of the -rite, it was considered so ominous as to predict the certain death of -the person who uprooted the plant in the course of the year. Others -ate garlic previous to the rite, which was supposed to counteract -the poisonous effluvia of the plant. Dioscorides relates that when -Carneades, the Cyrenaic philosopher, undertook to answer the books of -Zeno, he sharpened his wit and quickened his spirit by purging his head -with powdered hellebore. It is recorded that the Gauls never went to -the chase without rubbing the point of their arrows with this herb, -believing that it rendered all the game killed with them the more -tender. It is of this plant Juvenal sarcastically observes: "Misers -need a double dose of hellebore." - -With several uncivilised nations in Africa, the practice of compelling -persons accused of crime or witchcraft to undergo the ordeal of -swallowing some vegetable poison is still carried on. For this purpose -certain tribes in Western Africa use the Calabar bean, sometimes -called the ordeal bean, which contains a powerful poisonous principle, -called Physostigmine. It was customary, at one time, in Old Calabar, -and the mouth of the Niger, where the plant grows, to destroy it -whenever found, a few only being preserved to supply seeds for judicial -purposes, and of these seeds the store was kept in the custody of the -native chief. Witchcraft, indeed, may be said to play the chief part in -the daily life of all African natives, and to witchcraft they attribute -every ill that befalls them. Two classes of witchcraft are supposed -to exist--the one practised secretly by evil-doers, and the other -practised by the witch doctors with the view of destroying the effects -of the former. Witch doctors are, in fact, the greatest power in the -land; they hold the lives of all in their hands, and are daily employed -to satisfy the passions of their neighbours. "According to native -ideas," says one who has had a long experience among the native tribes, -"death or sickness never occurs through natural causes, but is always -the result of somebody's act. Whenever any one is accused of having -practised witchcraft, or of having committed any other crime, Calabar -bean or Muavi is used to decided the case. The taking of these is the -great trial by ordeal, and, usually, except when the accuser is a witch -doctor, accused and accuser have both to submit to the test. Chiefs, -however, may appoint a deputy to undergo the ordeal in their stead. -Muavi consists of a specially prepared drug, usually made by scraping -the wood of a certain tree known to the witch doctors; this is mixed -with water, and both parties swallow the decoction. In a very short -time the drug begins to act. Vomiting sets in, followed by convulsions -and death. Of course, in most cases the result depends on the dose -given. Sometimes both accuser and accused are seized with vomiting; in -that case the natives say that the medicine has been badly prepared, -and the operation is repeated. At other times both die; in that case -also the medicine was no good, but the trial cannot be renewed, as may -be readily understood. When the guilt of one of the parties has been -established by his death, his property is at once looted, his wife and -children being killed. So great, however, is the faith of the natives -in the infallibility of the Muavi test, and they so fully believe that -in case of innocence they will be proof against the deadly effects of -the drug, that they will never hesitate to submit themselves to the -trial; in fact, they will frequently volunteer to go through it, and -insist upon taking muavi even when falsely accused. From this account -it will be easily seen that the witch doctor who prepares the muavi can -easily get rid of any person he may wish. In some districts the drug -used for the trial, instead of causing death, when it has not acted as -an emetic, merely causes purging; but the result is the same, as the -man is at once put to death." This is probably due to a weaker decoction -of the drug having been prepared. The same traveller states, in many -instances his own men have offered to take muavi in order to refute the -slightest charge. Trial by ordeal, which still survives in the Dark -Continent, was practised by other and more civilized nations in the -early Christian era. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ROYAL AND HISTORIC POISONERS - - -POISON appears to have been employed as a political agent from a very -early period of history, and numerous stories have been handed down -of royal personages who used this secret and deadly method of ridding -themselves of troublesome individuals, and removing enemies from their -path. They also, at times, became the victims of jealous rivals by the -same nefarious means. - -One of the earliest traditions we have of this kind is that of Phrysa, -who poisoned the queen Statira during the reign of Artaxerxes II -(Mnemon), B.C. 405-359, by cutting her food with a poisoned knife. -The notorious Nero doubtless resorted to the use of poison more than -once, as may be inferred from the story of the death of his brother -Britannicus, who, it is said, was poisoned by his orders. Britannicus -was dining with his brother and the Imperial family, and, as was the -custom of the Romans, hot water was brought round by slaves to the -table, the water being heated to varied degrees to suit the taste -of the drinker. According to the story, the cup of water handed to -Britannicus proved to be too hot, and he gave it back to the attendant -slave, who added cold water to it, which addition is supposed to have -contained the poison; for no sooner had he swallowed the draught than -he fell back gasping for breath. His mother, Agrippina, and Octavia, -his sister, who were also at the table, became terror-stricken, but -Nero, unmoved, calmly remarked that he often had such fits in his youth -without danger, and the banquet proceeded. It is thought probable that -the poison given was prussic acid in some form. - -A curious superstition existed in early times, and is still entertained -by the ignorant, that if the body rapidly decomposes after a sudden -death it is to be attributed to the effects of poison. So when -Britannicus died, it is recorded that the Romans attempted to conceal -his discoloured face by means of paint. During the Roman period, -poisoning was reduced to a fine art, and the skilled or professional -poisoner obtained large amounts of money for his services. - -The Borgias' favourite method of administering a lethal dose was by -means of a species of hypodermic injection. - -The greatest craft and cunning used to be exerted in order to introduce -poison into the system, and there are many old traditions concerning -the subtle methods employed, although a number of these are doubtless -more legendary than correct. Thus Tissot states that John, King of -Castile, owed his death to wearing a pair of boots which were supposed -to have been impregnated with poison by a Turk. Henry VI is said to -have succumbed through wearing poisoned gloves and Louis XIV and -Pope Clement VII through the fumes from a poisoned taper. King John -is supposed to have been poisoned by matter extracted from a living -toad placed in his wassail bowl, while Pope Alexander VI is said also -to have fallen a victim to poison, "after which," according to the -chronicler, "his body presented a fearful spectacle." - -A document drawn up by Charles, King of Navarre, throws some light on -the systematic manner in which the poisoning of obnoxious persons was -carried out in mediæval times. It is in the form of a commission to -one Wondreton to poison Charles VI, the Duke of Valois, brother of the -King, and his uncles, the Dukes of Berri, Burgundy, and Bourbon. It -runs: "Go thou to Paris; thou canst do great service if thou wilt. Do -what I tell thee; I will reward thee well. There is a thing which is -called sublimed arsenic; if a man eat a bit the size of a pea, he will -never survive. Thou wilt find it in Pampeluna, Bordeaux, Bayonne, and -in all the good towns thou wilt pass at the apothecaries' shops. Take -it, and powder it; and when thou shalt be in the house of the King, of -the Count de Valois his brother, and the Dukes of Berri, Burgundy, and -Bourbon, draw near and betake thyself to the kitchen, to the larder, to -the cellar, or any other place where thy point can best be gained, and -put the powder in the soups, meats, or wines; provided that thou canst -do it secretly. Otherwise do it not." It is satisfactory to learn that -the miscreant who was intrusted with this diabolical commission, was -detected in time, and executed in 1384. - -It is related of Charles IX that, having suspected one of his cooks of -stealing two silver spoons, he resolved to try the effect of bezoar, -which at that time was highly recommended as an antidote to poisons. -So, thinking a good opportunity had arrived for testing its properties, -his Majesty administered to the unfortunate cook, first, a large dose -of corrosive sublimate, and then a dose of the reputed antidote; but -the unlucky man fell a victim to the experiment, and died in great -agony in seven hours, in spite of other efforts to save him. - -There is an old tradition that King John also figured as a poisoner, -and got rid of the unfortunate Maud Fitz-Walter by means of a poisoned -egg. The story is a romantic one, and is related by Hepworth Dixon in -"Her Majesty's Tower." "In the reign of King John, the White Tower -received one of the first and fairest of a long line of female victims, -in that of Maud Fitz-Walter, who was known to the singers of her time -as Maud the Fair. The father of this beautiful girl was Robert, Lord -Fitz-Walter, of Castle Baynard, on the Thames, one of John's most -powerful and greatest barons. Yet the King, during, it is said, a fit -of violence or temper with the Queen, fell madly in love with the fair -Maud. As neither the lady herself nor her powerful sire would listen to -his disgraceful suit, the King is said to have seized her by force at -Dunmow and brought her to the Tower. Fitz-Walter raised an outcry, on -which the King sent troops into Castle Baynard and his other houses, -and when the baron protested against these wrongs, his master banished -him from the realm. Fitz-Walter fled to France with his wife and other -children, leaving poor Maud in the Tower, where she suffered a daily -insult in the King's unlawful suit. But she remained obdurate, and -refused his offers. On her proud and scornful answer to his overtures -being heard, John carried her up to the roof and locked her in the -round turret, standing on the north-east angle of the keep. Maud's -cage was the highest and chilliest den in the Tower; but neither cold, -solitude, nor hunger could break her strength, and at last, in the rage -of his disappointed love, the King sent one of his minions to her room -with a poisoned egg, of which the brave girl ate and died." - -Bluff King Hal at one period of his life was apprehensive of being -poisoned, and it was commonly believed that Anne Boleyn attempted to -dose him. It is recorded that the King, in an interview with young -Prince Henry, burst into tears, saying that he and his sister, the -Princess Mary, might thank God for having escaped from the hands of -that accursed and venomous harlot, who had intended to poison them. - -According to the French Chronicles, "After the death of Gaultier -Giffard, Count Buckingham, in the early part of the twelfth century, -Agnes his widow became enamoured with Robert Duke of Normandy and -attached herself in an illicit manner to him, shortly after which time -his wife Sibylle died of poison." - -Pope Alexander VI and his son the Duke Valentinois employed arsenic to -carry out their fiendish plans, not only on their enemies, but their -friends also. Thus perished by their hands the Cardinals of Capua and -Modena; and Alexander himself by a cup intended for Adrian, Cardinal -of Corneto, who had invited the pope to a banquet in the Vineyard of -Belvedere, was destroyed instead of his host. - -Lucretia Borgia, famous in romance and song for her poisoning -propensities, was a daughter of Pope Alexander VI, and sister of -Cesare Borgia. She married Giovanni Sforza, Lord of Pesaro, in 1493, -but being a woman of haughty disposition and evil temper, their life -was anything but a happy one; and after living together for four -years, Alexander dissolved the marriage, and gave her to Alphonso II -of Naples. Two years had barely passed before her second husband was -assassinated by hired ruffians of Cesare Borgia. So Lucretia took unto -herself a third husband in the person of Alphonso d'Este, a son of the -Duke of Ferrara. She led a wild and unhappy life, and was accused of -poisoning, and almost every form of crime, although it is stated by -several modern historians that many of these charges were unfounded. -Although tradition has inflicted her with a bad character, she is said -to have been a liberal patroness of art and literature in her time. She -died in 1523. - -In 1536 the Dauphin, eldest son of Francis I, died suddenly, and -suspicion attached to Sebastian Montecucculi, a Ferrarese, who held the -part of cup-bearer--bribed, as was supposed by Catherine of Medicis in -order to secure the crown to her husband, Henry, Duke of Orleans, who -became Dauphin in consequence of his elder brother's death. - -The story of the Countess of Somerset, who was tried with others for -the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury in the reign of James I, forms an -interesting episode in the history of romantic poisoning. Robert, -Earl of Essex, son of Queen Elizabeth's favourite, and who afterwards -became Commander-in-chief of the Parliamentary forces, married, at -the age of fourteen, Frances Howard, a younger daughter of the Earl -of Suffolk, the bride being just a year younger than her husband. The -match had been arranged and brought about through the influence of -relatives, who thought it expedient that the youthful bridegroom should -be sent off to travel on the Continent immediately after the marriage -had taken place, and he remained away for three or four years. During -this period the countess, who was brought up at court, developed into -a very beautiful woman, but seems to have been equally unprincipled -and capricious. On the return of the earl from his travels, she shrank -from all advances on his part, and showed the utmost repugnance to her -husband on all occasions. Their dispositions were entirely different. -He loved retirement, and wished to live a quiet country life, while -she, who had been bred at court, and accustomed to adulation and -intrigue, refused to leave town. The King about this time had a number -of young men of distinguished appearance and good looks attached to the -court, and of these, one Robert Carr, at length became an exclusive -favourite. Between him and the self-willed young countess there sprang -up an attachment, which, at least on her side, amounted to infatuation. -Her opportunities for meeting her lover were short and rare, and in -this emergency she applied to a Mrs. Turner, who introduced her to Dr. -Forman, a noted astrologer and magician at that time, and he, by images -made of wax, and other devices of the black art, undertook to procure -the love of Carr to the lady. At the same time he was also to practise -against the earl in the opposite direction. These measures, however, -were too slow for the wayward countess, and having gone to the utmost -lengths with her inamorata, she insisted on a divorce, and a legal -marriage with him. - -One of Carr's greatest friends was Sir Thomas Overbury, a young -courtier and a man of honour and kindly disposition. He was much -against this intimacy, and besought his friend to break it off, -assuring him it would ruin his prospects and reputation if he married -the lady. Carr unwisely made this known to the countess, who at once -regarded Overbury as a bitter enemy, and resolved to do what she could -to overthrow him. The pair plotted together with evident success, -for the unfortunate Sir Thomas was shortly afterwards committed to -the Tower by an arbitrary mandate of the King; next, he was not -allowed to see any visitors; and, finally, his food was poisoned, -and, after several unsuccessful attempts on his life, he at last died -from the effects of poison. Cantharides, nitrate of silver, spiders, -arsenic, and last of all, corrosive sublimate, are said to have been -administered in turn to this unfortunate individual. Meanwhile, -the countess obtained a divorce from her husband on the ground of -impotency, and married Carr, who was soon after made Earl of Somerset -by King James. - -Two years elapsed before the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury was brought -to light, when the inferior criminals, Mrs. Turner and the others, were -convicted and executed; but the Earl of Somerset and his countess, -although found guilty with their accomplices, received the royal -pardon. The happiness of the earl and countess, however, was not of -long duration, as it is stated they afterwards became so alienated -from each other, that they resided for years under the same roof with -the most careful precautions that they might not by any chance come -into each other's presence. The Mrs. Turner implicated in the crime is -said to have been the first to introduce into England the yellow starch -that was then applied to ladies' ruffs. Her last request was, that she -should be hanged in a ruff dyed with her own yellow starch, which is -said to have been carried out. - -According to some historians, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Prime -Minister and favourite of Queen Elizabeth, was a poisoner of the most -diabolical description. - -His ambition to marry his royal mistress, who, shrewd woman as she was, -seems to have had no insight into his unscrupulous character, was the -cause of his moving every human obstacle from his path by insidious -methods. The murder of his wife Amy Robsart was the first of a long -series of murders, carried out, doubtless, at his instigation. He was -next suspected of causing the death of Lord Sheffield, of whose lady he -was an admirer. The Earl of Essex is said to have been another victim. -His death is described in the language of the time as having been due -to "an extreme flux caused by an Italian Receit, the maker whereof was -a surgeon that then was newly come to my Lord from Italy, a cunning man -and sure in operation. The inventor of this recipe was known as one -Dr. Julio, who was said to be able to make a man dye in what manner -of sickness you will." The death of the Earl of Essex took place when -on his way home from Ireland, with the object of revenging himself -on the Earl of Leicester for his domestic wrongs. The next victim is -said to have been Cardinal Chatillian, who, having accused the earl -of preventing the marriage of the queen to the King of France, was -journeying back to Dover, when he was taken suddenly ill and died in -Canterbury. - -Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, a wealthy city magnate and a tool of the -earl's, whom, 'tis said, he used to thwart the doings of the Lord -Treasurer, Sir William Cecil, was another victim. Having heard that Sir -Nicholas was revealing some of his secrets, he invited him one night -to supper at his house in London, and at supper time hurriedly went to -the court, to which he said he had been called suddenly by her Majesty. -Sir Nicholas proceeded with the meal in his absence, and soon after -was seized with a violent vomiting, from which he never recovered. -According to an old chronicler, "The day before his death he declared -to a dear friend, all the circumstances and cause of his complaint, -which he affirmed plainly to be poison given him in a sallet at supper, -inveighing most earnestly against the earl's cruelty and bloody -disposition, and affirming him to be the wickedest, most perilous and -perfidious man under heaven." - -The chronicler continues: "And for his art of poisoning, it is such -now, and reaching so far, as he holdeth all his foes in England and -elsewhere, as also a good many of his friends, in fear thereof, and -if it were known how many he hath despatched in that way would be -marvellous to posterity. - -"His body physician, one Dr. Bayly, openly proclaimed the fact that he -knew of poisons which might be so tempered that they should kill the -party afterwards at what time it should be appointed; which argument -belike," says the writer of _Leycester's Commonwealth_, "pleased well -his Lordship of Leicester. The tool who carried out the murder of -the Earl of Essex is said to have been one Crompton, Yeoman of the -Bottles, together with Godwick Lloyd." Leicester was suspected of -being the instigator of many murders which probably he may have had -nothing to do with, such was the feeling of dislike against him. Among -others was Lady Lennox, who died in a mysterious manner shortly after -being visited by the earl. - -He is said to have kept in his employ several needy but unscrupulous -physicians, ready to administer the "Italian Comfortive," as the poison -was called, at his bidding. "With the Earl of Essex, one Mrs. Alice -Drakott, a godly gentlewoman, is also said to have been poisoned." -This lady happened to be accompanying the earl on her way towards her -own house, when after partaking of the same cup she was also seized -with violent pain and vomiting, which continued until she died, a -day or two before the earl succumbed. "When she was dead," says -the chronicler, "her body was swollen into a monstrous bigness and -deformity; whereof the good earl, hearing the day following, lamented -the case greatly, and said in the presence of his servants, 'Ah! poor -Alice, the cup was not prepared for thee, albeit it was thy hard -fortune to taste thereof.'" - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -PROFESSIONAL POISONERS - - -THE criminal destruction of life by poison has been practised from -ancient times. Very little was known of toxicology in those days, -and even the symptoms often passed unrecognised or were attributed -to natural causes, and the poisoners' fiendish work was frequently -undiscovered and rendered easy. In the early Christian era, poisoning, -indeed, became quite a profession, and convenient individuals could be -hired with little difficulty to administer a deadly dose to an enemy -or rival. Agrippina, in refusing to eat some apples offered to her -at table by her father-in-law Tiberius, must have had suspicions of -this kind. Locusta, who is said to have supplied the poison by which -Agrippina got rid of Claudius, and who also prepared the dose for -Britannicus, according to the order of his brother Nero, is the first -professional poisoner of whom we have record. - -In the year B.C. 331 an epidemic broke out in Rome which was supposed -to proceed from corrupt air, but it was observed that the principal -patricians only were the victims. Their deaths, however, were -attributed to infection, for poisoning was then scarcely known in -Rome nor was there a law for its punishment. In the general grief, -a female slave presented herself to the edile curule Q. Fabius and -accused more than twenty Roman ladies of poisoning: designing specially -Cornelia, a lady of an illustrious family of that name, and Sergia, -another patrician lady. It is recorded that as many as three hundred -and sixty-six ladies were similarly accused; but Cornelia and Sergia -were detected in compounding their fatal potions. "When led before -the popular assembly they maintained their preparations were harmless -remedies. The slave, seeing herself accused as a false witness, asked -that the ladies should be required to swallow their own potions; which -they did, and by so doing avoided a more shameful death." - -Later, there were, doubtless, many, both men and women of the baser -sort, who professed to practise alchemy, and had dealings in the black -arts, who for suitable consideration would procure poison for criminal -purposes. In mediæval times a law was passed in Italy rendering the -apothecary, who knowingly sold poison for criminal purposes, liable to -a heavy penalty, and yet secret poisoning was practised to a very large -extent; and there were probably many like the poor apothecary of Mantua -in _Romeo and Juliet_, who, in response to Romeo's demand for poison, -replied, "My poverty and not my will consents." - -From the fifteenth to the seventeenth century two great criminal -schools arose in Venice and Italy. - -The Venetian poisoners who first came into notoriety, flourished in the -fifteenth century. At that period the mania for poisoning had risen -to such a height, that the governments of the states were formally -recognizing secret assassination by poison, and considering the removal -of emperors, princes, and powerful nobles by this method. The notorious -Council of Ten met to consider such plans, and an account and record of -their proceedings still exists, giving the number of those who voted -for and who voted against the proposed removal, the reasons for the -assassination, and the sum to be paid for its execution. Thus these -conspirators quietly arranged to take the lives of many prominent -individuals; and when the deed was executed, it was registered on the -margin of their official record by the significant word "Factum." On -December 15, 1543, John of Raguba, a Franciscan brother, offered the -Council a selection of poisons, and declared himself ready to remove -any person whom they deemed objectionable out of the way. He calmly -stated his terms, which for the first successful case were to be a -pension of 1,500 ducats a year, to be increased on the execution of -future services. The Presidents, Guolando Duoda and Pietro Guiarini, -placed this matter before the Council on January 4, 1544, and on a -division, it was resolved to accept this patriotic offer, and to -experiment first on the Emperor Maximilian. John, who had evidently -reduced poisoning to a fine art, submitted afterwards a regular -graduated tariff to the Council, which ran as follows-- - -For the great Sultan, 500 ducats. - -For the King of Spain, 150 ducats, including the expenses of the -journey, etc. - -For the Duke of Milan, 60 ducats. - -For the Marquis of Mantua, 50 ducats. - -For the Pope, 100 ducats. - -He further adds at the foot of the document, "The farther the journey, -the more eminent the man, the more it is necessary to reward the toil -and hardships undertaken, and the heavier must be the payment." - -The school of Italian poisoners became prominent in the sixteenth and -seventeenth centuries, and the magnitude of their operations during -that period struck terror into the hearts of the chief nobles and -rulers of that country. - -The mania for secret poisoning seems to have seized on all classes -from the highest to the lowest, and no one who made an enemy was -safe. Porta, in his work published in 1589, gives some account of -the poisons used at the time, and seems to have made a study of the -subject. He describes methods for drugging wine (a favourite medium of -administration) with belladonna root, and also mentions nux vomica, -aconite, and hellebore, in his account of poisonous bodies. He gives -the following recipe for compounding a very strong poison, which he -calls "Venenum Lupinum": "Take of the powdered leaves of _Aconitum -lycoctonum_, _Taxus baccata_, with powdered glass, caustic lime, -sulphide of arsenic, and bitter almonds. Mix them with honey, and -make into pills the size of a hazel nut." He also recommends a curious -mixture to poison a sleeping person. It is composed of a mixture of -hemlock juice, bruised stramonium, belladonna, and opium. This is to be -placed in a leaden box with a perfectly fitting cover, and allowed to -ferment for several days; it is then to be opened under the nose of the -intended victim while asleep. So long as the individual