The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 7, 1905, Page 1

5. McADIE, strict Forecaster. | Di PRICE FIVE CENTS. STANFORD BY MISS BERNER Dr. C. B. Wood, who performed the autopsy on the body of Mrs. Stanford, testified at the inquest in Honolulu yesterday that he found the usual pest- mortem appearances indicating strychnine poisoning. All the organs had been in a very healthful condition. A startling development of the day was the announcement of the chemists that they had discovered strychnine in’ the cascarets, one of which was given Mrs. Stanford by Miss Bertha Berner at the same time she gave her the bicarbonate of soda. POISON IN THE CAPSULES GIVEN MRS. STANFORD, farthing Discovery ls Made bu Chemists Analysis Shows Existence of Nux -Vomica in Medicine Taken by Victim. BY SPECIAL CABLE TO THE CALL. HONOLULU. March 6.---The reason for the failure of the chemists to make their report last night of the analysis of Mrs. Stanford’s stomach was the startling discovery that the cas- caret capsules, one of which Mrs. Stanford took at the same time she took the bicarbonate of soda before retiring the night of her death, also contained strychnine. . The chemists had finished the analysis of all organs of the hody, when they were unex- pectedly called on to test the cascaret capsules. “These-were kept by Miss, Bel'ne'l'. She gave one to Mrs. Stanford at the sanie timé the dose of bicarbonate of soda was prepared. On being analyzed the cascarets were found to contain nux vomica or stryehnine. The chemists were then confronted with the complication of the presence of the same poison in both medicines administered to Mrs. Stanford. The apparent difficulty of determining which micht have caused death placed them in a peculiar predicament. They could not determine whether there was enongh poison in the nux vomica alone or n the hicarbonate alone or whether the quantity in both medicines was necessary to produce leath. This question will not be determined for a day or two. Miss Berner was immediately questioned about the capsules, and brought forth a pre- seription given her many years ago by a San Franeisco physician. This gave poison as one of the component parts of the eapsule, the preseription ealling for twenty-four capsules every time it was filled. Miss Berner had the preseription made up over and over again during the many years, she explained, frequently using them herself and administering them to others, never with evil effeets. Chemist Dunean reportedhis new discovery Sunday night to the police authorities, and was present when Miss Berner was questioned and produced the preseription. \lthough stryehnine was found mixed in the bicarbonate, the added portion in the cas- caret may have been the extra quantity required to bring on death. The latest discovery was a sensational surprise to the chemists, the police and High Sheriff Henry, and because of it the announcement of the result of the analysis of the stomach was withheld. 5 The anthorities held a consultation on the matter this morning with Judge Stanley, represents the Stanford estate, and it was decided that the inquest should go forward to- who day ———% DOCTORS FIND ADVANGE | DEATH CAUSED BY STRYCHNINE OF JAPAN Brown Men Re-\M iss Berner Star Witness pulsed at Tn. | TOKIO, March 7, moon.—It fs =-- | RTETL ported that the Russians are preparing | 2Ch Of the late Mrs. Stanford for to abandon Mulkden and Fushun and | four or five days, an inquest upon BY SPECTAL CABLE TO THE OALL. HONOLULU, March 6.—De- spite the declaration of Sheriff { Henry yesterday that the chemists would not be ready with their re- i port on the analysis of the stom- In the wide doorway between the two a long table was set, fill- ing the’ space for the accommo- dation of reporters. Deputy High Sheriff Rawlins, who acts as Cor- oner under Hawaiian law, sat at a small table in the inner room. S0 ERERS S0 N | the body was begun to-day within | it 4 stenographer on each GENERAL RENNENKAMPFF'S | sight almost of the windows | g 5 £ i 1EADQUARTERS, OUBENEPUSA, fgfl 1 I Y side of him, Attorney General March 6, morning.—The Japanese | O ¥ TODM: - WHETE: ihC, S5 Lorrin Andrews faced the Cor- oner, but apparently took no part in the proceedings. Judge Stan- ley, local attorney for the Stan- ford estate, sat close to the Cor- oner and whispered questions to ayain attacked Tupintai and other| . H : i S ition o e shtact YN e Srepy WOmAn died in awful agony and oclock Sunday evening, but were re- | within hearing of the waves that D O e e ahe Are s ae | beat upon the beach at Waikiki. fhols s ST W Wein. | The inquest was held in the pri- MUKDEN. March 6, evening—To- | Yat¢ dining-room of 'the Moano day’s artillery duel lasted until sunset, | Hotel. It is a small apartment, " Continued on Paze 4, Column 1. | OPeNing into another adjoining it. Continued on Page 3, Column 1. e [ Vi Bome feeling of dissatisfaction and resentment is shown by Jerome Stan- ford, a nephew of ‘the late Senator Stanford, over the provisions of Mrs. Stanford’s will. He aptly ex- presses it in the remark, “She left money to Chinese, bootblacks and all, but remembered not one of the Stan- fords.” Regarding the probability of con- testing the will, Mr. Stanford was par- ticularly reticent and declined to af- firm or deny. He stoutly maintained that he had arrived at no conclusion. The future, he added, must be governed by conditions. Senator Stanford left this nephew, as he did to others, the sum of $100,000. But it seems that before paying Jer- ome Stanford his legacy, Mrs. Stan- ford settled his outstgnding obligations and after these were pald only $30,000 remained for him. It is said that there was an under- standing between Senator Stanford and his wife. that the one who survived should make provision in his or_her | will for the blood relations of the er, If this fact could be established—a thing that would be difficult to do—Jerome Stanford might possibly gain some- thing from a contest. Otherwise he would not, for if the will