only got the -smell and did not swallow the compound, it certainly would not do him -much harm. - -The most notorious of the Italian poisoners was the woman Toffana or -Toffania, who carried on her practices from the latter end of the -seventeenth century until she was brought to justice in 1709. Toffana -resided first at Palermo, but removed to Naples in 1659 during the -pontificate of Alexander VII. This later Circe gained large sums of -money by the sale of certain mysterious preparations she compounded, -which were afterwards proved to be simply solutions of arsenious acid. -These were circulated throughout Italy in small glass phials, bearing -the image of a saint, and labelled various names such as "Acquetta di -Napoli," or the "Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari," and "Aqua Toffana." -Any one in the secret could buy the poison for its supposed use as -a cosmetic, or other innocent property, and then employ it for any -purpose they wished. This infamous woman carried on her nefarious trade -from girlhood until she was nearly seventy years of age, without ever -having fallen into the meshes of the law, and it is stated over six -hundred persons were poisoned through her instrumentality. She dealt -only with individuals, after due safeguards had been built up, and she -changed her abode so frequently, and adopted so many disguises, that -her detection was rendered very difficult. She also called in the aids -of religion and superstition, and those who were uninitiated in the -history of her deadly elixir, imagined it to be a certain miraculous -oil which was supposed to ooze from the tomb of St. Nicholas. The -Popes Pius III and Clement XIV are said to have fallen victims to its -use. The composition of the Acquetta di Napoli was long a profound -secret, but it is said to have been known by the Emperor Charles VI of -Austria. According to a letter addressed to Hoffmann[2] by Garceli, -physician to the emperor, he informed the latter that, being Governor -of Naples at the time that the Acquetta was the dread of every noble -family in the city, and when the subject was investigated legally he -had an opportunity of examining all the documents, and that he found -the poison consisted of a solution of arsenic in _Aqua cymbalariæ_. -The dose was said to be from four to six drops in water, and that it -was colourless, transparent and tasteless. When the manufacture and -sale of the poison was at last traced to Toffana, she took refuge in -a convent, from which the abbess and archbishop refused to give her -up, and so continued to sell the water for twenty years longer, and -evaded punishment for the time. Public indignation was roused to such a -pitch, that at last the convent was broken into by a body of soldiers, -who secured Toffana and handed her over to the authorities. She was -tortured until she confessed in 1709, and then strangled, her body -being thrown into the garden of the convent which had sheltered her. - -Aqua Toffana was reputed to possess some very peculiar properties, and, -among others, that of causing death at any determinate period, after -months, for example, or even years of ill-health (a common supposition -attributed to poisons in the Middle Ages). Its alleged effects are -graphically described by Behrens as follows: "A certain indescribable -change is felt in the whole body, which leads the person to complain -to his physician. The physician examines and reflects, but finds no -symptoms either external or internal, no vomiting, no inflammation, -no fever. In short, he can only advise patience, strict regimen, and -laxatives. The malady, however, creeps on, and the physician is again -sent for. Still he cannot detect any symptoms of note. Meanwhile the -poison takes firmer hold of the system; languor, wearisomeness, and -loathing of food continue; the nobler organs gradually become torpid, -and the lungs in particular at length begin to suffer. In a word, the -malady from the first is incurable; the unhappy victim pines away -insensibly even in the hands of the physician, and thus is he brought -to a miserable end through months or years, according to his enemy's -desire." - -Toffana had many imitators, and some time after her death a similar -scheme was attempted with a poisonous solution reputedly sold as a -cosmetic, called the "Acquetta di Perugia." It is said to have been -prepared by killing a hog, disjointing it, strewing the pieces with -white arsenic, which was well rubbed in, and finally collecting the -juice which dropped from the meat itself. This preparation was supposed -to be much stronger and a more powerful poison than arsenic itself, but -doubtless had the same fatal effect. - -It is a curious fact that most of the notorious poisoners in mediæval -times were women, and, indeed, in later years the frail sex seem to -have retained a special predilection for this form of crime. In the -year 1659, a secret society of women, most of whom were young wives -belonging to some of the best and wealthiest families of Rome, was -discovered in that city, the sole or chief object of which was to -destroy the lives of the husbands of the members. They met at regular -intervals at the house of one Hieronyma Spara, a woman reputed to be a -witch, who provided her fellow associates and pupils with the required -poison, and planned and instructed them how to use it. Operations had -been carried on for some time, when the existence of the society was -discovered and, says a chronicler, "the hardened old hag passed the -ordeal of the rack without confession; but another woman divulged the -secrets of the sisterhood, and La Spara, together with twelve other -women implicated, were hanged." Many others who were guilty in a lesser -degree were publicly whipped through the streets of the city. - -In the seventeenth century the mania for poisoning seems to have spread -to France, and great interest was excited by the disclosures which -followed the discovery of Exili's conspiracy to poison a number of -persons. Madame de Montespan, one of the favourites of Louis XIV, a -woman of great beauty, died very suddenly at the age of twenty-six, on -June 30, 1672, and it was generally believed she had been poisoned. -The rumour seems to have been set on foot by one of her husband's old -servants, who professed to know the individual who had administered -the fatal dose. "This man," said he, "who was not rich, withdrew -immediately afterwards into Normandy, where he bought an estate, on -which he lived with grandeur a long time; the poison was powder of -diamonds, mixed, instead of sugar, with strawberries." - -Voltaire, who believed the whole story to be a myth, states: "The -court and city believed the princess had been poisoned with a glass -of water of succory, after which she felt terrible pains, and soon -after was seized with the agonies of death; but the natural malignity -of mankind, and a fondness for extraordinary incidents, were the only -inducements to this general persuasion. The glass of water could not -be poisoned, since Madame de la Fayette and another person drunk what -remained without receiving the least injury from it. The princess had -been a long time ill of an abscess, which had formed itself in the -liver." For some time the young Chevalier De Lorraine, the favourite -of the Duke of Orleans, rested under suspicion, it being openly stated -that the motive was to revenge the banishment and imprisonment which -his misbehaviour to the princess a short time before had drawn upon -him. Public opinion was strengthened in the belief that the princess -had met her death through poison, by the fact that just at this time -the mania for secret poisoning seemed to spread over France. About -this date a German apothecary and alchemist, named Glaser, settled -in Paris, together with two Italians, one of whom was called Exili. -Their professed object was a research to discover the Philosopher's -Stone. Having lost the little they possessed in a very short time in -the pursuit of this chimera, they commenced the secret sale of poisons. -Through the confessional their nefarious trade became known to the -Grand Penitentiary of Paris. This dignitary gave information to the -Government, and the two suspected Italians were promptly sent to the -Bastille, where one of them died; but Exili, while still in prison, -managed to carry on his business, and found ready purchasers for his -secrets, and the number of deaths attributed to poison increased to -such an extent, that a special court for the investigation of poisoning -cases, called "La Chambre Ardente," was formed. A few years later -the whole of France was aroused by the confession of the Marquise de -Brinvilliers of having poisoned her father, two brothers, and a sister. -Her husband, the Marquis de Brinvilliers, invited a friend, one Captain -St. Croix, who was an officer in his regiment, to lodge in his house. -The too agreeable person of the lady of the house speedily charmed the -visitor, and to her credit she endeavoured to inspire her husband with -a fear of the consequences; but he obstinately persisted in keeping -his young friend in the house with his wife, who was both young and -handsome, with the result they soon conceived a passion for each other. -The father of the marquise, one Lieutenant Daubrai was greatly incensed -on hearing of his daughter's indiscretions, and obtaining a _lettre de -cachet_ had the captain sent to the Bastille. Here St. Croix was placed -in the same cell as Exili, and the latter soon instructed him how he -might easily revenge himself. The marquise, who found means of visiting -her lover, was informed how to obtain the poison, and at once commenced -operations on those members of her family who were most incensed -against her, with the result, that first her father, then her brothers -and sister fell victims to her revenge. Suspicion resting on her, she -fled into Belgium, and was arrested at Liège. A full confession of her -crimes, written by her own hand, was found upon her. - -She was eventually beheaded, and burnt near Notre Dame in July, 1676. -St. Croix is said to have accidentally succumbed to the effects of -poisonous fumes in his own laboratory. The authorities on examining -his effects, as he left no family, came across a small box to which -a paper was attached, which contained a request that after his death -"it might be delivered to the Marquise de Brinvilliers, who resides in -Rue Neuve St. Paul." This paper was signed and dated by St. Croix on -May 25, 1672. On the box being opened, it was found to contain a large -collection of various poisons, including corrosive sublimate, antimony, -and opium. When the marquise heard of the death of her lover, she at -once made every effort to obtain the box by bribing the officers of -justice, but failed. La Chaussée, the servant of St. Croix, laid claim -to the property, but was arrested as an accomplice and imprisoned. On -confessing many serious crimes he was broken alive on the wheel in -1673. Evidence was brought to prove at the trial of De Brinvilliers, -that both she and St. Croix were secretly combined with other persons -accused of similar crimes. Some distinguished people were implicated, -including Pennautier, the receiver-general of the clergy, who was -afterwards accused of practising her secrets. One crime seemed to bring -another to light, and two persons, named La Voisin and La Vigoreux, -a priest named Le Sage, and several others, were next haled before -the tribunal, and charged with trading with the secrets of Exili and -inciting people with weak minds to the crime of poisoning. It was -alleged that through their instrumentality a large number of married -women had hastened the decease of their husbands. - -The Chambre Ardente, or Burning Court, as it was commonly called, was -established at the Arsenal, near the Bastille, and was rarely idle. -Persons of the highest rank were cited to appear before it; among -others, two nieces of Cardinal Mazarin, the Duchess of Bouillon, and -the Countess de Soissons, mother of Prince Eugène. The Countess de -Soissons had to retire to Brussels. - -The Marshal de Luxemburg was the next sensational arrest. He was -carried to the Bastille and submitted to a long examination, after -which he was allowed to remain fourteen months in prison. La Voisin and -his accomplices were eventually condemned and burnt at the stake, which -seemed to put a check on this series of abominable crimes which spread -throughout France from 1670 to 1680. - -Maria Louisa, daughter of Louis XIV, who married Charles II, King -of Spain, is said to have died from the effects of poison in 1689. -Voltaire states: "It was undoubtedly believed that the Austrian -Ministers of Charles II would get rid of her, because she loved her -country and might prevent the king, her husband, from declaring for the -allies against France; they even sent her from Versailles what they -believed to be a counter-poison." This did not arrive until after her -death. In the memoirs of the Marquis de Dangeau, he says: "The king -announced the death of his daughter at supper in these words--'The -Queen of Spain is dead, poisoned by eating of an eel pye; and the -Countess de Pernits and the Cameras, Zapeita, and Nina, who eat of it -after her, are also dead of the same poison.'" It is more than probable -the unfortunate queen and her ladies succumbed to some putrefactive -poison in the fish itself, and were not killed by intent. Nothing was -known of animal poisons in those days, and such was the state of the -public mind that nearly every sudden death was at once attributed to -poison. - -The close of the reign of Louis XIV was marked by the sudden deaths of -no less than six members of the royal family in close succession. The -public sorrow and excitement were great, and rumours and suspicions -of poisoning were revived with fury unexampled. The prince had a -laboratory, and among other arts studied chemistry. This was considered -by the ignorant to be sufficient proof, and the public outcry became -terrible. On a visit of the Marquis de Canellae, the prince was found -extended on the floor shedding tears, and distracted with despair. His -chemist and fellow worker, Homberg, ran to surrender himself at the -Bastille, but they refused to receive him without orders. The prince -was so beside himself on hearing the public outcry and suspicions -that he demanded to be put in prison so that his innocence might be -cleared by judicial forms. The _lettre de cachet_ was actually made -out, but not signed. The marquis alone kept his head, and prevailed -upon the prince's mother to oppose the _lettre de cachet_. "The monarch -who granted it, and his nephew who demanded it, were both equally -wretched," says the historian. - -The "poudre de succession," famous in Paris as a secret poison, was -at one time supposed to consist of diamond dust, but, according to -Haller, was really composed of sugar of lead. This was used by several -notorious criminals during the seventeenth century. - - -[2] Hoffmann, _Medecina Rationalis Systematica_, i. 198. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -POISONING PLOTS - - -THE use of poison as an instrument for political purposes during -the Middle Ages soon spread over Europe, and the dread of wholesale -poisoning caused numerous panics. Some of these alarms may probably -have been circulated by unscrupulous traders who had articles to sell, -or some business interest to forward, but of others authentic records -exist. - -June 6 is still kept as a public holiday in Malta. Upon that day, a -century and a half ago, while the island was still possessed by the -Knights of St. John, a Jew waited on the Grand Master, and revealed to -him a plot that had been planned for exterminating the whole population -at a stroke. This man kept a coffee house frequented by the Turkish -slaves, and understanding their language, he had overheard suspicious -remarks among his customers. The Grand Master, believing the truth -of the man's statement, took immediate action. The slaves indicated -were at once seized and put to torture, and they confessed a design of -poisoning all the wells and fountains on the island, and to make the -result surer, each of the conspirators was to assassinate a Christian. -One hundred and twenty-five were found guilty. Some were burnt, some -broken on the wheel, while others were ordered to have their arms and -legs attached to two galleys which, on being rowed apart, would thus -dismember them. Whether these frightful punishments were carried out -it is impossible to say, but the fact remains that the people of Malta -still commemorate their escape from poisoning to the present time. - -Wholesale poisoning appears to have been a common practice in Eastern -countries, especially in India and Persia. The wells or other water -sources were usually chosen as the medium for disseminating the poison, -and in this way whole villages have often been destroyed by some -miscreant. Another extraordinary poisoning plot was discovered in Lima -towards the close of the eighteenth century. During the insurrection of -1781, a rich Cacique, who professed loyalty, went to a chemist's shop -and asked for 200 lb. of corrosive sublimate. He was willing to pay -any price. The chemist had not anything like that amount in stock, and -not wishing to send such a good customer away, substituted 200 lb. of -alum. On the following day all the water in the town was found to be -impregnated with alum. An examination being made of the reservoir, it -was found that the fence round it had been broken down and the banks -strewn with alum, and the water rendered undrinkable. - -England has remained practically free from crimes of this kind. In -1530, a case occurred which caused great public indignation. Fisher, -Bishop of Rochester, was accustomed to entertain a number of poor -people daily. One afternoon a large number of his humble guests, -together with some of the officers of the household, were taken -ill. Two died, and after an examination of the food had been made, -it was declared the yeast had been poisoned. Parliament took up the -investigation, and the bishop's cook, one Richard Rowe, was found -guilty. He was tried, and sentenced to be boiled alive as a terrible -example to others. Boiling seems to have been a favourite punishment -for poisoners during the Middle Ages, a fact which, doubtless, shows -the abhorrence in which crimes of this kind were held. - -It is further recorded that "On March 17th, 1524, Margaret Davy, maid, -was boiled in Smithfield for poisoning three households she had dwelled -in." - -Among Queen Elizabeth's statesmen, poison would appear to have been -regarded as almost a legitimate weapon of defence. Her favourite -Leicester, to whom we have already alluded, was often called "The -Poisoner." This propensity was probably largely due to the fact -that most young Englishmen of rank were sent to Italy to finish -their education, and there were introduced to the Italian methods of -poisoning so much in vogue. - -The Duc de Guise, in his memoirs, relates in a most matter-of-fact way, -how he requested the captain of his guard to poniard a troublesome -demagogue at Naples. The captain was shocked. He would poison any one -at his Grace's command with pleasure, but the dagger was a vulgar -instrument. So the duke bought some strong poison, the composition -of which he describes at length, and it was duly administered. But -Gennaro, the intended victim, had just eaten cabbage dressed in oil, -which is said to have acted as an antidote, and so he lived after all. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -CONCERNING ARSENIC - - -ARSENIC has, perhaps, been more frequently used than any other poison -for criminal purposes. It was known to the ancient Greeks in the form -of the yellow sulphide, commonly called orpiment. It is found in -Greece and Hungary. Its bright yellow colour caused many of the early -alchemists to consider it the key to the Philosopher's Stone, and this -is said to be grounded on some enigmatical verse in the Sibylline -oracles. The Emperor Caligula, according to Pliny, ordered a great -quantity of orpiment to be melted and manipulated, so that the gold it -was supposed to contain might be extracted from it. - -Arsenic is the agent most commonly employed for criminal purposes in -India, doubtless because it can be both easily and cheaply obtained. -The reports of the analyst to the Bombay Government throw considerable -light on the methods pursued by Indian poisoners. The poison is usually -given in sweetmeats, and generally by a "strange woman," who has been -met in the street and who mysteriously disappears. This "strange -woman" is found in every analyst's report for the past twenty years, -and under much the same circumstances. Most of the cases are typical of -the people among whom they occur, as, for instance, the following: - -"In a Scinde district a man went into a shop one day and entered into -friendly conversation with a stranger he met there. On parting, by -way of thanking him, the stranger presented him with some sweets for -distribution among his friends. The result was that five men and a boy -were poisoned, and the obliging stranger has never been heard of since." - -The professional poisoner in India--for there are many such--is rarely -caught or even suspected. In a large number of cases, crimes of this -kind are taken little notice of by the community; and sometimes the -poisoner apparently thinks nothing of poisoning a whole family in order -to make sure of his victim. The utter absence of motive in the majority -of cases would point to the conclusion that they were largely the -result of homicidal mania. - -For more than a century after the properties of arsenic were well -known, there was no certain method known for its detection, and very -little advance was made until the early part of last century, when -Marsh discovered his test in 1836, by means of which the minutest -quantities of the poison may be detected. - -It is characteristic of both arsenic and mercury, that their presence -may be proved and demonstrated, even in the bones, years after they -have been taken. In proof of this, the following remarkable case is -given. A wealthy farmer died, and was buried in the tomb where his -father had been interred thirty-five years before. An examination -of certain of the bones of the father revealed particles of a -metallic-looking substance, which was collected and tested, and proved -to be mercury. It had thus been preserved in his body for more than -the third of a century, the probability being, that he had been in the -habit of taking it medicinally during the latter part of his life. -Another strange case came under the notice of a Bristol chemist, in -which he found abundant traces of arsenic in the bodies of several -young children after they had been buried eight years. - -A curious story is related by the late Sir Richard Quain that came -under his experience, and one which would have proved a profound -mystery to this day but for his practical knowledge and acumen. He was -asked to make a post-mortem examination on the body of a man who was -by trade a stone-mason. To continue the story in his own words, "One -day, on coming in to his dinner, he went into the scullery, washed -his hands, and, going into the kitchen, he said to his wife, 'It is -all over; I have taken poison.' 'What have you taken?' 'Arsenic,' -he replied, and she at once took him off to the Western General -Dispensary. The senior surgeon was out when they got there, but two -young pupils of his happened to be in, who thought it was a very -important case, and they would treat it pretty actively. So they gave -him tartar emetic, pumped out the stomach, and pumped oxide of iron -into it, and a good many other operations they performed. The poor -man was extremely ill, and died in twenty-four hours. The coroner's -beadle went to the chemist and said: 'How did you come to sell this man -poison?' He replied, 'I sold him no poison; I thought he was off his -head when he came.' 'What did you give him?' 'Oh, I gave him some alum -and cream of tartar and labelled it poison.' He swallowed this, in the -belief it was arsenic," says Sir Richard. "When I made the post-mortem -examination, to my amazement I found a great deal of _arsenic_ in the -stomach. This was rather puzzling. I said, if it is in the stomach it -ought to go farther down. So I searched the intestines, but there was -no trace of arsenic anywhere. The simple explanation of it was this, -these two young fellows, horrified to find the man had died without -taking arsenic after all, pumped some into the stomach." - -Another instance that terminated in a less tragic manner, in which a -would-be suicide was frustrated by a watchful chemist, happened some -years ago. - -One morning a tall, decently dressed man, of seafaring aspect, entered -a chemist's shop in the neighbourhood of the docks of a northern -seaport, and in a solemn and confidential manner asked for a shilling's -worth of _strong_ laudanum. - -"For what purpose do you require it?" asked the chemist. - -"Well, you see, sir," the man explained, "I've just come off a voyage -from 'Frisco, and I find my sweetheart has gone off with Jim, you see, -sir, and now it's all up with me. Give me a strong dose, please, and if -you don't think a shilling's worth will be enough----" - -"But, my good man----" interrupted the chemist. - -"I'll shoot myself if not, sir, I will." - -"All right, then," said the chemist; and, seeing argument was useless, -he proceeded to mix an innocent but nauseous draught of aloes. - -"Now put in a shilling's worth of arsenic." - -"Very well," replied the chemist, adding some harmless magnesia. - -"And you might as well throw in a shilling's worth of prussic acid," -said the broken-hearted lover. - -The chemist carefully measured a little essence of almonds into the -glass, and handed it to the would-be suicide. He paid, swallowed it at -one draught, and solemnly walked out of the shop. - -Crossing the street, which was quiet at the time, he deliberately laid -himself flat on his back on the footpath, and closed his eyes. - -A group of children gathered round, and stood gazing with their eyes -and mouths open in wonderment, and an occasional passer-by stopped a -moment, cast a glance at the unwonted sight, and then passed on. - -After lying thus quite motionless for about five minutes, he suddenly -raised his head, took a look round, then with one bound jumped to his -feet and made off as hard as he could run. - -It is a curious fact that arsenic has been the favourite medium of -female poisoners from very early times; and in two celebrated poisoning -cases of later years, in both of which women were accused of murder -by the administration of arsenic, the plea that the poison had been -used by them for cosmetic purposes has been put forward to account -for having it in their possession. The effect of arsenic on the skin -is well known, and that it is frequently used, both internally and -externally, to improve the skin, by women, is an undoubted fact.[3] -That such a practice may lead to the taking of arsenic as a confirmed -habit there is also evidence to prove, and the writer has met with more -than one instance, in which the habit of taking solution of arsenic in -large quantities has been contracted by women. - - -[3] The recent rage for the so-called arsenical soaps, which are -supposed to improve the complexion and are being extensively used by -women, goes to corroborate this statement. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE STRANGE CASE OF MADAME LAFARGE - - -THE story of Madame Lafarge, who was tried in France for the murder of -her husband in 1840, is a strangely romantic one. - -Marie Fortunée Cappelle was the daughter of a captain in the Imperial -Artillery. Her parents died in her childhood, and she was placed in -the care of an aunt, who, at the earliest opportunity, determined -to relieve herself of the burden of her support by negotiating a -marriage for her. While still a girl, through the instrumentality of -a matrimonial agent in Paris, an alliance was arranged between Marie -Cappelle and one Monsieur Charles Lafarge, who was a widower and an -ironmaster of Glandier. - -The marriage, which was purely a commercial transaction, took place in -Paris on August 15, 1839, after which, Lafarge and his young wife set -out for his old and gloomy seigneurial mansion in Glandier. - -From statements made afterwards, Madame Lafarge became disgusted with -her husband's brutality before the honeymoon was over. After they -reached their own house, however, they were reconciled, and there -seemed to be every possibility of their spending a happy wedded life -together. - -Besides the newly married pair, there lived in the family mansion the -mother and sister of Lafarge, and his chief clerk, one Denis Barbier, -was a frequent visitor at the house, and had liberty to walk through -the place without restriction. - -In a very short time Madame Lafarge discovered that both she and her -relatives had been deceived as to the position of her husband, and that -instead of being a man of considerable fortune, he was straitened for -means. On his representations she bestowed upon him all her fortune, -and even wrote letters at his dictation to some of her wealthy friends, -asking them to aid him to find money to develop a new method he -claimed to have discovered for smelting iron. With these letters of -introduction, Lafarge set out for Paris in December, 1839, to raise -money to start his new project. - -While he was thus away, his wife had her portrait drawn by an artist -in Glandier, and determined to send it to her absent husband. She -therefore packed it in a box, with some cakes made by his mother, -together with an affectionate letter, and despatched them to Paris. -This box, which contained nothing but the five small cakes, the -portrait, and the letter, was packed and sealed by Madame Lafarge in -the presence of several witnesses. - -When it reached Paris and was opened by Lafarge, it contained only _one -large cake_, after partaking of which he was suddenly taken ill, and -was eventually compelled to return home, where he arrived on January 5, -1840. His sickness continued and increased in severity, and nine days -afterwards he died. - -Shortly after his death his mother and friends, who were well aware how -the widow disliked them and her husband also, who had made her life so -unhappy, at once imputed the cause of death to poison administered by -his wife in the cake she had sent to Paris, and Marie Cappelle Lafarge -was arrested on suspicion. - -When the house of the deceased man was searched, certain diamonds were -found, which were supposed to have been stolen from the Vicomtesse de -Léotaud by Madame Lafarge before her marriage. - -The unfortunate woman was therefore charged with the double crime of -theft and murder. - -Though arrested in January, 1840, the trial of Madame Lafarge did not -commence till July 9 of the same year, and the charge of theft was -first proceeded with in her absence, and she was found guilty. - -While this judgment was still under appeal, she was brought to trial on -the graver charge. - -The evidence for the prosecution went to prove that the illness of -Lafarge commenced with the eating of the cake received from his home. -As already stated, when the box arrived in Paris the seals had been -broken, the five cakes had disappeared, and _a single cake "as large -as a plate"_ had been substituted for them. It was alleged by the -prosecution that this single cake had been prepared by Madame Lafarge, -and secretly placed in the box; but no evidence could be brought to -prove that she ever tampered with the box after it had been sealed. -Lafarge's clerk, Denis Barbier, made a clandestine visit to Paris after -the box had been despatched, and he was with Lafarge when it arrived -in Paris, yet no notice seems to have been taken of this suspicious -fact. It transpired, it was he who also first threw out hints on his -master's return that he was being poisoned by arsenic, and told a -brother employé that his master would be dead within ten days. There -was ample proof, however, that there was a considerable quantity of -arsenic in the house at Glandier. It was found that Madame Lafarge had -purchased some in December, stating she required it for destroying -rats; Denis also stated in evidence, that Madame had requested him to -procure her some arsenic. He bought some, but did not give it to her. -It was further stated that Madame Lafarge was seen to stir a white -powder into some chicken broth which had been prepared for her husband, -the remains of which, found in a bowl, were said by the analyst to -contain arsenic. - -The medical men who conducted the post-mortem examination gave it as -their deliberate opinion that the deceased man had been poisoned by -arsenic, of which metal they professed to have found considerable -quantities. The friends of the accused then submitted the matter to -Orfila, the famous toxicologist, who, on giving his opinion of the -methods and manner in which the analysis had been carried out, said -that owing to the antiquated and doubtful methods of detection employed -by the medical men, it was probable they fancied they had found arsenic -where there was none. Thereupon the prosecution asked Orfila to -undertake a fresh analysis himself, which he consented to do, and, on -making a careful examination of the remains, stated he discovered just -a minute trace of arsenic. - -This apparently sealed the doom of the accused woman, and served to -strengthen the bias of the jury. But now another actor appeared in the -drama in the person of Raspail, another famous French chemist, who -had watched the case from the beginning with interest. On hearing the -result of Orfila's examination, he had taken the trouble to trace the -zinc wire with which Orfila had experimented, to the shop where the -great toxicologist had procured the article, and he found on analysis -that the _zinc itself_ contained more arsenic than Orfila had detected -by his examination. Orfila had used Marsh's test, which is infallible -so long as the reagents used are free from arsenic themselves. - -Raspail, having placed the result of his discovery of arsenic in -Orfila's reagent, at the service of the defence, was on his way to -Tulle, where the Assizes were being held, when an unfortunate accident -delayed his progress, and the unhappy Marie Cappelle Lafarge, after -a trial which lasted sixteen days, was found guilty meanwhile, and -condemned to imprisonment for life with hard labour, and exposure in -the pillory. Raspail, however, would not let the matter rest, and at -once set to work to save the condemned woman. He at length got Orfila -to fairly admit his error and join him in a professional report to the -authorities to that effect. - -After being imprisoned for twelve years, in the end the sentence on -this unhappy woman was reduced to five years in the Montpellier house -of detention, after which the Government sent her to the Convent of -St. Rémy, from whence she was liberated in 1852, but only to end her -wretched life a few months afterwards. - -There appeared in the _Edinburgh Review_ for 1842 a careful -examination of this interesting case from a legal point of view, in -which the writer states the strongest evidence indicated Denis and not -Madame Lafarge as the perpetrator of the crime. It was proved this man -lived by forgery, and assisted Lafarge in some very shady transactions -to cover the latter's insolvency. He was further known to harbour a -deadly hatred for Madame Lafarge. He was with his master in Paris when -he was seized with the sudden illness, and it transpired that out -of the 25,000 francs the ironmaster had succeeded in borrowing from -his wife's relatives, only 3,900 could be found when he returned to -Glandier. On his own statement he was in the possession of a quantity -of arsenic, and he was the first to direct suspicion against his -master's wife. Yet all these facts appear to have been overlooked in -the efforts of the prosecution to fasten the guilt on the unfortunate -woman. That Lafarge died from the effects of arsenical poisoning there -seems little doubt, but by whom it was administered has never been -conclusively proved, and the tragedy still remains among the unsolved -poisoning mysteries. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE CASE OF MADELINE SMITH - - -THE case of Madeline Smith, who was charged with causing the death -of L'Angelier by the administration of arsenic at Glasgow, in 1857, -excited universal interest. Owing to the social position of the lady, -the trial was a _cause célèbre_ of the time, and the circumstances -of the case were of an extraordinary character. Miss Smith, who was -a young and accomplished woman at that time, and who resided in a -fashionable quarter of Glasgow, got entangled with a French clerk -named Pierre Emile L'Angelier. L'Angelier died very suddenly in an -unaccountable manner, and suspicion falling on Madeline Smith, who -was frequently in his company, she was arrested and charged with the -crime. The Crown case was, that she poisoned her lover that she might -be betrothed to a personage of high social standing. That L'Angelier -died on March 23 from the effects of arsenic was amply proved, but -while suspicious acts were alleged against the accused woman, no direct -evidence was adduced to show that she administered the drug. The worst -point against her was the fact of her having possession of the poison; -and, irrespective of two previous purchases of coloured arsenic for -which she had given false reasons, it was proved that the accused had -purchased one ounce, as she said, "to kill rats," on March 18, only -five days before the death of L'Angelier. The arsenic sold was coloured -with indigo, according to the Act of Parliament. When charged with the -crime, and required to account for the poison, she replied she had used -the whole of it to apply to her face, arms, and neck, diluted with -water, and that a school companion had told her that arsenic was good -for the complexion. From the post-mortem examination and subsequent -analysis _eighty-eight_ grains of arsenic were found in the stomach -and its contents. Dr. Christison, the greatest toxicological expert of -the time, was called, and stated he knew of no case in which so much -as eighty-eight grains of arsenic had been found in the stomach after -death. - -This was made a turning-point of the defence, and it was contended -that so large a dose of arsenic could not have been swallowed -unknowingly, and, therefore, suicide was indicated. The jury accepting -this view of the case, returned a verdict of "not proven," and Madeline -Smith was liberated, the trial having lasted ten days. - -Some interesting particulars concerning the subsequent life of this -lady were published some time ago. After the trial she decided to go -abroad; but before starting she is said to have married a certain -mysterious individual named Dr. Tudor Hora. With him she lived for -many years in Perth, but few people ever saw her, and the doctor -always declined to divulge his wife's maiden name. He kept a small -surgery, and is said to have been in receipt of about £400 a year from -an unnamed source. Some years after, believing that his wife had been -recognized, he bought a practice at Hotham, near Melbourne, and they -sailed for Australia. Shortly after their arrival, Mrs. Hora left her -husband, and remained absent from Melbourne until his death. Soon -afterwards she married again, but it is said her second union was not -by any means a happy one. She remained unknown, and sought no society. -She was an excellent musician, and spent most of her time in reading -and playing. She had no children, and died at the age of fifty-five. - -Six years after the trial of Madeline Smith a case was tried at the -Chester Assizes, in which a woman named Hewitt or Holt was charged -with poisoning her mother. Although the symptoms of irritant poisoning -were very clearly marked, the country practitioner, who attended -the woman at the time, certified that the cause of her death was -gastro-enteritis. Eleven weeks after she had been buried, the body was -exhumed and examined. An analysis revealed the presence of one hundred -and fifty-four grains of arsenic in the stomach alone. The possession -of a considerable quantity of arsenic was brought home to the accused, -and also direct evidence of its administration, and she was found -guilty. This case is interesting from the fact of proof being obtained -of the administration of so large a quantity of arsenic, and if it had -occurred before the trial of Madeline Smith it might have demolished -her counsel's main line of defence. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE MAYBRICK CASE - - -ON July 31, 1889, one of the most remarkable poisoning cases of modern -times was brought before Mr. Justice Stephen, at the Liverpool Assizes. -The trial, which lasted eight days, excited the keenest interest -throughout the country, especially as the principal actors in the -tragedy were people of good social position. The accused, Florence -Maybrick, wife of a Liverpool merchant, was charged with causing the -death of her husband by administering arsenic to him. - -About the end of April, 1889, Mr. James Maybrick was seized with a -peculiar illness, of which the main symptoms consisted of a rigidity -of the limbs and a general feeling of sickness, which quite prostrated -him, and eventually confined him to bed. The medical man who was -called in to attend him, attributed the cause to extreme irritability -of the stomach and treated him accordingly; but, becoming puzzled by -the persistent sickness and the rapidly increasing weakness of his -patient, a second practitioner was called in consultation. From this -time he grew considerably worse, severer symptoms and diarrhoea set in, -which caused the doctors to suspect the cause was due to some irritant -poison. This was confirmed by the discovery that arsenic had been -placed in a bottle of meat juice that was being administered to the -sick man. Trained nurses were placed in charge, and a close watch kept -on the patient, but without avail, and he died on May 11. - -Suspicions having been aroused, and from statements made to the police, -Mrs. Maybrick was arrested, and eventually charged with the wilful -murder of her husband. From evidence given at the trial, it transpired -that the relations between husband and wife had not been of the most -cordial character for some time. There were frequent disagreements, -and just before Mr. Maybrick was taken ill there had been a serious -quarrel, resulting from his wife's relations with another man. The -lady resented the accusation, and a separation was talked of. The -fatal illness then intervened, during the first portion of which Mrs. -Maybrick nursed her husband; but through a letter addressed to her -lover, which she had given to her nursemaid to post, having been opened -by the latter and handed to Mr. Maybrick's brother, trained nurses -were called in, and the sick man was placed in their charge entirely. -This letter, which formed one of the strongest pieces of evidence -against the accused, revealed the connection between Mrs. Maybrick -and her lover, and contained the intelligence to him that her husband -was "sick unto death." Evidence was also given by the servants, of -flypapers having been seen in process of maceration in water in Mrs. -Maybrick's bedroom. The trained nurses also gave evidence concerning -the suspicious conduct of Mrs. Maybrick, with reference to tampering -with the medicines and meat juice which were to be administered to the -patient. These suspicions culminated in the discovery of arsenic in a -bottle of the meat juice by one of the medical attendants. Considerable -quantities of arsenic were found by the police in the house, including -a packet containing seventy-one grains, mixed with charcoal, and -labelled "Poison for cats." - -The analytical examination was made by Dr. Stevenson and a local -analytical chemist, who discovered traces of arsenic in the intestines, -and .049 of a grain of arsenic in the liver, traces of the poison being -also found in the spleen. Arsenic was also found in various medicine -bottles, handkerchiefs, bottles of glycerine, and in the pocket of a -dressing-gown belonging to the accused. Dr. Stevenson further stated, -he believed the body of the deceased at the time of death probably -contained a fatal dose of arsenic. The scientific evidence adduced -was of a very conflicting character. On one hand, the medical men who -attended the deceased, and the Government analyst, swore they believed -that death was caused from the effects of arsenic; while on the other, -Dr. Tidy, who was called for the defence, as an expert stated that the -quantity of arsenic discovered in the body did not point to the fact -that an overdose had been administered. He believed that death had been -due to gastro-enteritis of some kind or other, but that the symptoms -and post-mortem appearances distinctly pointed away from arsenic as -the cause of death. Dr. MacNamara, ex-president of the Royal College -of Surgeons, Ireland, also stated, that in his opinion Mr. Maybrick's -death had not been caused by arsenical poisoning and that he agreed -with Dr. Tidy that the cause was gastro-enteritis, unconnected with -arsenical poisoning. For the defence it was also urged that the -deceased man had been in the habit of taking arsenic in considerable -quantities for some years. In support of this, witnesses were called -to prove that he had been in the habit of taking a mysterious white -powder, and that while living in America, he frequently purchased -arsenic from chemists who knew he was in the habit of taking it. A -black man, who had been in the service of deceased in America, also -deposed to seeing him take this white powder in beef tea. - -At the close of the evidence for the defence the accused woman -by permission of the judge made the following statement amid the -breathless silence of those in the court:-- - -"My Lord, I wish to make a statement, as well as I can, about a few -facts in connection with the dreadful and crushing charge that has been -made against me--the charge of poisoning my husband and father of my -dear children. I wish principally to refer to the flypaper solution. -The flypapers I bought with the intention of using the solution as -a cosmetic. Before my marriage, and since for many years, I have -been in the habit of using this wash for the face prescribed for me -by Dr. Graves, of Brooklyn. It consisted, I believe, principally of -arsenic, of tincture of benzoin, and elder-flower water, and some other -ingredients. This prescription I lost or mislaid last April, and as -at the time I was suffering from an eruption on the face I thought I -should like to try and make a substitute myself. I was anxious to get -rid of this eruption before I went to a ball on the 30th of that month. -When I had been in Germany, among my young friends there, I had seen -used a solution derived from flypapers soaked in elder-flower water, -and then applied to the face with a handkerchief well soaked in the -solution. I procured the flypapers and used them in the same manner, -and to avoid evaporation I put the solution into a bottle so as to -avoid as much as possible the admission of the air. For this purpose -I put a plate over the flypapers, then a folded towel over that, and -then another towel over that. My mother has been aware for a great -many years that I have used arsenic in solution. I now wish to speak -of his illness. On Thursday night, May 9, after the nurse had given my -husband medicine, I went and sat on the bed beside him. He complained -to me of feeling very sick, very weak, and very restless. He implored -me then again to give him the powder which he had referred to earlier -in the evening, and which I declined to give him. I was over-wrought, -terribly anxious, miserably unhappy, and his evident distress utterly -unnerved me. As he told me the powder would not harm him, and that -I could put it in his food, I then consented. My Lord, I had not -one true or honest friend in the house. I had no one to consult, no -one to advise me. I was deposed from my own position as mistress of -my own house, and from the position of attending on my husband, and -notwithstanding that he was so ill, and notwithstanding the evidence -of the nurses and the servants, I may say that he missed me whenever -I was not with him; whenever I was out of the room he asked for me, -and four days before he died I was not allowed to give him a piece of -ice without its being taken out of my hand. I took the meat juice into -the inner room. On going through the door I spilled some of the liquid -from the bottle, and in order to make up the quantity spilled I put in -a considerable quantity of water. On returning into the room I found -my husband asleep. I placed the bottle on the table near the window. -As he did not ask for anything then, and as I was not anxious to give -him anything, I removed it from the small table where it attracted his -attention and put it on the washstand where he could not see it. There -I left it. Until Tuesday, May 14, the Tuesday after my husband's death, -till a few moments before the terrible charge was made against me, no -one in that house had informed me of the fact that a death certificate -had been refused--but of course the post-mortem examination had taken -place--or that there was any reason to suppose that my husband had died -from other than natural causes. It was only when a witness alluded to -the presence of arsenic in the meat juice that I was made aware of the -nature of the powder my husband had been taking. In conclusion, I only -wish to say that for the love of our children, and for the sake of -their future, a perfect reconciliation had taken place between us, and -on the day before his death I made a full and free confession to him." - -Mrs. Maybrick's counsel, Sir Charles Russell, made a most brilliant and -eloquent appeal in her defence. He pointed out that at the time the -black shadow which could never be dispelled passed over the life of the -accused woman, her husband was in the habit of drugging himself. She -was deposed from her position as mistress of her own home, and pointed -out as an object of suspicion. - -If it had not been for the act of infidelity on her part, there would -be no motive assigned in the case, and surely there was a wide chasm -between the grave moral guilt of unfaithfulness and the criminal -guilt involved in the deliberate plotting by such wicked means of -the felonious death of her husband. There were two questions to be -answered: Was there clear, safe, and satisfactory equivocal proof, -either that death was in fact caused by arsenical poisoning, or that -the accused woman administered that poison if to the poison the death -of her husband was due? The jury, however, returned a verdict of -"Guilty," and Florence Maybrick was sentenced to death. The agitation -and excitement throughout the country which followed, ending in a -respite being granted and the sentence being commuted to one of penal -servitude for life, will be well remembered. - -Whether Florence Maybrick did actually administer arsenic to her -husband _with intent to kill him_, she alone can tell. On her own -confession she admitted having given him a certain _white powder_ for -which he craved, of the nature of which she said she was ignorant. -There can be no doubt _this powder was arsenic_. If she did not -know the powder was arsenic, and did not give it with intent to -take his life, which many still believe, then surely such a web of -circumstantial evidence has never before been woven round one accused -of having committed a terrible crime. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -ABOUT ACONITE AND HEMLOCK - - -ACONITE, or monk's-hood, whose purple flower, shaped like a helmet or -monk's hood, is a familiar feature in our country gardens, ranks as one -of the most ancient of vegetable poisons. The name aconite was derived -from Akon, a city of Heraclea, and the plant, owing to its deadly -nature, was supposed by the early Greeks to have originated from the -foam of the dog Cerberus. Aconite was largely used as an arrow poison -by the ancients, and also employed for that purpose by the Chinese -and the wild hill tribes of India. It was used by the ancient Greeks -and Romans to destroy life, and they believed they could cause death -to take place at a certain time by regulating the dose of poison. -Thus Theophrastus writes: "The ordering of this poison was different -according as it was designed to kill in two or three months, or a -year." The poison cup of the ancients was probably a compound, of -which hemlock and aconite were the chief ingredients. This was used -for carrying out the criminal death penalty, and also for purposes -of suicide when so desired. A curious relic of this ancient custom -was practised at Marseilles, where a poison was kept by the public -authorities of which hemlock was an ingredient. A dose of this was -allowed by the magistrates "to any one who could show a sufficient -reason why he should deserve death." Valerius Maximus observes, "This -custom came from Greece, particularly from the Island of Ceos, where I -saw an example of it in a woman of great quality who, having lived very -happy ninety years, obtained leave to die this way, lest, by living -longer, she should happen to see a change of her good fortune." - -Theophrastus states, "Thrasyas, a great physician, invented a -composition which would cause death without any pain, and it was -prepared with the juice of hemlock and poppy together, and did the -business in a small dose." - -When vice and dissipation were at their height in Rome, suicide was -most common, and it was often met with among the Greeks, after they -had been contaminated by Roman manners and customs. When the Greeks -and Romans recognised the impossibility of suppressing suicide, they -decided to establish tribunals, whose duty it should be to hear the -applications of those persons who wished to die. If the applicant -succeeded in showing what the tribunal considered good cause for -quitting life his prayer was granted, and he destroyed himself under -the authority of the court. In some instances the court not only -sanctioned the suicide, but supplied the means of self-destruction in -the shape of a decoction of aconite and hemlock. If any one applied -for permission to end his life and was refused, and in defiance of the -decision committed suicide, his act was illegal. The Romans in such -cases confiscated the property of the deceased; the Greeks held his -memory as dishonoured, and treated his body with indignity. - -The aconite now used in medicine is derived from the _Aconitum -napellus_, chiefly grown in Britain; it is also found in the -mountainous districts of the temperate parts of the northern -hemisphere. It grows on the Alps, the Pyrenees, the mountains of -Germany and Austria, and also in Denmark and Sweden. On the Himalayas -it is found at 10,000 to 16,000 feet above the sea level. Both the -root and the leaves are used medicinally. The tap root of the aconite -has been frequently eaten in mistake for horse-radish with fatal -results. Aconite contains several active principles, all of which are -powerful poisons. The chief of these is aconitine--probably the most -deadly poison known--the fiftieth part of a grain of which has nearly -caused death. Indian aconite, known as _Bish_, is chiefly derived -from _Aconitum ferox_--a native of high altitude in the Himalaya -regions--and is mentioned by the Persian physician, Alheroi, in the -tenth century, also by many early Arabian writers on medicine. Isa -Ben Ali pronounced it to be the most rapid of deadly poisons, and -describes the symptoms with tolerable correctness. The chief symptoms -of poisoning by aconite are heat, numbness and tingling in the mouth -and throat, giddiness, and loss of muscular power. The pupils become -dilated, the skin cold, and pulse feeble, with oppressed breathing, -and dread of approaching death. Finally, numbness and paralysis come -on, rapidly followed by death in a few sudden gasps. The poison being -extremely rapid in effect, immediate action is absolutely necessary in -order to save life. - -Several species of aconite grow plentifully in India, where it has been -used for centuries. It is found growing at an elevation of 10,000 feet -above the level of the sea, and among other places in the Singalilas, -a mountain range which forms the watershed boundary between Nepal -and British territory, northwest of Darjiling. _Aconitum palmatum_ -is collected in abundance at Tongloo, the southern termination of -the Singalilas; but _A. napellus_, which is more poisonous, requires -a higher elevation in which to thrive. The natives, especially the -hill tribes, take aconite in the crude state as a remedy for various -ailments, and every Bhotiah has a few dried roots put away in some -secure corner of his hut. The method of collecting is thus described. -"Early in October, when the aconite root has matured, one of the -leading men of the village organises a party composed of both sexes. -He, for the time, becomes their leader, settles all disputes and -quarrels while out in camp, and, while keeping an account of the -general expenses, supplies to each, all necessaries in the way of -food. Before starting, he has to obtain a 'permit' from the Forest -Department, the charge for which is 15 rupees. Carefully wrapping the -pass up in a rag, and placing it in his network bag of valuables, he -collects his band together, and they set out for the higher ranges. -As soon as they arrive at the slopes, where aconite is growing -plentifully, they at once set to work to build bamboo huts about five -feet high, roofing them with leaves. After the morning meal they all -set off for the lower slopes, each with basket and spade over his -shoulder. But before the actual work is commenced, a ceremony has to -be performed. The Bhotiahs, like the Nepalese, have a belief that the -presiding demon of the hills imprisons evil spirits in the aconite -plant, which fly out as soon as it is dug up and inflict dire calamity -on the digger. In order, therefore, to counteract this, every morning, -before the digging commences, the lama or headman, standing on a -convenient hill with his followers around him, makes a fire and burns -some _dhuna_, a native resin, then, inserting two fingers in his mouth, -blows several shrill whistles. All wait in breathless silence till an -answering whistle is heard, which may be an echo or the cry of some -bird. Whatever it may be, it is taken as the dying dirge of the evil -spirits, and digging begins at once. - -"The roots, after being shaken from the soil, are placed in the -baskets, which on return to the encampment are emptied and formed into -heaps, and covered with bamboo leaves to protect them from the frost. -During the day they are spread out in the sun to dry. When a sufficient -quantity has been collected and dried thus, bamboo frames are fixed -up with a fire below, on which the aconite is placed when the flame -has died out. The one who looks after this drying process has a cloth -tied round his head covering the nose, as the constant inhalation of -the fumes causes a feeling of heaviness and dizziness in the head. -This process is carried on three or four days until the roots are -dried. When sufficient have been collected and dried, they are packed -in baskets. These are shouldered, and with their cooking utensils -and blankets on the top, the whole band set their faces homeward. On -arrival at the commercial centre at the termination of their march -the results of the expedition are soon sold, and each man is handed -his share of the profits, according to the amount of aconite he has -collected." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE CASE OF DR. LAMSON - - -THE only case on record in which the active principle of aconite has -been used for the purpose of criminal poisoning is that of Dr. Lamson, -who suffered the extreme penalty of the law for administering the drug -to Percy Malcolm John, and thereby causing his death. The story is -remarkable for the cold-blooded way in which the murder was carried -out. George Henry Lamson, a surgeon, in impecunious circumstances, -had a reversionary interest through his wife in a sum of £1,500, -which would come to him on the death of his brother-in-law, Percy -Malcolm John. The latter, a sickly youth of eighteen years of age, -was paralysed in his lower limbs from old-standing spinal disease. -On November 27, 1881, Lamson purchased two grains of aconitine, and -shortly afterwards went down to the school where the lad had been -placed as a boarder, and had an interview with him in the presence of -the headmaster, professing at the same time a kindly interest in the -lad and his health. During the interview he produced some gelatine -capsules, one of which he filled with a white powder, presumed to be -sugar, and directly after seeing his brother-in-law swallow it, he -took his departure. Within a quarter of an hour John became unwell, -saying he felt the same as when Lamson had given him a quinine pill on -a former occasion. Violent vomiting soon set in, and he became unable -to swallow. This was rapidly followed by delirium, and in three hours -and three-quarters death ensued. Suspicion fell on Lamson, and he was -arrested shortly afterwards, and charged with the murder of John. - -According to evidence at the trial, it is probable that Lamson had made -several previous attempts on the lad's life, with aconitine, in the -form of pills and powders, which he had given him under the pretence -of prescribing for his ailments. The money to which he was entitled -on the death of John doubtless supplied the motive for the crime. The -proof of the purchase of aconitine by the prisoner, and the evidence -of the post-mortem examination, pointed to the cause of death, and -the presence of aconitine was amply proved by the clinical and other -tests patiently and carefully applied by the analyst. The difficulty -of proving the presence of a rare vegetable alkaloid in the body -after death was, no doubt, duly considered by Lamson when he fixed on -aconitine as the medium for his evil design; but science proved the -master of the criminal, and the evidence of the instrument by which the -crime was committed was indisputably proved. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE BRAVO MYSTERY - - -ANTIMONY, like arsenic, to which in many ways it is closely allied, -claims also to be ranked among the historic poisons. It was known and -used by the ancient Greek and Roman physicians as a medicinal agent, -and for certain purposes it is, perhaps, unequalled at the present -time. The metal is a brittle, silvery and very brilliant substance, in -the form of plates and crystals, and is largely used in the arts as an -alloy, the most common form being Britannia metal, which is a compound -of antimony, lead, and tin. The old _Poculo emetica_ or everlasting -emetic cups, were made of antimony. It is found abundantly in nature -as a sulphide, also combined with various metals, and with quartz and -limestone. From these it is separated by fusion, the heavy metallic -portion sinking by the law of gravity, and abandoning the impurities -which remain on the surface of the molten mass. Arsenic is a frequent -contamination of commercial antimony, and it is very important that it -should be eliminated before antimony is prepared for use in medicine. - -Poisoning by tartarated antimony causes a peculiar metallic taste in -the mouth, which is speedily followed by vomiting, burning heat, pains -in the stomach and purging, difficulty in swallowing, thirst, cramp, -cold perspirations, and great debility. In smaller doses it produces -these effects in a mitigated form, which causes symptoms somewhat -similar to natural disease, such as distaste for food, nausea, and loss -of muscular power. For this reason, doubtless, it has been a favourite -medium with many criminal poisoners, including Dove, Smethurst, -Pritchard, and others; but there is no trial in which antimony has -figured that caused more interest than the "Bravo Mystery" of 1876. - -The story of this case begins with the marriage of Mr. Bravo, a young -barrister of about thirty years of age, to Mrs. Ricardo, who was then -a wealthy widow and a lady of considerable personal attractions. -After the marriage, which followed a very short acquaintance, the -couple went to reside at Balham. According to a statement made by -Mrs. Bravo, she informed her husband before the marriage of a former -lover, and there is little doubt that it rankled in Mr. Bravo's mind, -and he frequently taunted his wife with the fact. He was a strong, -healthy, and temperate man, but appears to have been both weak and -vain in character. On Tuesday, April 18, 1876, after breakfast at his -own house at Balham, he drove with his wife into town. On their way, -a very unpleasant discussion took place. Arriving in town, he had -a Turkish bath, lunched with a relative of his wife at St. James's -Restaurant, and walked on his way home to Victoria Station with a -friend and fellow-barrister, whom he asked out for the following day. -He arrived back home about half-past four. Shortly after his return, -Mr. Bravo went out for a ride, in the course of which his horse bolted -and carried him a long distance, and he got back to his home very tired -and exhausted. At half-past six he was noticed leaning forward on his -chair, looking ill, and with his head hanging down. He ordered a hot -bath, and when getting into it he cried out aloud with pain, putting -his hand to his side. The bath did not appear to relieve him much, and -he seemed to be suffering pain all through dinner, but appeared to -avoid attracting the attention of his wife and Mrs. Cox, her companion, -who dined with him. - -The food provided during the dinner was partaken of more or less in -common by all three, but this was not the case as regards the wine. -Mr. Bravo drank Burgundy, only, while Mrs. Bravo and Mrs. Cox drank -sherry and Marsala. The wine drunk by Mr. Bravo had been decanted by -the butler some time before dinner; how long he could not say, but he -noticed nothing unusual with it. - -The wine was of good quality, and Mr. Bravo, who was something of a -connoisseur of wine, remarked nothing peculiar in its taste, but drank -it as usual. If he had Burgundy for luncheon he finished the bottle -at dinner; but if not, as on the day in question, the remains of the -bottle were put away in an unlocked cellaret in the dining-room. The -butler could not remember whether any Burgundy was left on this day or -not; but, however, none was discovered. - -This cellaret was opened at least twice subsequently to this, and -prior to Mr. Bravo's illness, once by Mrs. Cox, and once by the maid. - -Mr. Bravo seems to have eaten a good dinner, although he was evidently -not himself from some cause or other. It was said he was suffering from -toothache or neuralgia, and had just received a letter that had given -him some annoyance. - -The dinner lasted till past eight o'clock, after which the party -adjourned to the morning-room, where conversation continued up to about -nine o'clock. - -Mrs. Bravo and Mrs. Cox then retired upstairs, leaving Mr. Bravo alone, -and Mrs. Cox went to fetch Mrs. Bravo some wine and water from the -dining-room. - -Mrs. Bravo remained in her room and prepared for bed, and drank the -wine and water brought to her by Mrs. Cox, who remained with her. - -The housemaid, on taking some hot water to the ladies' room, as was her -usual custom at half-past nine, was asked by Mrs. Bravo to bring her -some more Marsala in the glass that had contained the wine and water. -On her way downstairs to the dining-room, the girl met her master at -the foot of the stairs. He looked "queer" and very strange in the face, -but did not appear to be in pain, according to her statement. He -looked twice at her, yet did not speak, though it was his custom, but -passed on. - -Mr. Bravo was alone after the departure of his wife and Mrs. Cox, until -the time when he passed the housemaid at the foot of the stairs. He -entered his wife's dressing-room, and the maid Mrs. Bravo's bedroom. In -the dressing-room, according to Mrs. Cox's statement, Mr. Bravo spoke -to his wife in French, with reference to the wine. This had frequently -been the subject of unpleasant remarks before; but Mrs. Bravo had no -recollection of the conversation on this occasion. - -After leaving his wife in her room, Mr. Bravo went to his own bedroom -and closed the door. The maid left Mrs. Bravo's bedroom and met her -mistress in the passage partially undressed and on her way to bed. Mrs. -Bravo and Mrs. Cox entered their bedrooms, and the former drank her -Marsala and went to bed. - -In about a quarter of an hour Mr. Bravo's bedroom door was heard to -open, and he shouted out, "Florence! Florence! Hot water." The maid -ran into Mrs. Bravo's room, calling out that Mr. Bravo was ill. Mrs. -Cox, who had not yet undressed, rose hastily and ran to his room. She -found him standing in his night-gown at the open window, apparently -vomiting, and this the maid also saw. Mrs. Cox further stated that -Mr. Bravo said to her, "I have taken poison. Don't tell Florence" -(alluding to his wife); and to this confession of having taken poison -on the part of Mr. Bravo, Mrs. Cox adhered. After this, Mr. Bravo was -again very sick, and some hot water was brought by the maid. After the -vomiting he sank on the floor and became insensible, and remained so -for some hours. Mrs. Cox tried to raise him, and got some mustard and -water, but he could not swallow it. She then applied mustard to his -feet, and coffee was procured, but he was also unable to swallow that. -Meanwhile a doctor, who had attended Mrs. Bravo, and who lived at some -distance, was sent for. Mrs. Bravo, who was aroused from sleep by the -maid, and who seems to have been greatly excited, insisted on a nearer -practitioner being sent for, and in a short time a medical man, living -close by, arrived on the scene. The doctor found Mr. Bravo sitting -or lying on a chair, completely unconscious, and the heart's action -almost suspended. He had him laid on the bed, and then administered -some hot brandy and water, but was unable to get him to swallow it. In -about half an hour another medical man arrived, and was met by Mrs. -Cox, who said she was sure Mr. Bravo had taken chloroform. Both doctors -came to the conclusion that the patient was in a dangerous state, and -endeavoured to administer restoratives. Realizing the critical nature -of the case, Dr. George Johnson, of King's College Hospital, was sent -for. Meanwhile, Mr. Bravo was again seized with vomiting, mostly blood, -and the doctors came to the conclusion he was suffering from some -irritant poison. About three o'clock he became conscious and able to be -questioned. He was at once asked, "What have you taken?" But from first -to last he persisted in declaring, in the most solemn manner, that -he had taken nothing except some laudanum for toothache. In reply to -other questions, asking him if there were any poisons about the house, -he replied there was only the laudanum and chloroform for toothache, -some Condy's Fluid, and "rat poison in the stable." Mr. Bravo did not -lose consciousness again until the time of his death, which occurred -fifty-five and a half hours after he was first taken ill. - -At an early period his bedroom was searched, but nothing was found but -the laudanum bottle, and a little chloroform and camphor liniment which -had been brought from another room. There were no remains of any solid -poison in paper, glass, or tumbler, and nothing to indicate any poison -had been taken. The post-mortem examination showed evidence of great -gastric irritation, extending downwards, but there was no appearance of -any disease in the body, or inflammation, congestion, or ulceration. -It was left therefore to the chemical examination to show what was -the irritating substance which had been introduced into the body, and -supply a key to part of the mystery. The matters which had been vomited -in the early stage of Mr. Bravo's illness had been thrown away; but, -singular to relate, on examination of the leads of the house beneath -the bedroom window, some portion of the matter was found undisturbed, -although much rain had fallen and the greater part must have been -washed away. This was carefully collected and handed to Professor -Redwood for analysis. From this matter he extracted a large amount of -antimony. Antimony was also discovered in the liver and other parts of -the body, and it was concluded that altogether nearly forty grains of -this poison must have been swallowed by the unfortunate man. How he -came to swallow this enormous dose, whether the design was homicidal or -suicidal, there was not the slightest evidence to show, or where the -antimony was obtained. The whole affair was shrouded in mystery, and a -mystery it remains. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE CASE OF DR. PRITCHARD - - -THE remarkable case of Dr. E. W. Pritchard of Glasgow, who was arrested -and charged with murdering his wife and mother-in-law in that city in -the year 1865, excited great interest at the time. The respectable -position occupied by the accused man in society in Glasgow, and the -practice as a physician which he had been enabled to attain in the -course of his six years' residence there, awakened an unusual degree -of attention in the public mind when the fact of his apprehension -became known. The excitement was strengthened by the mystery invariably -attached to the prosecution of all criminal inquiries in Scotland. - -It appears that for some time previous to her decease, Mrs. Pritchard -had been in a delicate state of heath, and her mother, Mrs. Taylor, -wife of Mr. Taylor, a silk weaver of Edinburgh, had gone to Glasgow -to nurse her during her illness. Mrs. Taylor took up her abode in the -house of Dr. Pritchard, and ministered to her daughter's comfort; but -while so engaged she became ill, and died suddenly, about three weeks -previous to the day on which the accused man was apprehended. The -cause of death was assigned to apoplexy, and as Mrs. Taylor was about -seventy years of age no public attention was awakened, and the body was -conveyed to Edinburgh and buried in the Grange Cemetery. - -Circumstances closely following on this, however, awakened grave -suspicions. Mrs. Pritchard died shortly after her mother, and a -report was circulated that she had succumbed to gastric fever. The -family grave at the Grange was fixed on as the place of interment, -and arrangements were made for the funeral without delay. The body -was taken to Edinburgh by rail, and Dr. Pritchard accompanied it to -the house of his father-in-law, where it was to await interment. The -deaths of the two ladies occurring within so short an interval of each -other, coupled with certain hints which they had received, set the -police on the alert, and while Dr. Pritchard was absent in Edinburgh -they instituted inquiries, which led to a warrant being issued for his -apprehension. On his return to Glasgow, previous to the day fixed for -the funeral, he was arrested at the railway station in Queen Street and -conveyed to the police offices. - -Meanwhile the authorities had transmitted to Edinburgh information -of what had been done, and at the same time had issued a warrant for -a post-mortem examination of the body of Mrs. Pritchard. This was -entrusted to Professor Douglas Maclagan, assisted by Drs. Arthur Gamgee -and Littlejohn. The result of the post-mortem proved that death had not -resulted from natural causes, and a subsequent examination disclosed -the presence of minute particles of antimony in the liver. - -The case now assumed a grave and mysterious aspect, and the authorities -resolved to carry the investigations further. The next step was to -order the exhumation of the body of Mrs. Taylor. This having been -effected, the internal organs were submitted to analysis by Professor -Maclagan, Dr. Littlejohn, and Professor Penny of Glasgow, who, after a -protracted examination, reported that the death of Mrs. Taylor, like -that of her daughter, was due to poisoning by antimony. On these facts -being elicited, Dr. Pritchard was fully committed on the charge of -murdering Jane Taylor his mother-in-law and Mary Jane Pritchard his -wife. - -The trial opened on July 3, 1865, at the High Court of Justiciary, -Edinburgh, before the Lord Justice-Clerk, Lord Ardmillan, and Lord -Jervis-woode, the Solicitor-General prosecuting for the Crown, while -the prisoner was defended by Messrs. A. R. Clark, Watson, and Brand. - -Evidence was given that Mrs. Pritchard was first taken ill in the -October of 1864, with constant vomiting, often accompanied by severe -cramp. - -After being treated by her husband for some time, and getting no -better, at her own request a Dr. Gairdner was called in, and her -mother, Mrs. Taylor, came from Edinburgh to nurse her. - -While on this visit to her daughter, Mrs. Taylor, on February 24, -complained of feeling unwell. The next day she was found insensible, -sitting on her chair in her daughter's room, and died the same night. -From this time Mrs. Pritchard got gradually worse, and died within -three weeks afterwards. - -Mary McLeod, a girl who had been in the service of the prisoner, -admitted that he had familiar relations with her, and that this fact -was known to Mrs. Pritchard. - -The doctor had also made her presents, and told her he would marry her -if his wife died. - -Dr. Paterson, a medical practitioner of Glasgow, who was called in to -see Mrs. Taylor, stated Pritchard told him the old lady was in the -habit of taking Batley's solution of opium, and a few days before her -death, she had purchased a half-pound bottle. When he saw her, he was -convinced her symptoms betokened that she was under the depressing -influence of antimony, and not opium. He therefore refused to give a -certificate of her death. - -Pritchard eventually signed the certificate himself, stating the -primary cause of death had been paralysis and the secondary cause -apoplexy. He further certified Mrs. Pritchard's death as due to gastric -fever. - -It was proved on the evidence of two chemists, that Pritchard was in -the habit of purchasing tartarated antimony in large quantities, and -also Fleming's tincture of aconite. - -Dr. Maclagan, professor of medical jurisprudence in the University -of Edinburgh, was then called to give the result of the chemical -examination of the various organs of the body of Mrs. Pritchard, which -had been retained for analysis. Antimony, corresponding to one-fourth -of a grain of tartar emetic, was found in the urine, in small -quantities in the bile and blood, and as much as four grains in the -whole liver. Evidence of the presence of antimony was also found in the -spleen, kidney, muscular substance of the heart, coats of the stomach -and rectum, the brain and uterus. - -Antimony was also detected in various stains on linen and articles of -clothing, which had been worn by Mrs. Pritchard during her illness. - -From these results Dr. Maclagan concluded that Mrs. Pritchard had taken -a large quantity of antimony in the form of tartar emetic, which caused -her death, and that from the extent to which the whole organs and -fluids of the body were impregnated with the drug, it must have been -given in repeated doses up to within a few hours of her decease. - -The result of the chemical examination of the various organs of the -body of Mrs. Taylor, which was exhumed for this purpose, revealed -the presence of ·279, or a little more than a quarter of a grain of -antimony in the contents of the stomach. Antimony was also found in the -blood, and 1·151 grain was recovered from 1,000 grains of the liver. - -Dr. Penny, who made an independent analysis, found distinct evidence of -antimony in the liver, spleen, kidney, brain, heart, blood, and rectum, -but no trace of morphine or aconite. He also came to the conclusion -that Mrs Pritchard's death had resulted from the effects of antimony. - -Antimony was found mixed with tapioca contained in a packet discovered -in the house, also in a bottle containing Batley's solution of opium -found in the prisoner's surgery. - -Dr. Littlejohn, surgeon to the Edinburgh police, who was present at -the post-mortem examination of both women, gave his opinion that Mrs. -Pritchard's death had been due to the administration of antimony in -small quantities, and that continuously. In Mrs. Taylor's case he -believed some strong narcotic poison had been administered with the -antimony. - -This opinion was further endorsed by Dr. Paterson. Evidence was -offered, that Pritchard had been in the habit of purchasing large -quantities of Batley's solution of opium, which the manufacturers -swore contained no antimony. For the defence it was urged, that there -was no proof whatever that poison had had been administered by the -prisoner, who had always lived on affectionate terms with his wife, and -that the motive suggested was of the most trifling nature; that the -stronger suspicion pointed to the maidservant Mary McLeod, on whose -uncorroborated statements the chief evidence against the prisoner lay. -The senior counsel for the prisoner (Mr. Clark) concluded his address -by stating that the Crown had admitted there were but two persons who -could have committed the crime--the prisoner, and Mary M'Leod. Mary -M'Leod's hand had been found in connexion with every one of the acts -in which poison was said to have been administered in the food. The -case against the prisoner seemed to depend on a series of suspicions -and probabilities, and not upon legal proof; and upon these grounds he -asked a verdict of acquittal. - -The "summing up" of the Lord Justice-Clerk occupied three hours and -twenty minutes, on the conclusion of which the jury retired to consider -their verdict. After an absence of fifty-five minutes they returned -with the following verdict--"The jury unanimously find the prisoner -guilty of both charges as libelled." - -Dr. Pritchard was thereupon sentenced to death, and was executed at -Glasgow on July 28, 1865. - -There can be no doubt that he fully deserved his terrible doom. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE PIMLICO MYSTERY - - -CHLOROFORM belongs to the class of neurotic poisons which act on the -brain, and produce loss of sensation. It is a colourless, heavy, and -volatile liquid, having a peculiar ethereal odour which cannot be -easily mistaken, and a sweet pungent taste when diluted. For producing -insensibility it requires very careful and experienced administration, -and more lives have been lost by carelessness in using, than from the -noxious character of the drug. - -Many stories are related of the peculiar hallucinations and remarks -made by patients while under, or partially under the influence of -chloroform. The following has the merit of being true:-- - -"Doctor (_who has just administered chloroform to a lady_): 'Nurse, -some 1 in 1,000, if you please.' - -"Patient (_under the anæsthetic_): 'Ah! that's my Jack. He's one in a -thousand. Dear Jack!'" - -The stories that crop up from time to time, of persons who have been -rendered unconscious by simply waving a chloroformed handkerchief -before the face, usually emanate from the fertile brain of some -imaginative journalist. As an internal poison chloroform has rarely -been used, although there are many cases on record where persons have -accustomed themselves to drinking chloroform, until they have been able -to swallow it in very large quantities. The one recorded instance in -which it was alleged to have been used for the criminal destruction of -life was in the remarkable case known as the "Pimlico Mystery." - -The trial of Adelaide Bartlett for the wilful murder of her husband by -administering chloroform to him, was held before Mr. Justice Wills at -the Central Criminal Court on April 12, 1886, and lasted for six days. -The case attracted considerable attention and interest throughout, -which culminated in a dramatic scene at the close, and the acquittal -of the accused woman. The strange relations which existed between Mrs. -Bartlett and her husband, with whose murder she was charged, the -yet more strange relations between her and the man who in the first -instance was included in the accusation, together with the exceptional -circumstances of his acquittal, and his immediate appearance in the -witness box formed a case of peculiar dramatic interest. Thomas Edwin -Bartlett was a grocer, having several shops in the suburbs of London, -and at the time of his death was forty years of age. In 1875 he married -a Frenchwoman, Adelaide Blanche de la Tremoille, who was a native -of Orleans, and whom he met at the house of his brother, she being -at that time about twenty years of age. After the marriage she went -to a boarding-school at Stoke Newington, and lived with her husband -only during the vacation. At a later period she went to a convent -school in Belgium, where she remained for some eighteen months, after -which she rejoined her husband, and settled down to live in London. -During Christmas of 1881 she gave birth to a stillborn child, which so -affected her that she came to the resolution that she would have no -more children. Some four years later Bartlett and his wife made the -acquaintance of George Dyson, a young Wesleyan minister, who soon -became on terms of great social intimacy with them, visiting and dining -with them frequently. The admiration for their friend seems to have -been common to both husband and wife. In 1885 Edwin Bartlett made a -will, leaving all he possessed to his wife, and making Mr. Dyson and -his solicitors his executors. Shortly afterwards the couple removed -to furnished apartments in Claverton Street, Pimlico, where they -apparently lived on good terms, and were still frequently visited by -their friend Mr. Dyson. - -On December 10, in the same year, Mr. Bartlett became seriously ill. -Peculiar symptoms developed, which excited the curiosity and surprise -of the medical man called in to attend him. The state of his gums -suggested to the doctor that the illness was due to mercury, which in -some way was being taken or administered to him, and he complained -of nervous depression and sleeplessness. He appeared to be gradually -recovering from this, but on December 19, Mr. Bartlett himself -suggested that a second doctor should be called in, lest, as he put -it, "his friends should suspect, if anything happened to him, that -his wife was poisoning him." The cause for this was put down to some -ill-feeling which had formerly existed between Mrs. Bartlett and her -husband's father. A second practitioner, therefore, was called in, and -the patient, on December 26, was practically well and went out for a -drive though still weak. - -The next day Mrs. Bartlett asked Mr. Dyson, who was constantly calling -at the house, to procure for her a considerable quantity of chloroform, -which she told him she had used before with good effect on her husband -for some internal ailment of long standing, and that this internal -affliction had upon previous occasions given him paroxysms. She further -expressed apparently some belief that he might die suddenly in one of -these attacks. Dyson seems meekly to have yielded to her request, and -obtained three different lots of chloroform, in all six ounces, from -various chemists, giving the reason, that he required it for taking out -grease spots, and placed it all together in one bottle. Two days after -he met Mrs. Bartlett on the Embankment and handed her the chloroform. -During his illness, Mr. Bartlett had slept on a camp bedstead in the -front drawing-room, his wife occupying a sofa in the same room. On -December 31 he was apparently quite well again, and about half-past ten -o'clock in the evening, Mrs. Bartlett told the servant she required -nothing else and retired with her husband for the night. At four -o'clock in the morning the house was aroused by Mrs. Bartlett, and it -was discovered her husband was dead in bed. - -The statement made by the lady was, that when her husband had settled -for the night she sat down at the foot of the bed; that her hand was -resting upon his feet; that she dozed off in her chair; she awoke with -a sensation of cramp, and was horrified to find her husband's feet were -deathly cold. She tried to pour some brandy down his throat, and she -found he was dead. She then aroused the household. The first person who -entered the room was the landlord, who noticed a peculiar smell that -reminded him of chloric ether. The doctor was promptly sent for, but -from external examination could find nothing to account for death. The -only bottle found was one that contained a drop or two of chlorodyne. -A post-mortem examination was held, and the stomach showed evidence -of having contained a considerable quantity of chloroform. There was -no internal disease or growth, the organs being quite healthy, and -nothing to account for death beyond the chloroform, which the medical -men concluded must have been the cause of death. - -The coroner's inquiry resulted in a verdict of wilful murder against -Adelaide Bartlett and George Dyson, and they were both arrested. At the -trial, the Crown decided to offer no evidence against Dyson, and, after -being indicted and pleading "Not guilty," he was discharged by the -judge to be called as a witness. - -A brilliant array of counsel were engaged on the case, the late -Lord Chief Justice, then Sir Charles Russell, having charge of the -prosecution, while the defence of Mrs. Bartlett was entrusted to Sir -Edward Clark, and that of Mr. Dyson to Mr. Lockwood. - -Dyson's examination occupied nearly the whole of the second day, during -which he detailed the form of the intimacy between Mrs. Bartlett and -himself; how he procured the chloroform and disposed of the bottles -after hearing the result of the post-mortem, by throwing them away on -Wandsworth Common while on his way to preach at Tooting. He was in the -habit of kissing Mrs. Bartlett, and usually called her Adelaide. He -had had conversations with Mr. Bartlett on the subject of marriage, -and had heard him express the opinion that a man should have two wives, -one to look after the household duties, and another to be a companion -and confidante. He had told Mr. Bartlett he was becoming attached to -his wife, but the latter seemed to encourage it, and asked him to -continue the intimacy. He did not mention the matter of having procured -the chloroform for Mrs. Bartlett until he had heard the result of the -post-mortem. - -The medical man called in to attend Mr. Bartlett during his illness, -described the condition in which he found him, and his recovery -from the illness. He also gave an account of a very extraordinary -statement, which was made to him by Mrs. Bartlett after the death of -her husband. It was as follows. At the age of sixteen years she was -selected by Mr. Bartlett as a wife for companionship only, and for whom -no carnal feeling should be entertained. The marriage compact was, -that they should live together simply as loving friends. This rule was -faithfully observed for about six years of their married life, and then -only broken at her earnest and repeated entreaty that she should be -permitted to be really a wife and a mother. The child was still-born, -and from that time the two lived together, but their relations were -not those of matrimony. Her husband showed great affection for her -of an ultra-platonic kind, and encouraged her to pursue studies of -various kinds, which she did to please him. He affected to admire -her, and liked to surround her with male acquaintances, and enjoy -their attentions to her. Then they became acquainted with Dyson. Her -husband conceived a great liking for him, and threw them together. He -requested them to kiss in his presence and seemed to enjoy it, and gave -her to understand that he had "given her" to Mr. Dyson. As her husband -gradually recovered from his illness he expressed a wish that they -should resume the ordinary relations of man and wife, but she resented -it. She therefore sought for some means to prevent his desire, and for -this purpose she asked Dyson to procure the chloroform. - -On the night of the death, some conversation of this kind had taken -place between them, and when he was in bed she brought the bottle -of chloroform and gave it to him, informing him of her intention to -sprinkle some upon a handkerchief and wave it in his face, thinking -that thereby he would go peacefully to sleep. He looked at the bottle -and placed it by the side of the low bed, then turning over on his side -apparently went to sleep. She fell asleep also, sitting at the foot of -the bed, with her arm round his foot; she heard him snoring, then woke -again, and found he was dead. - -Dr. Stevenson, who made the analysis, gave evidence as to finding -eleven and a quarter grains of pure chloroform in the stomach of -the deceased, but, judging from the time that had elapsed and the -very volatile nature of the liquid, a large quantity must have been -swallowed. No other poisons were found. The jury, after deliberating -nearly two hours, returned a verdict of "Not guilty," thus making -another addition to the list of unsolved poisoning mysteries. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE RUGELEY MYSTERY - - -STRYCHNINE may very justly be termed a deadly poison. It is one of the -active principles extracted from nux vomica, the singular disk-like -seed of the _Strychnos nux vomica_, a tree indigenous to most parts -of India, Burmah, Northern Australia, and other countries. Nux vomica -was unknown to the ancients, and is said to have been introduced into -medicine by the Arabians, but there is very little reliable record -of it until the seventeenth century, when the seeds were used for -poisoning animals and birds. Strychnine was discovered in 1818 by -Pelletier and Carenton, and was first extracted from St. Ignatius' -bean, in which it is present to the extent of about 1·5 per cent. Very -soon afterwards it was extracted from nux vomica, which, being very -plentiful, is now the chief source of the drug. It is extremely bitter -in taste, and may be distinctly detected in a solution containing no -more than one-six-hundred-thousandth part. For a considerable time -after its discovery, the detection of strychnine in the body after -death was a matter of great uncertainty, especially when only a small -quantity had been administered; but now it is possible to detect the -presence of one-five-thousandth part of a grain, and that even after -some period has elapsed. It has been used for criminal purposes by -several notorious poisoners, notably by Dove, Palmer, and Cream, but -the symptoms produced are so marked and its presence clearly indicated, -that detection now is almost certain. - -Among the most celebrated trials of this century was that of Dr. -Palmer, who was charged with the wilful murder of John Parsons Cook, at -Rugeley, in 1855. A special Act of Parliament was passed in order to -have this case tried in London, where it was brought before Lord Chief -Justice Campbell, Mr. Baron Alderson, and Mr. Justice Cresswell, at the -Central Criminal Court, on May 14, 1856. The Attorney General, Mr. E. -James, Q.C., with several other counsel, conducted the prosecution, and -Palmer was defended by Mr. Serjeant Shee, Messrs. Grove, Q.C., Gray, -and Kenealy. - -The accused man was a country doctor, and had carried on a medical -practice in Rugeley, a small town in Staffordshire, for some years. -Then he went on the turf, and made his business over to a man -named Thirlby, a former assistant. Shortly afterwards, he made the -acquaintance of John P. Cook over some betting transactions. Cook was -a young man of good family, about twenty-eight years of age, and was -intended for the legal profession. He was articled to a solicitor; but -after a time, inheriting some property worth between twelve and fifteen -thousand pounds, he abandoned law and commenced to keep racehorses. -Meeting Palmer at various race meetings, they soon became very -intimate. In a very short time Palmer got into difficulties, and was -compelled to raise money on bills. Things went from bad to worse--until -he at last forged an acceptance to a bill in his mother's name, who -was possessed of considerable property. In 1854 he owed a large sum of -money, and in the same year his wife died, whose life, it transpired, -he had insured for £13,000. With this money he bought two racehorses; -but in his betting transactions he lost heavily, and then commenced to -borrow money from Cook, whose name he also forged on one occasion on -the back of a cheque. He insured his brother's life for £13,000, and -very shortly after _he_ died, the amount being also paid to Palmer. -This money soon went, and at length he had two writs out against him -for £4,000. - -In the meanwhile, Cook had been more successful than his friend in his -racing ventures, and had won a considerable amount with a race-horse he -owned called Polestar. Polestar was entered for the Shrewsbury races -on November 14, 1855, and Cook and Palmer went there and stayed with -some friends at the same hotel in that town. On the evening of the -races they were drinking brandy and water together. Cook asked Palmer -to have some more, and the latter replied, "Not unless you finish your -glass." Cook, noticing he had some still left in his tumbler, said, -"I'll soon do that," and finished it at a draught. On swallowing it -he immediately exclaimed, "There's something in it burns my throat." -Palmer took up the glass and said, "Nonsense, there is nothing in it," -and called the attention of the others standing by. Cook then suddenly -left the room, and was seized with violent vomiting. This became so bad -that he soon had to be taken to bed, and appeared to be very seriously -ill. Two hours later a medical man was sent for, who at once prescribed -an emetic, and then a pill. He obtained relief from these, and by the -morning the vomiting had ceased, and he was much better, though he -still felt very unwell. They returned to Rugeley together, Cook taking -rooms at an hotel directly opposite Palmer's house. Cook was still -confined to his room, and during the next few days, was constantly -visited by Palmer, and after each visit it was noticed the sickness -commenced again. On one occasion Palmer had some broth prepared, which -he specially wished Cook to take. The latter tried to swallow it, but -was immediately sick. It was then taken downstairs, and a woman at the -hotel, thinking it looked nice, took a couple of tablespoonfuls of -it; but within half an hour she was taken seriously ill, and obliged -to go to bed, her symptoms being exactly like those of Cook's when -first taken ill at Shrewsbury. Three days after this a neighbouring -doctor was called in, Palmer telling him that Cook was suffering from a -bilious attack. Palmer then suddenly went off to London, his business -being to try and arrange about the settlement of some debts that were -pressing. From the time he left, it was noticed by the doctor that -Cook's condition rapidly improved, and in a day or two he was able to -leave his bed and be up and dressed. On Palmer's return to Rugeley -he at once went to see Cook and during the rest of his illness was -constantly with him. On the evening of his return he also called on a -surgeon's assistant, with whom he was acquainted, and purchased from -him three grains of strychnine. Cook was taking some pills which had -been prescribed by the doctor, and which had done him good. They were -ordered to be taken at bedtime, and the box containing them was in his -room. He was visited by Palmer about 11 o'clock the same night, and up -to that time he was apparently well. Palmer left shortly after. At 12 -o'clock the whole house was aroused by violent screams proceeding from -Cook's room. The servants rushed in and found him writhing in great -agony, shouting "Murder!" He was evidently suffering intense pain, and -soon was seized with convulsions. Palmer was at once sent for, and on -his arrival Cook was gasping for breath, and hardly able to speak. He -ran back to procure some medicine, which on his return he gave him, -but the sick man at once threw it back. The attack gradually passed -off, and by the morning he was somewhat better, but very weak. The same -day Palmer visited a chemist he knew in the town, and purchased six -grains of strychnine. During the afternoon a relative of Palmer's, who -was also a medical man, arrived on a visit to Rugeley, and he was taken -to see Cook, and in the evening a consultation was held by the three -medical men. They agreed to prescribe some medicine for the patient -in the form of pills, which were prepared, and in the course of the -evening were handed to Palmer, who was to administer a dose the last -thing at night. - -About half-past ten Palmer gave Cook two of the pills, settled him -comfortably for the night, and went home. At ten minutes to eleven Cook -roused the house with a frightful scream, calling out, "I'm going to -be ill as I was last night." Palmer was sent for, and brought with him -two more pills, which he said contained ammonia, and gave them to Cook. -Very shortly afterwards convulsions set in, which were followed by -tetanus, and the unfortunate man died in a few minutes in great agony. - -The deceased man's relatives were communicated with, and his -father-in-law soon arrived in Rugeley. On Palmer being questioned about -Cook's affairs, he said that he held a paper drawn up by a lawyer, and -signed by Cook, stating that, in respect of £4,000 worth of bills, he -(Cook) was alone liable, and Palmer had a claim for that amount against -the estate. This, with other matters, aroused suspicion, and it was -decided to hold a post-mortem examination on the body to ascertain -the cause of death. Palmer was present at the examination, and by -his deliberate act the fluid contents of the stomach were lost. What -portions of the body were reserved for analysis, he did all he could to -prevent from reaching the analysts. When the jars, etc. were being sent -to London for examination by the Government analyst, he intercepted -them, and offered the post-boy £10 to upset the conveyance and break -them. - -The evidence offered at the trial was almost entirely circumstantial, -and the medical testimony was very conflicting. It was supposed, in the -first instance, Palmer had administered tartar emetic to his victim, -but that for the fatal dose strychnine was used. It was proved Palmer -had purchased strychnine under suspicious circumstances on the morning -of the day on which Cook died, and could not account for the purchase -of it, or state what he had done with it. The symptoms appeared at a -time which would correspond to the interval that precedes the action -of strychnine, being developed over the entire body and limbs in a -few minutes, suddenly and with violence. None of the pills could -be obtained for analysis, and Dr. Taylor, who made the analytical -examination, was unable to find any trace of strychnine in the portions -submitted to him, but he found half a grain of antimony in the blood. -He believed Cook died from the effects of strychnine. The great point -in the case was, did the tetanic symptoms, under which the deceased man -died, depend on disease or poison? Doctors Brodie, Christison and Todd, -and other eminent authorities of the time agreed, that when taken as a -whole they were not in accordance with any form of disease, but were in -perfect accordance with the effects of strychnine. On the other hand, -medical men called for the defence testified that tetanus might be -caused by natural disease, and the deceased might have died from angina -pectoris or epilepsy. In spite of the absence of confirmatory chemical -evidence, after one hour and seventeen minutes' deliberation, the jury -returned a verdict of "Guilty," and Palmer was sentenced to death, the -trial having lasted twelve days. - -The rigid and fixed condition of the limbs is a marked feature after -poisoning by strychnine. In the recent Horsford case, in which a -farmer named Walter Horsford was convicted of the murder of his cousin -Annie Holmes, at St. Neot's, in 1897, 3·69 grains of strychnine were -recovered from the internal organs, after the body was exhumed, -_nineteen days_ after death. Even then, rigidity was very marked, -especially in the lower limbs and fingers. The same rigidity was -remarked by Dr. Stevenson in the case of Matilda Clover, who was -poisoned by Neill Cream with strychnine a few years ago. In this case, -the body had been buried _from October until May_, and the rigidity -in the limbs and fingers was still maintained. Dr. Stevenson states -that usually when persons are suffering from strychnine poisoning, -they are very apprehensive of death. He has known a woman say, "I am -going to die" before any intimation of symptoms had occurred. The first -apprehension is, that some terrible calamity is about to take place. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -OPIUM EATING AND SMOKING--MESCAL BUTTONS - - -THE narcotic properties of the poppy have been known from times -of great antiquity. The first mention we have of its use is by -Theophrastus, who lived about 300 years B.C. It is supposed that the -potion known under the name of Nepenthe, prepared by Helen of Troy, -and given to the guests of Menelaus, to drive away their care, was -none other than a wine of opium. This conjecture receives support from -Homer, who states that Nepenthe was obtained from Thebes, the ancient -capital of Egypt. According to Prosper Alpinus, the Egyptians were -practised opium eaters, and were often faint and languid through the -want of it. They prepared and drank it in the form of "Cretic Wine," -which they flavoured and made hotter by the addition of pepper and -other aromatics. The Turks and Persians employed opium as a medicine, -and also for eating, from a very early period. Dioscorides, the ancient -Greek pharmacist, describes how the capsules from which the drug is -collected should be cut, and Celsus, a Roman physician of the first -century, frequently alludes to opium in his works under the quaint name -of "poppy tears." - -The introduction of opium into India seems to have been connected with -the spread of Mahomedanism, the earliest record we have of its use in -that country being made by Barbosa in 1511, although it is more than -probable it was used in India long before that time. Pyres, the first -ambassador from Europe to China in 1516, speaks of the opium of Egypt, -Cambay, and the kingdom of Coûs, in Bengal, and states it was eaten by -"the kings and lords, and even the common people, though not so much -because it costs dear." The Mogul Government uniformly sold the opium -monopoly, and the East India Company did likewise. - -The properties of opium have also been known from early times to -the Persians, who flavoured the drug with aromatics, and held it in -great esteem. By them it was commonly called Theriaka. It is supposed -to have been first introduced to China by the Arabs, who traded -with the Chinese as early as the ninth century. Towards the end of -the eighteenth century a trade sprang up with India, which rapidly -increased, till it led to political difficulties, culminating in the -war of 1842, and the signing of the treaty of Nanking, after which five -ports of China were opened to foreign trade, opium being admitted as a -legalised import in 1858. Opium smoking in China was practised in the -seventeenth century, and gradually extended over the entire empire, and -at the present time is almost a recognised habit among the people. - -With regard to the introduction of opium into India, the Mahomedans -once having established its use began to make it a source of income. -The Great Mogul monopolized the opium production and trade, and derived -an immense income from the sale of the monopoly. With respect to its -use in India, it is not easy to state with certainty whether or not -and in what periods, it has increased over the various parts of the -country. From the most recent reports it appears that "the largest -amount of opium is produced in the central tract of the Ganges, -extending from Dinapore in the east, to Agra in the west, and from -Gorakhpur in the north to Hazaribagh in the south, and comprising an -area of about 600 miles long and 200 miles broad." In the district of -Bengal, the Government has the monopoly of the opium industry, and -the districts are divided into two agencies, Behar and Benares, which -are under the control of officers residing in Patna and Ghazipur. -In 1883 the amount of acres under poppy cultivation was in Behar -463,829, and in Benares agency 412,625; but the export of opium has -somewhat diminished since then. Any one may undertake the industry, but -cultivators are obliged to sell the opium exclusively to the Government -agencies, at a price which is fixed beforehand by the officials. -The Government sells the ready goods to merchants at a much higher -price, which difference is paid by the country to which the opium is -exported. In India itself, the sale of opium is restricted to licensed -shopkeepers, a practice which has proved to be useful, because in some -places, when the licensed shops have been closed, a greater number of -unlicensed and secret shops have sprung up, and have made the contract -insufficient. - -The opium question is so complex in its nature, and is so largely -influenced by the habits and constitution of those nations who are -addicted to its use, that it is obvious that only those with skilled -medical knowledge, who are on the spot and have lived and had a daily -experience of the people, are in a proper position to deal with the -question at all. So much has been written by religious enthusiasts, -and other persons totally ignorant of the nature and properties of the -drug, that one almost hesitates to touch upon the question at all. -Our only excuse for so doing is, that the following facts have been -furnished by reliable medical authorities, who are really in a position -to judge on the subject. - -The cause which led to the use of this narcotic drug by the races of -the East may have been primarily due to the prohibition of wine by -the Moslems, but more likely on account of its valuable remedial or -protective properties, needed by a race subject to malaria and kindred -diseases, and to counteract the effect of the hot climate to which they -are exposed. It is a remedy at hand, and would seem to be one to which -they at once fly. The evil lies more in the smoking than the eating -of the drug; the former habit is more prevalent in China, and has the -most demoralizing effect. The extent of its use in the East varies -according to the geographical and social differences of the people, and -it is used in various degrees of moderation and excess. - -The drug is employed in various forms, according to the class of people -who consume it. In India it is largely used in the crude state, and is -sold at about two annas a drachm, in small square pieces. The opium -eater will take two or three grains and roll them into the form of a -pill between his fingers, and then chew or swallow it, often twenty -times in the day. It is also used in a liquid form called Kusambah -made by macerating opium in rose-water; others boil it with milk, then -collect the cream and eat it. The varieties for smoking are known as -Chundoo and Mudat, the former being a very impure extract of a fairly -stiff consistence, and the latter made from the refuse of Chundoo, of -which it largely consists; but being much cheaper, is chiefly used by -the low-class Hindoos and Mahomedans. From two to four grains a day may -be called a moderate use of the crude drug. The poorer people regularly -give it to children up to two years of age, to keep them quiet, also as -a preventive against such complaints as enteritis, so common in the -East; and so before youth is reached they become inured to its action. -Licences to sell the drug are sold to the highest bidder at the opium -auctions, the licensee having the privilege of supplying a certain -number of small dealers. - -The Chinese smoker usually lays himself down on his side, with his -head supported by a pillow. On the straw mat beside him, between his -doubled-up knees and his nose, a small glass oil lamp, covered with -a glass shade, is burning. Close to this is a tray, containing a -small round box holding the drug, a straight piece of wire used for -manipulating it, a knife to scrape up fragments, and the pipe used for -smoking. The latter is about two feet long, with a bore of about half -an inch in diameter, and is not unlike the stem of a flute before it -is fitted. About two inches from the bottom of the tube, is a closed -cup or bowl of earthenware or stone, having a central perforation. To -charge the pipe, a small portion of the drug (weighing a few grains) is -picked up with the wire, kneaded and rolled in the closed surface of -the cup, then heated in the flame of the lamp till it swells. This is -rolled up and again manipulated, then finally placed in the aperture -in the surface of the bowl. It is then lighted from the lamp, and the -smoke drawn into the lungs through the tube till the first charge is -exhausted. - -In a report made by the _British Medical Journal_ concerning the use of -opium in India, from the evidence of medical men long resident in that -country, there seems a general concensus of opinion that opium eating, -in the majority of cases, exercises no unfavourable influence on the -people who indulge in the habit, and that it is a prophylactic against -fever, and prevents the natives from malaria and excessive fatigue. -There is no comparison between the effects of the opium habit and the -habitual use of alcohol. English people cannot judge from their own -standard, the manners and customs of people living under conditions -with which they are unacquainted. While we look on opium as a narcotic, -the Hindoo uses it as a stimulant to enable him to go through hard work -on the smallest quantity possible of food. In Persia, at the present -time, according to Wills, nine out of ten of the aged, take from one -to five grains of the drug daily. It is largely used by the native -physicians. It does not appear that the moderate use of Persian opium -in the country itself, is deleterious. Opium smoking is almost unknown, -and when it is smoked, it is, as a rule, by a doctor's orders. The -opium pill-box--a tiny box of silver--is as common in Persia as the -snuff-box was once with us. Most men of forty in the middle and upper -classes use it. They take from a grain to a grain and a half, divided -into two pills, one in the afternoon and one at night. The majority of -authorities agree that opium smoking as a habit is much more harmful -and attended with more demoralizing influences than opium eating; but -either habit is undoubtedly harmful to Europeans, and when once formed, -is extremely difficult to break. - -Paracelsus is generally credited with being the originator of the word -"laudanum," which is now employed as the popular name for tincture -of opium. Yet there seems little doubt the word was first applied to -the gum of the cistus. Clusius in his "Rariorum Plantarum Historia" -states, "The gum of the cistus is called in Greek and Latin, ladanum, -and in shops laudanum." It is therefore very likely that the secret -preparation originated by Paracelsus which he called laudanum, was -composed of the gum of the cistus as well as opium, and that he -adopted the title from the former ingredient. - -The Kiowa and other Mexican Indians use the fruit of the _Anhelonium -Lewinii_, which they call "mescal buttons," to produce a species -of intoxication and stimulation during certain of their religious -ceremonies. The effects of this fruit, which like Indian hemp varies -considerably in different individuals, are very peculiar, and have been -described by Lewin, Prentiss and Morgan. - -The eating of the fruit first results in a state of strange excitement -and great exuberance of spirits, accompanied by great volubility in -speech. This is shortly followed by a stage of intoxication in which -the sight is affected in a very extraordinary manner, consisting of a -kaleidoscopic play of colours ever in motion, of every possible shade -and tint, and these constantly changing. The pupils of the eyes are -widely dilated, cutaneous sensation is blunted, and thoughts seem -to flash through the brain with extraordinary rapidity. The colour -visions are generally only seen with closed eyes, but the colouring -of all external objects is exaggerated. Sometimes there is also an -indescribable sensation of dual existence. - -Recent investigation into the pharmacology of the mescal plant prove -it to be a poison of a very powerful nature. Lethal doses produce -complete paralysis, and death is caused by respiratory failure. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -HASHISH AND HASHISH EATERS - - -HASHISH, or Bhang, is the native term applied to the dried flowering -tops of the Indian hemp, from which the resin has not been removed. - -This plant, cultivated largely in India, is now considered to be the -same, botanically, as the _Cannabis sativa_ of European cultivation; -but there is great difference in their medicinal activity, that growing -in India being much more powerful. Ganja is the native name for part of -the plant, and Sidhi for another part, which is much poorer in resin. -The resinous principle is called _churrus_ or _charas_, and the entire -plant, cut during inflorescence, dried in the sun and pressed into -bundles, is called _bhang_. - -The method of using it in India is chiefly for smoking in combination -with tobacco. For this purpose, a plug of tobacco is first placed -at the bottom of the bowl of the pipe, on the top a small piece of -hashish, and over this a piece of glowing charcoal. Another way is to -knead the drug with the tobacco by the thumb of one hand working in -the palm of the other, till they are thoroughly incorporated. Simple -infusions of the leaves and flowering tops are also much used for -drinking purposes by old and young in India, the alcoholic form being a -most active and dangerous intoxicant. - -The antiquity of the drug is great, and it is said to have been used -in China as early as the year 220, to produce insensibility when -performing operations. The Persians employed it in the Middle Ages for -the purpose of exciting the pugnacity and fanaticism of the soldiers -during the wars of the Crusades. - -In 1803 Visey, a French scientist, published a memoir on hashish, and -attempted to prove that it was the Nepenthe of Homer; there is little -doubt, however, that the use of the drug was known to Galen. - -Silvestin de Lacy contends that the word assassin is derived from -"hashishin," a name given to a wild sect of Mahomedans who committed -murder under its influence. - -The Chinese herbal, Rh-ya, which dates from about the fifth century, -B.C., notices the fact that the hemp plant is of two kinds, the one -producing seeds and the other flowers only. Herodotus states that hemp -grows in Scythia both wild and cultivated, and that the Thracians made -garments from it which can hardly be distinguished from linen. He also -describes "how the Scythians exposed themselves as in a bath" to the -vapour of the seeds thrown on hot coals. - -The hemp occurs in two principal forms, viz.: 1. _bhang_, consisting of -the dried leaves and small stalks of a dark green colour, mixed with a -few fruits. It has a peculiar odour but little taste. Mixed with flour -or incorporated with sweetmeat it is called hashish. It is also smoked, -or taken infused in cold water. 2. _Ganja_ consists of the flowering -shoots of the female plant, having a compound or glutinous appearance, -and is brownish-green in colour. - -Of the many curious experiences that have been written describing -the effects of hashish, perhaps the most accurate is that given by -Gautier, in which he relates his own experience of the drug. - -"The Orientalists," he states, "have in consequence of the interdiction -of wine sought that species of excitement which the Western nations -derive from alcoholic drinks." He then proceeds to state how a few -minutes after swallowing some of the preparation, a sudden overwhelming -sensation took possession of him. It appeared to him that his body -was dissolved, and that he had become transparent. He clearly saw -in his stomach the hashish he had swallowed, under the form of an -emerald, from which a thousand little sparks issued. His eyelashes were -lengthened out indefinitely, and rolled like threads of gold around -ivory balls, which turned with inconceivable rapidity. Around him -were sparklings of precious stones of all colours, changes eternally -produced, like the play of a kaleidoscope. He every now and then saw -his friends who were round him, disfigured as half men, half plants, -some having the wings of the ostrich, which they were constantly -shaking. So strange were these that he burst into fits of laughter, -and, to join in the apparent ridiculousness of the affair, he began by -throwing the cushions in the air, catching and turning them with the -rapidity of an Indian juggler. One gentleman spoke to him in Italian, -which the hashish transposed into Spanish. After a few minutes he -recovered his habitual calmness, without any bad effect, and only with -feelings of astonishment at what had passed. Half an hour had scarcely -elapsed before he again fell under the influence of the drug. On this -occasion the vision was more complicated and extraordinary. In the air -there were millions of butterflies, confusedly luminous, shaking their -wings like fans. Gigantic flowers, with chalices of crystal; large -peonies upon beds of gold and silver, rose and surrounded him with the -crackling sound that accompanies the explosion in the air of fireworks. -His hearing acquired new power; it was enormously developed. He heard -the noise of colours. Green, red, blue, yellow sounds reached him in -waves--a glass thrown down, the creaking of a sofa, a word pronounced -low, vibrated and rolled within him like peals of thunder. His own -voice sounded so loud that he feared to speak, lest he should knock -down the walls or explode like a rocket. More than five hundred clocks -struck the hour with fleeting silvery voice, and every object touched -gave a note like the harmonica or the Æolian harp. He swam in an ocean -of sound, where floated like aisles of light some of the airs of "Lucia -di Lammermoor" and the "Barber of Seville." Never did similar bliss -overwhelm him with its waves; he was lost in a wilderness of sweets; he -was not himself; he was relieved from consciousness, that feeling which -always pervades the mind; and for the first time he comprehended what -might be the state of elementary beings, of angels, of souls separated -from the body. All his system seemed infected with the fantastic -colouring in which he was plunged. Sounds, perfume, light, reached him -only by minute rays, in the midst of which he heard mystic currents -whistling along. According to his calculation, this state lasted about -three hundred years, for the sensations were so numerous and so hurried -one upon the other, that a real appreciation of time was impossible. -The paroxysm over, he was aware that it had only lasted _a quarter of -an hour_. - -Another interesting account of the strange hallucinations produced by -the drug is related by Dr. Moreau, who with two friends experimented -with hashish. "At first," he states, "I thought my companions were -less influenced by the drug than myself. Then, as the effect increased, -I fancied that the person who had brought me the dose had given me some -of more active quality. This, I thought to myself, was an imprudence, -and the involuntary idea presented itself that I might be poisoned. -The idea became fixed; I called out loudly to Dr. Roche, 'You are an -assassin; you have poisoned me!' This was received with shouts of -laughter, and my lamentations excited mirth. I struggled for some time -against the thought, but the greater the effort the more completely did -it overcome me, till at last it took full possession of my mind. The -extravagant conviction now came uppermost that I was dead, and upon the -point of being buried; my soul had left my body. In a few minutes I had -gone through all the stages of delirium." - -These fixed ideas and erroneous convictions are apt to be produced, -but they only last a few seconds, unless there is any actual physical -disorder. "The Orientalist, when he indulges in hashish retires -into the depth of his harem; no one is then admitted who cannot -contribute to his enjoyment. He surrounds himself with his dancing -girls, who perform their graceful evolutions before him to the sound -of music; gradually a new condition of the brain allows a series of -illusions, arising from the external senses, to present themselves. -The mind becomes overpowered by the brilliancy of gorgeous visions; -discrimination, comparison, reason, yield up their throne to dreams and -phantoms which exhilarate and delight. - -"The mind tries to understand what is the cause of the new delight, but -it is in vain. It seems to know there is no reality." - -Hardly two people experience the same effects from hashish. Upon some -it has little action, while upon others, especially women, it exerts -extraordinary power. While one person says he imagined his body endowed -with such elasticity, that he fancied he could enter into a bottle and -remain there at his ease, another fancied he had become the piston of -a steam engine; under the influence of the drug the ear lends itself -more to the illusion than any other sense. Its first effect is one of -intense exhilaration, almost amounting to delirium; power of thought -is soon lost, and the victim laughs, cries and sings or dances, all -the time imagining he is acting rationally. The second stage is one of -dreamy enjoyment followed by a dead stupor. - -Of the ordinary physical effects of hashish, the first is a feeling of -slight compression of the temporal bones and upper parts of the head. -The respiration is gentle, the pulse is increased, and a gentle heat -is felt all over the surface of the body. There is a sense of weight -about the fore part of the arms, and an occasional slight involuntary -motion, as if to seek relief from it. There is a feeling of discomfort -about the extremities, creating a feeling of uneasiness, and if the -dose has been too large the usual symptoms of poisoning by Indian hemp -show themselves. Flushes of heat seem to ascend, to the head, even to -the brain, which create considerable alarm. Singing in the ears is -complained of; then comes on a state of anxiety, almost of anguish, -with a sense of constriction about the chest. The individual fancies -he hears the beating of his heart with unaccustomed loudness; but -throughout the whole period it is the nervous system that is affected, -and in this way the drug differs materially from opium whose action on -the muscular and digestive systems is most marked. - -It is somewhat remarkable that Indian hemp fails to produce the same -intoxicating effects in this country that it does in warmer climates, -and whether this is due to the loss of some volatile principle or -difference in temperature it is not yet determined. But would-be -experimentalists in the effects of hashish would do well to remember -that it may not be indulged in with impunity, and most authorities -agree that the brain becomes eventually disordered with frequent -indulgence in the drug even in India. It further becomes weakened and -incapable of separating the true from the false; frequent intoxication -leads to a condition of delirium, and usually of a dangerous nature; -the moral nature becomes numbed, and the victim at last becomes unfit -to pursue his ordinary avocation. It is stated by those who have had -considerable experience in its use, that even during the dream of joy -there is a consciousness that all is illusion; there is at no period a -belief that anything that dances before the senses or plays upon the -imagination is real, and that when the mind recovers its equilibrium it -knows that all is but a phantasm. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -TOBACCO LORE - - -FEW, perchance, of the millions who gather comfort from the "herb of -fragrance" are aware that it is to Don Hernandez de Toledo we are -indebted for the introduction of tobacco into Western Europe, which he -first brought to Spain and Portugal in 1559. Jean Nicot was at this -time Ambassador at the Court of Lisbon from Frances II, and it was he -who transmitted or carried, either the seed or the plant to Catherine -de Medicis, and who gave it the name _Nicotiana_. Like other great -personages of the time, Catherine encouraged the homage of travellers -and artists. It was considered to be one of the wonders of the New -World, and reported to possess most extraordinary medicinal properties -and virtues. Thirty years later the Cardinal Santa Croce, returning -from his nunciature in Spain and Portugal to Italy, took with him some -tobacco leaves, and we may form some idea of the enthusiasm with which -its production was hailed, from a perusal of the poetry which the -subject inspired, such as the following: - - Herb of immortal fame! - Which hither first with Santa Croce came, - When he, his time of nunciature expired, - Back from the Court of Portugal retired; - Even as his predecessor, great and good, - Brought home the cross. - - -The poet compares the exploit of the cardinal with that of his -progenitor, who brought home the wood of the true cross. - -The first exact description of the plant is that given by Gonzalo -Fernandez de Oviedo-y-Valdés, Governor of St. Domingo, in his _Historia -General de las Indias_, printed at Seville in 1535. In this work, the -leaf is said to be smoked through a branched tube of the shape of the -letter [Y], which the natives called _tobaco_. - -After the introduction of tobacco into England by Sir Walter Raleigh -on his return from America, the custom of smoking the leaf became very -general, and it truly seems to have supplied a common want. It was -mostly sold by the apothecaries in their dark little shops, and here -the gallants would congregate to smoke their pipes and gossip, while -the real Timidado, nicotine cane and pudding, was cut off with a silver -knife on a maple block and retailed to the customers. The pipes used in -the time of Queen Elizabeth were chiefly made of silver. The commoner -kinds consisted of a walnut shell, in which a straw was inserted, and -the tobacco was sold in the shops for its weight in silver. - -The celebrated _Counterblaste to Tobacco_, by King James I, describes -smoking as "a custom loathsome to the eye, hatefull to the nose, -harmfull to the brain, dangerous to the lungs; and in the black, -stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoake -of the pit that is bottomlesse." In 1604 this monarch endeavoured, by -means of heavy imposts, to abolish its use in this country, and in 1619 -he commanded that no planter in Virginia should cultivate more than one -hundred pounds. - -It is said, some spent as much as £500 a year in the purchase of -tobacco in those days. In 1624 Pope Urban VIII published a decree of -excommunication against all who took snuff in the church. Ten years -after this, smoking was forbidden in Russia under pain of having the -nose cut off; and in 1653 the Council of the Canton of Appenzell cited -smokers before them, whom they punished, ordering all innkeepers to -inform against such as were found smoking in their houses. The police -regulations made in Berne in 1661 were divided according to the Ten -Commandments, in which the prohibition of smoking stands after the -command against adultery. This prohibition was renewed in 1675, and -the tribunal instituted to put it into execution--viz., Chambreau -Tabac--continued to the middle of the eighteenth century. Pope Innocent -XII, in 1690, excommunicated all those who were found taking snuff or -tobacco in the Church of St. Peter at Rome; and even so late as 1719 -the Senate of Strasburg prohibited the cultivation of tobacco, from -an apprehension that it would diminish the growth of corn. Amurath IV -published an edict which made smoking tobacco a capital offence; but, -notwithstanding all opposition, its fascinating power has held its own. - -It is believed that the tobacco plant _Nicotiana Tabacum_ is a native -of tropical America, and it was found by the Spaniards when they landed -in Cuba in 1492. There seems little doubt that the practice of smoking -the leaf has been common among the natives of South America from time -immemorial. It is now cultivated all over the world, but nowhere more -abundantly or with better results than in the United States. Virginia -is perhaps most celebrated for its culture. The young shoots produced -from seeds thickly sown in beds, are transplanted into the fields -during the month of May, and set in rows, with an interval of three -or four feet between the plants. Through the whole period of its -growth, the crop requires constant attention till the harvest time, in -the month of August. The ripe plants having been cut off above their -roots, are dried under cover, and then stripped of their leaves, which -are tied in bundles and packed in hogsheads. While hung up in the -drying-houses, they undergo a curing process, consisting of exposure -to a considerable degree of heat, through which they become moist, -after which they are dried for packing. In Persia and Turkey a form of -tobacco is sold under the name of Tumbeki for use in the water-pipes or -narghileh, which is said to be the product of the _Nicotiana Persica_. - -The active principle _Nicotine_ was first isolated in 1828, by Posselt -and Reimann, and is an almost colourless, oily liquid of a highly -poisonous nature. It soon becomes brown on exposure to air or light. -The amount present in tobacco leaves varies considerably, but it is -usually about six per cent. It has not been met with in tobacco smoke, -according to Vohl, but the tobacco oils contain minute proportion of -nicotine. One drop of pure nicotine is sufficient to kill a dog, while -a very little more will destroy life in a human being. It is said to -possess the property of resisting decomposition amid the decaying -tissues of the body, and was detected by Orfila two or three months -after death. Vohl and Eulenberg have made an interesting investigation -of tobacco smoke. The smoke analysed was from a tobacco containing four -per cent. of nicotine, but none of the alkaloid was found in the smoke. -In the smoke of cigars certain gases were given off, and an oily body -collected, which, on distillation, yielded aromatic acids. Distilled at -a temperature above boiling water, tobacco gives an empyreumatic oil -of a poisonous nature. It exactly resembles that which collects in the -stems of tobacco pipes, and contains a small percentage of nicotine. -The actual amount of nicotine absorbed into the blood while smoking a -pipe is very minute, at least fifty per cent. of the entire alkaloid -being destroyed by decomposition, and escaping from the bowl of the -pipe. The habitual inhalation of tobacco smoke is undoubtedly harmful, -but unless the smoke be intentionally inhaled, very little makes its -way into the lungs. A great deal of misconception exists in the mind -of the average individual as to the power of the alkaloid of tobacco. -The amount of nicotine actually absorbed from a fair-sized pipe is -about one-fortieth of a grain, in a cigar rather less. Death has -resulted after smoking eighteen pipes, and from twenty cigars smoked -continuously. - -Tobacco is a powerful sedative poison; used in large quantities it -causes vertigo, stupor, faintness, and general depression of the -nervous system. It will sometimes cause excessive nausea and retching, -with feebleness of pulse, coolness of the skin, and occasionally -convulsions. But there seems very little known as to how these symptoms -are produced. Employed to excess, it enfeebles digestion, produces -emaciation and general debility, and is often the beginning of serious -nervous disorders. Be this as it may, the moderate smoking of tobacco -has, in most cases, even beneficial results, and there appears little -doubt that it acts as a solace and comfort to the poor as well as the -rich. It soothes the restless, calms mental and corporeal inquietude, -and produces a condition of repose without a corresponding reaction or -after-effect. In adults, especially those liable to mental worry, and -all brain workers, its action is often a boon, the only danger being in -overstepping the boundary of moderation to excess. It is not suitable -to every constitution, and those who can trace to it evil effects -should not continue its use. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -POISON HABITS - - -THERE is a very peculiar property attached to poisons, especially those -possessing anodyne properties--that is, they are capable of forming the -most enslaving habits known to mankind. Thousands of people to-day are -enchained in the slavery of the poison habit in one form or another, -and very few are ever successful in wresting them selves free when -once it has been contracted. The habit is formed in the most insidious -manner. Often, in the first instance, some narcotic drug is recommended -to relieve pain or induce sleep. In a short time the original dose -fails to produce the desired effect, it has to be increased, and -afterwards still further increased, until the victim finds he cannot do -without it, and a terrible craving for the drug is created. By-and-by -the stupefying action affects the brain, the moral character suffers, -and the unfortunate being is at last ready to do anything to obtain a -supply of the drug that is now his master. - -This is not an overdrawn picture, but one of which instances are -constantly to be met with. The enslaving habit of alcohol, when once -contracted, is too well known to need description. Opium comes next -in the point of influence it exerts over its victims, and a very -small percentage ever free themselves from the habit when it is once -contracted. In most instances it is taken in the first place to relieve -some severe pain, as in De Quincey's case. He says, in his _Confessions -of an Opium Eater_, "It was not for the purpose of creating pleasure, -but of mitigating pain in the severest degree, that I first began to -use opium as an article of daily diet." Like others, he was compelled -to increase the dose gradually, until at last he consumed the enormous -quantity of 320 grains of the drug a day. He graphically describes -the struggle he first had to reduce the daily dose, and found that to -a certain point it could be reduced with ease, but after that point, -further reduction caused intense suffering. However, a crisis arrived, -and he writes, "I saw that I must die if I continued the opium. I -determined, therefore, if that should be required, to die in throwing -it off. I apprehend at this time I was taking from 50 or 60 grains -to 150 grains a day. My first task was to reduce it to 40, to 30, -and as fast as I could to 12 grains. I triumphed; but think not my -sufferings were ended. Think of me, as one, even when four months had -passed, still agitated, writhing, throbbing, palpitating, shattered; -and much perhaps in the situation of him who has been racked." Other -cases are commonly met with in this country, where opium eaters take -on an average from 60 to 80 grains of the drug a day. The smallest -quantity which has proved fatal in the adult is 4½ grains; in other -cases enormous quantities have been taken with impunity; and Guy states -recovery once took place after no less than eight ounces of solid opium -had been swallowed. - -Morphine, the chief alkaloid of opium, is also abused by many, and -is swallowed as well as used by injection under the skin. Its action -is very similar to that of opium. It has been recently given on good -authority, that in Chicago--that city of hurrying men and restless -women--over thirty-five thousand persons habitually take subcutaneous -injections of morphine to save themselves from the pains and terrors -of neuralgia, insomnia, and nervousness, etc. To a delicate woman one -grain of this drug has proved fatal, yet, under the influence of habit, -a young lady has been known to take from 15 to 20 grains daily. A man -in a good position, and head of a large commercial house, contracted -the habit of taking morphine from a prescription he had had given to -him containing 4 grains of the drug. As the habit grew, he would have -the medicine prepared by four different chemists daily, and swallow the -contents of each bottle for a dose, until he took on an average over 24 -grains a day. This being put a stop to by his friends, he commenced to -take chloroform, which he would purchase in small quantities until he -had collected a bottleful, and then he would drink it, usually mixed -with whisky. He eventually had to be placed under restraint. - -Chloroform is not often taken habitually, but several instances have -been met with where as much as two ounces have been swallowed by a man. -The effects, when taken by the mouth, are similar to those which follow -its inhalation. Chlorodyne, which generally contains both morphine and -prussic acid in its composition, is also much abused, especially by -women. Some women have been known to consume two ounces a week of this -preparation. Cocaine, an active principle of the _Erythroxylum coca_, -is capable of exciting a powerful craving, which apparently holds its -victims in a grip of iron until they are willing to spend any amount -of money in obtaining the drug. Arsenic eating is a habit fortunately -rare in this country, although cases have been met with in which -women have gradually become addicted to taking large quantities for -improving their complexions. The peasants in some parts of Styria and -Hungary have long been known to eat arsenic, taking, it is said, from -two to five grains daily; the men doing so in order that they may gain -strength and be able to endure fatigue, and the women that they may -improve their complexions. Dr. Maclagan, of Edinburgh, states he saw a -Styrian eat a piece of arsenious acid weighing over four grains. - -Sleeplessness is a frequent cause of the formation of a poison habit, -and for this purpose chloral hydrate, perhaps, is capable of producing -more serious results than any other drug of its class. The fact that -it accumulates in the system, and that the dose needs constantly to -be increased, always renders its use dangerous in unskilled hands. -Many gifted men have fallen victims to the habit, among others Dante -Rossetti, who seldom was without a bottle of the narcotic near him. -Latterly, sulphonal, a drug derived from coal tar, possessing hypnotic -properties, has been largely taken; and antipyrine, now a popular -remedy for headache, is capable of forming a pernicious and dangerous -habit. The practice of self-dosing with drugs of this description -cannot be too strongly deprecated. - -Some people form a curious habit of taking one drug till at last they -become imbued with the idea that that only and nothing else, will have -any effect on them. The only remedy Carlyle would ever take, according -to the late Sir Richard Quain who was his medical adviser, was Grey -powder. "Grey powder was his favourite remedy when he had that wretched -dyspepsia from which he suffered, and which was fully accounted for by -the fact that he was particularly fond of very nasty gingerbread. Many -times I have seen him, sitting in the chimney corner, smoking a clay -pipe and eating this gingerbread." Oliver Goldsmith also laboured under -the confirmed belief that the only medicine that would have any effect -on him was "James' Powder." He doctored himself with this favourite -nostrum whenever he felt unwell, and believed it to be a cure for all -ills. - -According to a West End physician quite a new and most reprehensible -vice has recently become fashionable--viz., a craze that has arisen -among women for smoking green tea, in the form of cigarettes. Though -adopted by some fair ladies merely as a pastime, not a few of its -votaries are women of high education and mental attainments. "Among -my patients," he states, "suffering from extreme nervousness and -insomnia, is a young lady, highly distinguished, at Girton. Another -is a lady novelist, whose books are widely read, and who habitually -smoked twenty or thirty of these cigarettes nightly when writing, for -their stimulating effect." Though tea does not contain a trace of any -poisonous principle, it can, when thus misused, exert a most harmful -influence. Doubtless, the high pressure at which most of the dwellers -in our great cities now live, and the worry of too much brain work on -one hand, or the lack of occupation on the other, is one of the chief -causes of taking up habits of this kind. - -One of the best remedies, and one which it is to be hoped will -eventually come to pass is, that the Legislature should render poisons -less easy of purchase, by restricting the sale of every drug or -compound in the nature of a poison to the properly qualified chemist, -who, by his training and special knowledge, is alone competent to sell -these substances. Incalculable harm is done by habits such as we have -alluded to, and it is better often to endure pain and torment, than to -fly constantly to what in the end will only inflict worse punishment. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -POISONS IN FICTION - - -FROM a very early period poisoning mysteries have been woven into -romance and story, and in later times have been a favourite theme -for both novelist and dramatist. But unfortunately, the scientific -knowledge of writers of fiction, as a rule, is of a very limited -description, and the effects attributed by them to certain drugs are -usually as fabulous as the romances of the olden times. They tell us -of mysterious poisons of untold power, an infinitesimal quantity of -which will cause instantaneous death without leaving a trace behind. -They describe anæsthetics so powerful, that a whiff from a bottle is -sufficient to produce immediate insensibility for any period desired. -In fact, the novelist has a pharmacopoeia of his own. After all, why -should we question or cavil, and wish to analyse it in the prosaic test -tube of modern science; for take away the marvels and mysteries and -you kill the romance. The novel performs its mission if it succeeds in -interesting and amusing us, and the story-teller has accomplished the -object of his art when he is successful in weaving the possible with -the impossible, so that we can scarce perceive it. - -That master of fiction, Dumas, gives us an instance of this, in his -wonderfully fascinating adventures of the Count Monte Christo. Nothing -seems impossible to this extraordinary individual, and incident -after incident of the most romantic and exciting nature crowd one -upon another throughout the story; yet so beautifully blended by the -wonderful imagination of the author, that it enthrals us to the end. -The Count, who is supposed to have studied the art of medicine in the -East, has always a remedy at hand for every emergency, from hashish, in -which he is a profound believer, to his mysterious stimulating elixir, -described as "of the colour of blood, preserved in a phial of Bohemian -glass." A single drop of this marvellous fluid, if allowed to fall on -the lips, will, almost before it reaches them, restore the marble and -inanimate form to life. His pill boxes were composed of emeralds and -precious stones of huge size, and their contents consisted of drugs, -whose effects were beyond conception. His knowledge of chemistry and -toxicology is equally astonishing, as instanced in the conversation he -holds with Madame de Villefort, who, for nefarious purposes, desires -to improve her knowledge of poisons. Monte Christo discourses on the -poisonous properties of brucine, a drug rarely used in England, but -largely used in France. "Suppose," says the Count, "you were to take -a millegramme of this poison the first day, two millegrammes the -second day, and so on. Well, at the end of ten days you would have -taken a centigramme: at the end of twenty days, increasing another -millegramme, you would have taken three hundred centigrammes; that -is to say, a dose you would support without inconvenience, and which -would be very dangerous for any other person who had not taken the -same precautions as yourself. Well, then, at the end of a month, when -drinking water from the same carafe, you would kill the person who had -drunk this water, without your perceiving otherwise than from slight -inconvenience that there was any poisonous substance mingled with the -water." The Count thus explains the doctrine of immunity from a poison, -by accustoming the system to its effect in small doses for a length -of time, a process which is actually possible with some drugs, but -not with all. His satirical description of the bungling of the common -poisoner, as compared to the fine subtlety and cunning he advocates, -is also worth quoting: "Amongst us a simpleton, possessed by the -demon of hate or cupidity, who has an enemy to destroy, or some near -relation to dispose of, goes straight to the grocer's or druggist's, -gives a false name, which leads more easily to his detection than his -real one, and purchases, under a pretext that the rats prevent him -from sleeping, five or six pennyworth of arsenic. If he is really a -cunning fellow he goes to five or six different druggists or grocers, -and thereby becomes only five or six times more easily traced; then, -when he has acquired his specific, he administers duly to his enemy or -near kinsman a dose of arsenic which would make a mammoth or mastodon -burst, and which, without rhyme or reason, makes his victim utter -groans which alarm the whole neighbourhood. Then arrive a crowd of -policemen and constables. They fetch a doctor, who opens the dead body, -and collects from the entrails and stomach a quantity of arsenic in a -spoon. Next day a hundred newspapers relate the fact, with the names of -the victim and the murderer. The same evening the grocer or grocers, -druggist or druggists, come and say, 'It was I who sold the arsenic -to the gentleman accused'; and rather than not recognize the guilty -purchaser, they will recognize twenty. Then the foolish criminal is -taken, imprisoned, interrogated, confronted, confounded, condemned, and -cut off by hemp or steel; or, if she be a woman of any consideration, -they lock her up for life. This is the way in which you northerners -understand chemistry." And so he endeavours to incite a woman, who is -already anxiously contemplating a series of terrible crimes. - -The recital of the ingenious experiments of the Abbé Adelmonte is a -piece of clever construction, as the quotation will show. "The Abbé," -said Monte Christo, "had a remarkably fine garden full of vegetables, -flowers, and fruit. From amongst these vegetables he selected the -most simple--a cabbage, for instance. For three days he watered this -cabbage with a distillation of arsenic; on the third, the cabbage -began to droop and turn yellow. At that moment he cut it. In the eyes -of everybody it seemed fit for table, and preserved its wholesome -appearance. It was only poisoned to the Abbé Adelmonte. He then took -the cabbage to the room where he had rabbits, for the Abbé Adelmonte -had a collection of rabbits, cats, and guinea-pigs, equally fine as his -collection of vegetables, flowers, and fruit. Well, the Abbé Adelmonte -took a rabbit and made it eat a leaf of the cabbage. The rabbit died. -What magistrate would find or even venture to insinuate anything -against this? What _procureur du roi_ has ever ventured to draw up an -accusation against M. Magendie or M. Flourens, in consequence of the -rabbits, cats, and guinea-pigs they have killed? Not one. So, then, -the rabbit dies, and justice takes no notice. This rabbit dead, the -Abbé Adelmonte has its entrails taken out by his cook and thrown on the -dunghill; on this dunghill was a hen, who, pecking these intestines, -was, in her turn, taken ill, and dies next day. At the moment when -she was struggling in the convulsions of death, a vulture was flying -by (there are a good many vultures in Adelmonte's country); this bird -darts on the dead bird and carries it away to a rock, where it dines -off its prey. Three days afterwards this poor vulture, who has been -very much indisposed since that dinner, feels very giddy, suddenly, -whilst flying aloft in the clouds, and falls heavily into a fish-pond. -The pike, eels, and carp eat greedily always, as everybody knows--well, -they feast on the vulture. Well, suppose the next day, one of these -eels, or pike, or carp is served at your table, poisoned, as they are -to the third generation. Well, then, your guest will be poisoned in the -fifth generation, and die at the end of eight or ten days, of pains in -the intestines, sickness, or abscess of the pylorus. The doctors open -the body, and say, with an air of profound learning, 'The subject has -died of a tumour on the liver, or typhoid fever.'" - -After attempting to kill half the household with brucine, Madame -de Villefort changes her particular poison for a simple narcotic, -recognized by Monte Christo (who in this instance frustrates the -murderer) as being dissolved in alcohol. The name of the latter poison -is not told us by the novelist, but on the doctor's examination of -the suspected liquid we read, "He took from its silver case a small -bottle of nitric acid, dropped a little of it into the liquor, which -immediately changed to a blood-red colour." - -Perhaps the most curious method of poisoning ever used in fiction is -that introduced by the late Mr. James Payn in his novel, "Halves." -The poisoner uses finely chopped horse-hair as a medium for getting -rid of her niece. In this way she brings on a disease which puzzles -the doctor, until one day he comes across the would-be murderess -pulling the horse-hair out of the drawing-room sofa, which causes him -to suspect her at once. This ingenious lady introduced the chopped -horse-hair into the pepper-pot used by her victim. The inimitable Count -Fosco, whom Wilkie Collins introduces into "The Woman in White," was -supposed to possess a remarkable knowledge of chemistry, although he -says, "Only twice did I call science to my aid," in working out his -plot to abduct Lady Glyde. His media were simple: "A medicated glass -of water and a medicated bottle of smelling-salts relieved her of all -further embarrassment and alarm." This genial villain waxes eloquent on -the science of chemistry in his confession. "Chemistry!" he exclaims, -"has always had irresistible attractions for me from the enormous, -the illimitable power which the knowledge of it confers. Chemists--I -assert it emphatically--might sway, if they pleased, the destinies -of humanity. Mind, they say, rules the world. But what rules the -mind? The body (follow me closely here) lies at the mercy of the most -omnipotent of all potentates--the chemist. Give me--Fosco--chemistry; -and when Shakespeare has conceived Hamlet, and sits down to execute -the conception--with a few grains of powder dropped into his daily -food, I will reduce his mind, by the action of his body, till his pen -pours out the most abject drivel that has ever degraded paper. Under -similar circumstances revive me the illustrious Newton. I guarantee -that when he sees the apple fall he shall _eat it_, instead of -discovering the principle of gravitation. Nero's dinner shall transform -Nero into the mildest of men before he has done digesting it, and the -morning draught of Alexander the Great shall make Alexander run for -his life at the first sight of the enemy the same afternoon. On my -sacred word of honour it is lucky for Society that modern chemists -are, by incomprehensible good fortune, the most harmless of mankind. -The mass are worthy fathers of families, who keep shops. The few are -philosophers besotted with admiration for the sound of their own -lecturing voices, visionaries who waste their lives on fantastic -impossibilities, or quacks whose ambition soars no higher than our -corns." - -In "Armadale," the same novelist introduces us to a poisoner of the -deepest dye in the person of Miss Gwilt. This fair damsel, whose auburn -locks seemed to have possessed an irresistible attraction for the -opposite sex, was addicted to taking laudanum to soothe her troubled -nerves, and first tried to mix a dose with some lemonade she had -prepared for her husband's namesake and friend, whom she wished out of -the way. This attempt failing, and a second one, to scuttle a yacht -in which he was sailing, proving futile also, he was finally lured to -a sanatorium in London, where she had arranged for him to be placed -to sleep in a room into which a poisonous gas (presumably carbonic -acid) was to be passed. At the last moment she discovers her husband -has taken the place of her victim, and in a revulsion of feeling she -rescues him, and ends her own life instead in the poisoned chamber. -According to the story, the medical investigation which followed this -tragedy ended in discovering that she had died of apoplexy; a fact -which had it occurred in real life would not have redounded to the -credit of the medical men who conducted it. - -The heroine of Mr. Benson's novel, "The Rubicon," poisons herself with -prussic acid of unheard of strength, which she discovers _among some -photographic chemicals_. - -On the stage, "poisoning" has gone somewhat out of fashion with modern -dramatists, although it was a common thing in years gone by for the -villain of the play to swallow a cup of cold poison in the last act, -and after several dying speeches to fall suddenly flat on his back and -die to slow music. The death of Cleopatra, described by Shakespeare -as resulting from the bite of a venomous snake, is like no clinical -description of the final effects of death from the bite of any known -snake. Beverley, in "The Gamester," takes a dose of strong poison in -the fifth act, and afterwards makes several fairly long speeches before -he apparently feels the effects, and finally succumbs. The description -of the death of Juliet, which Shakespeare, in all probability, -conceived from reading the effects that followed the drinking of morion -or mandragora wine, is an accurate description of death from that -drug. The use of this anodyne preparation to deaden pain dates from -ancient times, and it is stated it was a common practice for women to -administer it to those about to suffer the penalty of the law by being -crucified. We have another instance of the fabulous effects ascribed -to poisons by the early playwrights, in Massinger's play, "The Duke of -Milan." Francisco dusts over a plant some poisonous powder and hands it -to Eugenia. Ludovico approaches, and kisses the lady's hand but twice, -and then dies from the effects of the poison. - -Miss Helen Mathers, in one of her recent works, viz., "The Sin of -Hagar," a story warranted to thrill the soul of "Sweet Seventeen," -makes some extraordinary discoveries which will be new to chemists. -For instance, she tells us of strychnine that actually _discolours_ a -glass of whisky and water. One of the characters, a frisky old dowager, -professes to be an _amateur_ chemist, and this lady, we are gravely -informed by the novelist, "detects the presence of the strychnine in -the glass of whisky and water _at a glance_." - -But Miss Mathers has still another poison, whose properties will -doubtless be a revelation to scientists, and it is with this -marvellous body the "double-dyed villainess" of the story puts an end -to her woes. For convenience she carries it about with her concealed in -a ring, and when at last she decides on committing suicide, we are told -"she simply placed the ring to her lips, a strange odour spread through -the room, and she instantly lay dead." - -Sufficient eccentricities of this kind in fiction might be enumerated -to fill a volume, but we must forbear. It is perhaps hardly necessary -to state that the lady novelist is the greatest sinner in this respect, -and stranger poisons are evolved from her fertile brain than were ever -known to man. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE LAMBETH POISON MYSTERIES - - -TOWARDS the close of the year 1891 and the early part of 1892, public -interest was excited by the mysterious deaths of several young women -of the "unfortunate" class residing in the neighbourhood of Lambeth. -The first case was that of a girl named Matilda Clover, who lived in -Lambeth Road. On the night of October 20, 1891, she spent the evening -at a music-hall in company with a man, who returned with her to her -lodgings about nine o'clock. Shortly afterwards she was seen to go out -alone, and she purchased some bottled beer, which she carried to her -rooms. After a little time the man left the house. - -At three o'clock in the morning the inmates of the house were aroused -by the screams of a woman, and on the landlady entering Matilda -Clover's room, she found the unfortunate girl lying across the bed in -the greatest agony. Medical aid was sent for, and the assistant of a -neighbouring doctor saw the girl, and judged she was suffering from the -effects of drink. He prescribed a sedative mixture, but the girl got -worse, and, after a further convulsion, died on the following morning. -The medical man whose assistant had seen her the previous night, gave -a certificate that death was due to delirium tremens and syncope, and -Matilda Clover was buried at Tooting. - -A few weeks afterwards a woman called Ellen Donworth, who resided in -Duke Street, Westminster Bridge Road, is stated to have received a -letter, in consequence of which she went out between six and seven in -the evening. About eight o'clock she was found in Waterloo Road in -great agony, and died while she was being conveyed to St. Thomas's -Hospital. Before her death she made a statement, that a man with a -dark beard and wearing a high hat had given her "two drops of white -stuff" to drink. In this case a post-mortem examination was made and -on analysis both strychnine and morphine were found in the stomach, -proving that the woman had been poisoned. - -These cases had almost been forgotten, when, some six months -afterwards, attention was again aroused by the mysterious deaths of -two girls named Alice Marsh and Emma Shrivell, who lodged in Stamford -Street. On the evening of April 11, 1892, a man, who one of the girls -in her dying testimony called "Fred," and who she described as a -doctor, called to see them, and together they partook of tea. The man -stayed till 2 a.m., and during the evening gave them both "three long -pills." - -Half an hour after the man left the house, both girls were found in -a dying condition. While they were being removed to the hospital -Alice Marsh died in the cab, and Emma Shrivell lived for only six -hours afterwards. The result of an analysis of the stomach and organs -revealed the fact that death in each case had been caused by strychnine. - -There was absolutely no evidence beyond the vague description of the -man for the police to work upon, and this case, like the others, -with which at first it was not connected, seemed likely to remain -among the unsolved mysteries; when by the following curious chain of -circumstances, the perpetrator of these cold-blooded crimes was at last -brought to justice. - -Some time after the deaths of the two girls Marsh and Shrivell, a Dr. -Harper, of Barnstaple, received a letter, in which the writer stated, -that he had indisputable evidence that the doctor's son, who had -recently qualified as a medical practitioner in London, had poisoned -two girls--Marsh and Shrivell--and that he, the writer, required -£1,500 to suppress it. Dr. Harper placed this letter in the hands -of the police, with the result, that on June 3, 1892, a man named -Thomas Neill, or Neill Cream, was arrested on the charge of sending -a threatening letter. He was brought up at Bow Street on this charge -for several days, when it transpired that in the preceding November -a well-known London physician had also received a letter, in which -the writer declared that he had evidence to show that the physician -had poisoned a Miss Clover with strychnine, which evidence he could -purchase for £2,500, and so save himself from ruin. - -Neill Cream was remanded, and in the meanwhile the body of Matilda -Clover was exhumed, and the contents of the stomach sent to Dr. -Stevenson, one of the Government analysts, for examination. He -discovered the presence of strychnine, and came to the conclusion that -some one had administered a fatal dose to her. - -An inquest was then held on the body of Matilda Clover, with the result -that James Neill, or Neill Cream, was committed on the charge of wilful -murder. - -This man's lodgings were searched after his arrest, and a curious -piece of paper was discovered, on which, written in pencil in his -handwriting, were the initials "M. C.," and opposite to them two dates, -and then a third date, viz. October 20, which was the date of Matilda -Clover's death. On the same paper, in connection with the initials "E. -S.," was also found two dates, one being April 11, which was the date -of Emma Shrivell's death. There was also found in his possession a -paper bearing the address of Marsh and Shrivell, and it was afterwards -proved that he had said on more than one occasion that he knew them -well. - -In his room a quantity of small pills were discovered, each containing -from one-sixteenth to one-twenty-second of a grain of strychnine, also -fifty-four other bottles of pills, seven of which contained strychnine, -and a bottle containing one hundred and sixty-eight pills, each -containing one-twenty-second of a grain of strychnine. These, it is -supposed, he obtained as an agent for the Harvey Drug Co. of America. -It was found he had purchased a quantity of empty gelatine capsules -from a chemist in Parliament Street, which there is little doubt he had -used to administer a number of the small pills in a poisonous dose. - -Thomas Neill, or Neill Cream, was tried for the wilful murder of -Matilda Clover at the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Justice -Hawkins, on October 18, 1892, the trial lasting five days. - -It transpired that Cream, who had received some medical education and -styled himself a "doctor," came to this country from America on October -1, 1891, and on arriving in London first stayed at Anderton's Hotel, -in Fleet Street. Shortly afterwards he took apartments in Lambeth, and -became engaged to a lady living at Berkhampstead. - -He was identified as having been seen in the company of Matilda Clover, -and also by a policeman, as the man who left the house in Stamford -Street on the night that Marsh and Shrivell were murdered. - -Dr. Stevenson, who made the analysis of the body of Matilda Clover -on May 6, 1892, stated in his evidence that he found strychnine in -the stomach, liver, and brain, and that quantitatively he obtained -one-sixteenth of a grain of strychnine from two pounds of animal -matter. He also examined the organs from the bodies of Alice Marsh and -Emma Shrivell. He found 6·39 grains of strychnine in the stomach and -its contents of Alice Marsh, and 1·6 grain of strychnine in the stomach -and its contents, also 1·46 grain in the vomit, and ·2 grain in a -small portion of the liver of Emma Shrivell. - -The jury, after deliberating for ten minutes, returned a verdict of -guilty, and Thomas Neill, or Neill Cream, as he was otherwise known, -was sentenced to death. He was executed on November 15, 1892. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE HORSFORD CASE - - -TOWARDS the close of the year 1897, a Mrs. Holmes, a widow, was living -with her three children at Stoneley, near Kimbolton. She had a cousin -named Walter Horsford, a well-to-do young farmer who occupied a farm at -Spaldwick about twelve miles away, and who frequently came to Stoneley -to visit her. - -A romantic attachment eventually sprang up between them, which resulted -in a too intimate acquaintance. - -After a while Horsford's affection began to wane, and in the end he -married another lady. - -Shortly afterwards Mrs. Holmes left Stoneley and took up her residence -at St. Neots. - -About December of the same year she wrote a letter to Horsford, -informing him of her condition, a piece of news which appears to have -greatly upset him, as he was in fear the information might reach his -wife. - -On December 28 he called at a chemist's shop in Thrapstone, a -neighbouring town, and asked for a shilling's worth of strychnine, some -prussic acid, arsenic, and carbolic acid, which he stated he required -for poisoning rats. The chemist, to whom he was a stranger, requested -him to bring a witness, which he did, and the chemist's poison register -was duly signed by Horsford and a man who introduced him. He took the -poisons, which consisted of ninety grains of strychnine, one pound of -arsenic, and some prussic acid and carbolic acid, away with him. - -About a week afterwards Mrs. Holmes received a letter from Horsford. It -was taken in by her daughter, who recognised his handwriting, and the -envelope is also supposed to have contained two packets of strychnine. - -On the evening of January 7, 1898, Mrs. Holmes retired to bed, -apparently in her usual health, about half-past nine. The only other -persons in the house were her daughter Annie, her son Percy, and her -infant. The daughter noticed that her mother took a glass of water -upstairs with her, which was an unusual circumstance. On going to her -mother's bedroom shortly afterwards, she found her suffering great -pain, and she saw the glass, now almost empty, standing on a chest of -drawers. - -Percy Holmes ran out and called in the assistance of some neighbours, -and then went for a doctor. When medical aid arrived, the unfortunate -woman was in convulsions and died shortly afterwards. - -The day after her death the police searched the house, but failed to -find any trace of poison, and an inquest was held on January 8, which -Horsford was summoned to attend. - -In his evidence before the coroner, he swore that he had neither -written to nor seen the deceased woman. The medical evidence proved -that death was caused by strychnine. - -The inquest was adjourned for a week, and in the meanwhile Mrs. -Holmes was buried. From information received by the police, a further -search was made in the house, with the result that two packets were -discovered under the feather bed in Mrs. Holmes' bedroom. One packet of -buff-coloured paper was found to contain about thirty-three grains of -strychnine in powder, on which was written the words, "One dose. Take -as told," in Horsford's handwriting. On the second packet, the contents -of which had been used, was written, "Take in a little water. It is -quite harmless." This was also in Horsford's handwriting. - -On January 10, Walter Horsford was arrested on the charge of perjury -committed at the inquest, and it was resolved to have another -examination made of the body of the deceased woman. On examination of -further documents and letters discovered by the police, the charge of -wilful murder was added to corrupt perjury against Horsford, and he was -committed for trial. - -The trial took place on June 2, 1898, at Huntingdon, before Mr. Justice -Hawkins. - -Dr. Stevenson stated in his evidence, he first made an analysis of a -portion of the body of Mrs. Holmes on January 19, and extracted 1·31 -grain of strychnine, but no other poison. Subsequently he examined -the two packets discovered under the bed, and found one contained 33¾ -grains of powdered strychnine, and the other, which presented the -appearance of having had the powder shaken out, a few minute crystals -of strychnine. In each case it was the pure alkaloid. The body was -exhumed nineteen days after death, and he then made an analysis of all -the chief organs, and obtained therefrom a total quantity of 3·69 -grains of strychnine. Death usually occurred about half an hour after -the commencement of the symptoms. He judged there could not have been -less than ten grains of strychnine in the body at the time of death. - -The jury found Walter Horsford guilty, and he was sentenced to death. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE GREAT AMERICAN POISON MYSTERY - - -ONE of the most carefully planned murders by means of poison in modern -times was investigated at the trial of Roland B. Molineux, who was -charged with causing the death of Mrs. Catherine J. Adams in New York -in 1899. - -On November 10, 1898, a Mr. Henry C. Barnett, a produce booker, who was -a member of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club, one of the most prominent -social organizations in New York, received by post at the club a sample -box of Kutnow's Powder. He was in the habit of taking this and similar -preparations for simple ailments, and soon after receiving the box he -took a dose of its contents. He became ill immediately afterwards, -and was thought to be suffering from diphtheria. That he had a slight -attack of this disease there is little doubt, as the fact was proved -from a bacteriological examination made by his medical attendant. He -left his bed earlier than the doctor advised, and died presumably of -heart failure. - -The contents of the box, however, were examined, which led to the -discovery that the powder had been tampered with and mixed with cyanide -of mercury; and although Mr. Barnett had died from natural causes, it -seemed clear an attempt had been made to poison him by some one who -knew he was in the habit of taking this powder. The investigation, -however, does not appear to have been carried farther. - -The next chapter in the story occurred in connection with a Mr. -Harry Cornish, who occupied the position of physical director to the -Knickerbocker Athletic Club. - -A day or two before Christmas in the same year, a packet directed to -him was delivered by post at his address. It contained a box, in which, -on opening, he found at one end a silver article for holding matches -or toothpicks; at the other end was a bottle labelled "Emerson's -Bromo-seltzer," and between the two was packed some soft tissue paper. - -Mr. Cornish was at first under the impression that some one had sent -him the packet as a present. After removing the articles from the box, -he threw it and the wrapper into his wastepaper basket, but on second -thoughts he cut the address from the wrapper and kept it. - -The bottle, labelled "Bromo-seltzer," which is a saline preparation -well known in America, was sealed over the top and bore the usual -revenue stamp. After tearing off the outside wrapper, Mr. Cornish -placed the bottle and the silver holder on his desk. - -On the following Sunday he remarked to his aunt, a Mrs. Catherine -Adams, that he had received a present. Mrs. Adams and her daughter Mrs. -Rogers joked him about it, saying he must have some admirer, and was -afraid to bring his present home, as the sender's name was probably -upon it. So on Tuesday night Mr. Cornish took the bottle and the silver -holder home with him, and presented them to Mrs. Rogers, saying they -were no use to him and she might have them. - -The next morning Mrs. Adams complained of a headache, and her daughter -suggested a dose of the Bromo-seltzer. Mr. Cornish was present, and -mixed a teaspoonful of the preparation from the bottle with a glass -of water, and gave it to his aunt. After drinking it she at once -exclaimed, "My, how bitter that is!" - -"Why, that's all right!" said Mr. Cornish, as he took a drink from the -glass. - -A few moments afterwards Mrs. Adams collapsed, and died within a short -time. Mr. Cornish was seized with violent vomiting, which doubtless -saved his life, and he recovered. - -A post-mortem examination revealed the fact that Mrs. Adams had died -from cyanide poisoning; and on the bottle of Bromo-seltzer being -analysed the contents were found to have been mixed with cyanide of -mercury. - -For a long time the affair seemed a complete mystery, and the police -investigations appeared likely to be fruitless. Then the particulars of -the death of Mr. Barnett, who was Chairman of the House Committee of -the Knickerbocker Club, were brought to light; and connecting them with -the fact that Mr. Cornish was also a prominent member of the club, and -had received the bottle of Bromo-seltzer by post in the same manner, it -seemed highly probable that both the poisoned packets which contained -cyanide of mercury, had been sent by the same hand. - -Further examination proved that the bottle used was not a genuine -Bromo-seltzer one, and that the label had been removed from a genuine -bottle and carefully pasted on that sent to Mr. Cornish. - -A firm of druggists in Cincinnati then came forward and stated, that -as far back as May 31, 1898, they had received a written application -signed "H. C. Barnett" for a sample box of pills, and another similar -application on December 21, 1898, which was signed "H. Cornish." - -Both these applications were found to be in the same handwriting, -which was also strikingly similar to the address on the packet sent -to Mr. Cornish, which he had fortunately kept. The address given -by the applicant who called himself "H. C. Barnett," was 257, West -Forty-second Street; New York, a place where private letter-boxes are -rented for callers. The address given by the applicant signing himself -"H. Cornish," was a similar place at 1,620, Broadway, in the same -city. From these facts it seemed evident that an attempt had been made -to poison both Barnett and Cornish by some one who knew them, and -the poisoner had concealed his identity by employing the names of his -intended victims. - -The nature of the poison used, cyanide of mercury, was also a slight -clue, as it is a substance which is not used in medicine and must in -all probability have been specially prepared for the purpose, by some -one with a good knowledge of chemistry. - -At the coroner's inquest, which began on February 9, 1899, certain -facts were elicited that tended to bring suspicion on Roland B. -Molineux, who was also a member of the Knickerbocker Club and well -acquainted with Barnett and Cornish. He was also known to have -quarrelled with the latter. At the close of the inquest Molineux was -arrested, and removed to the Tombs prison. - -Owing to legal technicalities in the original indictment, which charged -him with the murder of both Mr. Barnett and Mrs. Adams, he was twice -liberated, and then for the third time arrested. - -The trial of Molineux for the murder of Mrs. Adams was a memorable one, -and lasted nearly three months. It began on November 14, 1899, at the -Central Criminal Court, New York, and was not concluded till February -11, 1900. - -The evidence was entirely circumstantial. Most of the experts in -handwriting who were examined declared that the address on the packet -sent to Mr. Cornish was in Molineux's writing, and that he had also -written both applications to the druggists in Cincinnati. Further, -Molineux was engaged as a chemist to a colour factory in which cyanide -of mercury was used, which would enable him either to make or procure -that special poison, from which only three other fatal cases had been -recorded. - -No witnesses were called for the defence, and the jury found Roland B. -Molineux guilty of "murder in the first degree," which, according to -American law, is murder with premeditation. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -SOME CURIOUS METHODS EMPLOYED BY SECRET POISONERS - - -THE strange and curious methods employed by poisoners to accomplish -their deadly purpose, form an interesting study to students of human -nature. The poisoner generally sets to work on a preconceived and -carefully thought-out plan, which he proceeds to carry out with all the -cunning he possesses. The methods that can be employed to introduce a -poisonous substance into the human body are necessarily limited; and -although they are varied at times according to the ingenuity in which -the deed is planned, we find the poisoner with all his craft shows but -little originality, and the modes used in ancient times are repeated -down through the centuries to the present day. - -There seems little doubt that the earliest method employed by man was -the poisoned weapon. - -The use of the poisoned arrow-head by primitive man goes back to a -period of remote antiquity. Among the cave remains of the palæolithic -period, arrow-and spear-heads of bone have been found marked with -depressions for containing poison, and this method of introducing -poison seems to have been practised by most of the aboriginal races. - -Arrow poisons were well known to the Greeks and their word "toxicon" -signified a poisonous substance into which the arrow-"toxon" was -dipped. Homer alludes to the use of poisoned arrows in the "Odyssey," -and Ovid mentions the bile and blood of vipers as being employed to -poison weapons. The Scythians and the tribes of the Caucasus were -reputed to use Viper poison mixed with the serum of human blood that -had decomposed. The Celts and the Gauls, according to Pliny, dipped -their arrow-heads in hellebore juice; and down to the seventh century -we find poisoned weapons were commonly used in Europe. - -During the Middle Ages until the sixteenth century, the poisoned -dagger or sword formed the favourite weapon of the assassin, and the -preparation of the blade for this purpose was brought almost to a fine -art in Spain. It is recorded that Lorenzo de Medici was stabbed with a -poisoned dagger; and the Duke de Biscaglia, the second husband of the -famous Lucrezia Borgia, nearly fell a victim to the assassin's knife on -the steps of St. Peter's. - -Of all other methods employed by poisoners, the administration of -the lethal dose through the medium of food or drink seems ever to -have been the favourite. The poisoned wine or cake recurs with a -somewhat monotonous frequency in the history of the poisoner, from -the earliest times down to the present day. Women especially seem to -have been attracted by this mode of poisoning, a fact probably due -to their control and direction of domestic matters, which rendered -the introduction of a poisonous substance into food or drink an easy -matter. Occasionally they have fallen victims to their own evil -designs, as instanced in the case of Rosamond the wife of Helmichis, -King of Lombardy, in the year 575. Wishing to rid herself of her -husband, she gave him a cup of poisoned wine on coming from his bath. -The king drank part of it, and suspecting its nature from the strange -effect it produced, he insisted she should drink the remainder, with -the result that both died shortly afterwards. - -The Hindoos have an ingenious method of using powdered glass as a -lethal agent, either by mixing it with sherbet or some kind of food. In -such cases the substance acts by its irritant action on the stomach or -intestines, while at the same time, if successful, no trace of poison -can be discovered in the bodily organs. - -A celebrated case in which this agent was used occurred in India -in 1874, when the Gaekwar, or reigning prince of Baroda was tried -for attempting to kill his political resident, Colonel Phayre, by -administering powdered glass to him in sherbet. - -The Gaekwar was tried before a court consisting of three Indian princes -and three English judges, and was defended by the late Mr. Serjeant -Ballantine. The princes returned a verdict of "Not proven," while the -judges decided that he was guilty, with the result that the Gaekwar was -deposed. - -The sweetmeat was a favourite form employed to administer poison -during the Middle Ages. Such confections were usually handed round to -the guests after a meal in Italy. Princes and nobles frequently used -this method of ridding themselves of an enemy; and if the plot failed -in the first instance, they were always ready to try it again, for, -as Cæsar Borgia is stated to have once exclaimed, "what has failed -at dinner-time will succeed at supper-time." Catherine de Medici -introduced this method into France, and her Florentine perfumers were -said to be adepts in mixing arsenic with sweetmeats. - -The poisoned flowers of mediæval romance, and poisoned gloves and -boots, which figure so often in legend and story as lethal media, we -must dismiss as mere fables of an age when the historian drew largely -on his imagination. - -The "poison ring," with its carefully concealed tiny spike, which was -intended to penetrate the flesh of the victim, might perhaps have set -up blood-poisoning, as would a similar wound if inflicted by a rusty -nail. - -The use of rings with secret receptacles to contain poisons we have -already mentioned. Among the gems in the British Museum there is an -onyx which has been hollowed out to form a receptacle for poison. The -face of the stone is engraved with the head of a horned faun. To take -the poison, it was only necessary to bite through the thin shell of the -onyx and swallow the contents. - -When the gold deposited by Camillus in the Capitol was taken away, it -is recorded that the custodian responsible for it "broke the stone of -his ring in his mouth," and died shortly afterwards. - -The poisoners of the seventeenth century not content with introducing -poison into wine and other drinks, sought to improve on this method, by -preparing the goblet or cup in such a way, that it would impregnate any -liquid that was placed in it. - -There is record of one François Belot who made a speciality of this -art, and, it is said, received a comfortable income therefrom; but he -fitly ended his days by being broken on the wheel on June 10, 1679. - -According to a contemporary writer, his secret method consisted in -cramming a toad with arsenic, placing it in a silver goblet, and, after -pricking its head, crushing it in the vessel. While this operation was -being performed, certain charms were uttered. - -"I know a secret," stated Belot, "such, that in doctoring a cup with -a toad, and what I put into it, if fifty persons chanced to drink from -it afterwards, even if it were washed and rinsed, they would all be -done for, and the cup could only be purified by throwing it into a hot -fire. After having thus poisoned the cup, I should not try it upon a -human being, but upon a dog, and I should entrust the cup to nobody." -And yet Belot's powers were believed in, and he enjoyed a substantial -reputation in his day. - -His boasting is on a par with that of the magician Blessis, who -flourished about the same period. He declared to the world that he had -discovered a method of manipulating mirrors in such a way that any one -who looked in them received his death-blow! - -The stories of the "poisoned shirt," which was a favourite medium with -the poisoners of the seventeenth century, are not, however, without a -substratum of fact. - -The tail of the shirt was prepared by soaking it in a strong solution -of arsenic or corrosive sublimate. The object was to produce a violent -dermatitis, with ulceration about the perineum and neighbouring parts, -which should compel the victim to keep his bed. Medical men would then -be summoned in due course, and would probably judge the patient to be -suffering from syphilis, and administer mercury in large quantities. -The fatal dose could then be introduced at leisure. - -The notorious La Bosse left on record her method of preparing the -"poisoned shirt." The garment was first to be washed, and the tail -then soaked in a strong solution of arsenic, so that it only looked -"a little rusty," as if it had been ill-washed and was stiffer than -usual. "The effect," she concludes, "it should produce on the wearer -is a violent inflammation and intense pain, and that when one came to -examine him, one would not detect anything." - -The Duke of Savoy is said to have succumbed to the effects of a -poisoned shirt of this kind. - -Some time ago Dr. Nass, a French medical man, made some interesting -experiments, with a view to testing the truth of these stories. He -carefully shaved a portion of the left lumbar region of a guinea-pig, -and gently rubbed the skin with a paste containing arsenic, in the -proportion of one in ten. He repeated this operation several times -during the day. Shortly afterwards the animal became prostrate, the -eyes became dull, it assumed a cholera-like aspect, and in forty-eight -hours died. The skin on which the paste had been applied remained -unchanged and unbroken, and showed no sign of ulceration. On examining -the internal organs after death, fatty degeneration of the viscera was -found, as is usual after arsenical poisoning. - -This experiment does not, of course, actually prove the effect of a -shirt impregnated with arsenic being worn in direct contact with the -skin, but it shows that arsenic may be introduced into the body by -simple, gentle friction on an unbroken skin, and that the poisoned -shirt theory was possible. - -The administration of poison in the form of medicine is another method -which has often been criminally employed. In France, the enema was at -one time frequently made use of for introducing arsenic, corrosive -sublimate, and opium into the system. The poisoner's aim, in such -cases, was to attribute the fatal effects which followed to disease. -Within recent years a curious case was tried at the Paris Court of -Assizes, in which a lady was charged with attempting to poison her -husband. It was known that the couple had lived unhappily together, -and arrangements had been made for a divorce. One morning the husband -complained of a severe headache, and his wife suggested a dose of -antipyrine, which she gave him in some mineral water. He remarked to -her at the time that the draught had a peculiar taste. Later in the -day she administered sundry cups of coffee to him; but he grew rapidly -worse and at night a doctor was summoned. He failed to diagnose the -complaint, and called in other medical men, who were equally puzzled. -One thing which they all noticed, was a peculiar dilation of the pupils -of the patient's eyes. - -A consultation was held the next day, and shortly afterwards one of the -medical men received a note from the lady, in which she stated, that -her husband "was black. He was dead, more dead than any man I ever saw." - -The doctor at once went to see the patient, and found him in a state -of collapse. He bled him twice and injected caffeine, but he still -remained motionless. After a time it occurred to the doctor that -the patient's symptoms resembled those of atropine poisoning, and, -resorting to other measures, he eventually brought him round. Then he -remembered, that the lady had previously asked him for some morphine -for herself, and when he had refused it, she requested some atropine -for her dog's eyes. He wrote her a prescription for a solution of -atropine, containing ten per cent. of the drug, and took it to the -chemist himself. On further inquiries it was proved that the lady had -procured atropine upon various other occasions by copying the doctor's -prescription and forging his signature. - -At the trial, the medical evidence was very conflicting; but the -concensus of opinion was in favour of the theory that atropine had -been administered in small, repeated doses. The accused woman declared -in her defence, that atropine had been put into the medicine for her -husband in mistake by the chemist who had dispensed it. There was -no evidence to support this theory, and she was found guilty and -sentenced to five years' penal servitude. - -A strange method, which said to have been employed by the Borgias, and -was afterwards used in France, was a combination of arsenic with the -secretions or products of decomposition of an animal to which it had -been administered. The poison was prepared by cutting open a pig, and -well sprinkling the carcase with arsenic or other poison. Then it was -left to putrefy, after which the liquids that ran from the decaying -mass were collected, and these formed the finished poison. - - * * * * * - -As science advances, opening up fresh fields for research and poisons -of a still more deadly nature are revealed, so the chemist sets to work -to discover methods for their certain detection, and thus renders the -poisoners' fiendish work more difficult. - -It is well to remember that even the most deadly poisons have their -proper use, and in skilled hands prove valuable instruments in -combating many diseases that afflict suffering humanity. - - -THE END - - -Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. - - - - - ENGLAND'S BEST VALUE - - BONGOLA - - TEA - - HAS +NO+ EQUAL. - - * * * * * - - CONNOISSEURS OF +COFFEE+ - - DRINK THE - - RED - WHITE - & BLUE - - _Delicious for Breakfast & after Dinner._ - - In making, use +less quantity+, it being so much stronger than - +ordinary COFFEE.+ - - - - -Corrections. - -The first line indicates the original, the second the correction. - -p. 19: - - And incident which happened to the army led by Mark Antony - An incident which happened to the army led by Mark Antony - -p. 24: - - the view of destorying the effects - the view of destroying the effects - -p. 33: - - violent pain and vomitting, - violent pain and vomiting, - -p. 33: - - as the poision was called, at his bidding. - as the poison was called, at his bidding. - -p. 40: - - and was arrested at Liége - and was arrested at Liège - -p. 45: - - ARSENIC has, perhaps, been more frequently used than any other - poison for criminal puposes. - - ARSENIC has, perhaps, been more frequently used than any other - poison for criminal purposes. - -p. 60: - - supposed by the early Greeks to have orginated from the foam of the - dog Cerberus. - - supposed by the early Greeks to have originated from the foam of the - dog Cerberus. - -p. 65: - - to which in many ways it is closely alied, - to which in many ways it is closely allied, - -p. 82: - - In was then taken downstairs, - It was then taken downstairs, - -p. 84: - - The symptoms appeared at a time whch would - The symptoms appeared at a time which would - -p. 85: - - The narcotic properities of the poppy - The narcotic properties of the poppy - -p. 106: - - as a medium for getting rid of h r niece. - as a medium for getting rid of her niece. - -p. 108: - - poisons herself with prussic acid of unheard-of strength, - poisons herself with prussic acid of unheard of strength, - -p. 112: - - in connection with the initals "E. S.," - in connection with the initials "E. S.," - -p. 113: - - and 1·6 grain of strychinne - and 1·6 grain of strychnine - -p. 118: - - but on seccond thoughts he cut the address - but on second thoughts he cut the address - -p. 119: - - was also a slight clue, as it it a substance - was also a slight clue, as it is a substance - -p. 122: - - Th eHindoos have an ingenious - The Hindoos have an ingenious - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries, by -C. J. S. 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