should be made inoperative, the law_of succession { would give him no share in the estate, he being no kin of the testatrix, “The late Senator Stanford,” said Jerome Stanford yesterday, “in his will remembered all. his nephews nieces, “and, in fact, all of his rela- tives. The Lathrop relations were generously treated, and each nephew and niece received $100,000.. Now, al- though I have always had pleasant and friendly relations with Mrs, Stan- ford, I think she showed great discour- tesy in refusing to equal the Senator’s generosity and similarly remember the Stanford branch in her will. LEFT OUT JOSIAH STANFORD. stance, who is a nephew of Mrs. Stan- l!ord and son of Senator Stanford's “There is Josiah Stanford Jr., for in- [ BNED —_——— | CAPTAIN OF DETECTIVES JOSEPH J. BURNETT QUESTIONING MISS ELIZABETH RICHMOND YESTERDAY IN HIS OFFICE | WILL IGNORES SENATOR’S KIN Jerome Stanford Dissatisfied, but No Contest Likely. brother. During the lifetime of Yosiah Stanford Sr. Mrs. Stanford was a con-- stant visitor at his home and often met her nephew. ' She appeared at all times to be friendly to Josiah Stanford Jr.. and it was a great surprise to me that he was not remembered. “It is true Josiah received $100,000 at his uncle’s death, but for that matter so did the Lathrop branch, and al- though I will not speak for my brother, 1 must say that I do not think the treatment accorded to the Stanford side of the family in the will was at all ‘right., Josiah Stanford is now liv- ing at Warm Springs, Alameda Coun- ty.” . Again Mr. Stanford was asked if he ‘would contest. the will and again evaded direct answer. Despite many questions he refused to say more than that the idea had not entered his head before. On being pressed further on the question he reiterated his former statement regarding the treatment of | . the Stanford branch. 1 ‘‘The Senator left his relatives $100,- 000 each and I think that as a return compliment Mrs. Stanford should have left something to the Stanfords. I think so; everybody thinks so. And if she was all that Dr. Jordan paints her, that is all the more reason why she should have remembered the members of the family into which she married. “I have always had reasonably close relations with Mrs. Stanford and at no time havye I ever had a quarrel with her or become estranged from her. I cannot tell you whether I expected a bequest or not. The fact remains that 1 didn’t get it. She left money sto Chinese, bootblacks and all, but re- membered not one of the Stanfords. “I' wish you would deny interviews that have been printed abhout myself or my ‘wife, particularly with refer- ence to any statement concerning Le- land Lathrop. Whether je intends to make a contest or not is his own af- fair and we have at no time questioned ;hi\'zeupon the subject nor shall we, He is Senator Stanford’ s nenhow and the £ Wzn_hm!. Column 5, { HER STATEMENTS CONFLICTING. P S S POLICE ARE VERY BUSY Miss Richmond Re-examined o “I do not know who opened the Poland water that Mrs. Stanford drank on January 14.”—Former statement made by Elizabeth Richmond. “I had the butler open the Poland water that Mrs. Stanford drank on January 14. It was my custom to carry mineral water to her room every night.”—Statement made by Miss Richmond yesterday in the pres- ence of Captain Burnett, Detective Wren, Detective Cleary, District Attor- ney Byington and Attorney Mountford Wilson. Several stories told by Miss Richmond in regard to the polsoning on January 14 differ in many essential particulars. Captain Burnets has or- dered her to report to him again at 4 o’clock to-day, when she will be questioned further. At one time the former maid of Mrs. Stanford sald that she had brought an emetic to her mistress on the evening of January 14. Yester- day she maintained that Mrs. Stanford vomited the poison before she (the maid) entered the room. One thing fixed to a certainty by Miss Richmond's testimony of yes terday is that the first attempt at poisoning was made by some ome very close to Mrs. Stanford. . For eight and a half hours the bottle been In Mrs. Stanford’s room. Something had been piaced in it be- tween the hours of 10 a. m. and 6:3¢ p. m. Mrs. Stanford, according to Miss Richmond, was not'in the room be- The poisoned Poland water that nearly ended the life of Mrs. Stanford ; on January 14 was prepared some time between 6:30 p. m. of the 13th and 6:30 p. m. of the l4th. This fact is fixed by the testimony given in Cap- tain Burnett’s office yesterday by Eliz- abeth Richmond, the former maid of | the dead philanthropist. | The water was poisoned by some member of the household—that point ! is implied from her statement. At| 10 a. m. of January 14 Miss Rich- | mond saw on Mrs. Stanford’s wash- stand a bottle of Poland water from which a large quantity had been drunk. At 6:30 p. m. Miss Richmond carried up another bottle of Poland water. Then she noticed that the bottle which had been nearly empty in the morning was almost full. It was from this bottle—the one that | had stood in the room from 6:30 p. m of the 13th to 6:30 p. m. of the 14th—that Mrs. Stanford drank. 1t was a draught from this bottle that whwafl her, as an analysis from ‘akelee’s drug store afterward proved. tween those hours. Suspicion rests on some member of the household. Miss Richmond’s statement dispels the theory that Mrs. Stanford ecould have poisoned herself on January M. She fixes the hours during which strychnine could have been placed in the water and limits the number of p‘ersons who can be held under suspi- cion. : The pale little woman was in_ the “sweat box" for over two hours. She was questioned and cross-questioned by Captain Burnett, Detective Wren of the local Police Department, Detective Cleary of Morse’s agency and District Attorney Byington. Attorney Mount- ford Wilson, representing £he Stanford estate, was also present. After Miss Richmoud pad been ex- amined, Arthur Beverly, the former butler of Mrs. Stanford, was eon the Lot Bk St mbnes ) Continued on Page 2, Columa 8.