KILLED BY THE PERFUME OF ROSES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 198, 15 May 1908, Page 5

KILLED BY THE PERFUME OF ROSES.

' POISONOUS . EXHALATIONS OF- PL ANTS. • ■ Perhaps the most,extraordinary homicide ' case.\m: all the- world's: history 'is .'about to come- before- the Courts of/Italy (says the , • "Age I ,')i and the ..fate ofca t celebrated Marchioness hangs t > upon tho •- demonstration of whotherjit ls.-possibleafor.ia humam-being to _ . be-smothered'to ;death"by tho'poisonous ex-' halations of flowers. . . , . A,Wpll-knownlienor.:and tho Marchioness's young'stepdaughter! wore .found,; dead, locked in*'the conservatory of . the family villa, on . the'outskirts, of Rome.' There;.waß no sign of , . violence '.or ; ,;the. : bodies, were found l /'in' the morning, ,'but;the doors of - the • conservafory were locked-on the outside, and the authorities were struck by tho overpowerlirig Jreek''' of. the vegetation.!inthe crowded • conseiratory.: Especially,'noticeablo l'was tho heavy.; odour:;of ' various roses, ' with' which ■ .; the:, room;.was ;fiUed.l:?; ' It; 'speedily ...became/known;; that the step- • mother, of the dead-lady, who is one of-'the x knew: about tho. young.,, lovers,. ;arid;,'Jiated.the,'young -V singer 'because;.he,had -little more .than/his'; ■ splendid voice. arid -good-looks.' .. It seems- ' that tho ■tenor,: called, secretly that -evening ; and-was .met and ushered, into the.conserya-ry-'"^'^he/girl.Vv .Eitherheard them'.talking for ' savf - ; ,:t)e- ---■ cauge she -locked- the . : _conservatory.door oh the outside..:,.TJe;public' pr6secutor will: not ■ ritteinjjt'tb put hor on trial for murder, because; it is-not believed' that" she; had the; re-, mptest.. suspicion 'that vshe. was-sealing ""the death':.'warrani',';of';;'her: victims .'when'.- she• . turned, l '; the key, 'in' the.'.Uonservat6ry-''door.; i Hoi" purpose was t0.,, embarrass, scandalise , and .expose the .lovers 'by-putting them' in' a compromising position,' with tho full,expectation that they would--soon call- for. aid. ■ But. if it- can'be. proye'd' that 'the:'loyers f6.11, ': asleep/under the : insidious ; of .tlio .'heavy, fragrance_■ of.-•the. conservatory,- and,' finally, thbir lives: werequeiichedr by poisons of •■ ■ the . flowers, ; then v tne; •: Marchioness - becomes guilty under; the Italian .latt, not of murder,:but .of•-manslaughter.',,-., ; . Investigations ■ already, begun tby : tho Go- , Ternment.-^rosecutor.:' : show,-\.thatr.iiearly ; plants,': ajidflowers ' exhale ' day', and. ' night gases;'are;muc^> Hhe'-day,A -glass \ Bhqwca'se, Vhas; -' % appropriated- ,>by. thfei ;; prosecution, : ,who:" havo . made it - iirtight'. arid so^^.-constniqted;^-,-it \th'at^'.sit'.:: can, : be.'fiU6d„with as crowdeS 'thd on tho serted '.and v^^^^,;_and.;tlie'i^t ! 'iß'*.^sof.a'. .' bright/.sunlight; /a.V smallf-dog,' V,^cpinf6H! a ble,.|liyid iand^''remained coiiscious in>spite:of ; the exhalations .of'the; flowers; from noon till dusk; Thou aftcr- a few struggles he :bocaip'o-insensible, and ah hour later .was; removed nearly dead.. .Administration of , oxygon , saved' tho dog's" life. : Tho glass caso' ■was. then opened,,and thoroughly aired/, arid tho second 'oxperiment' niade 'in. darkness. -A second - dog was among - the - roses, and the-case made airtight'again.- An 'hoisr later the. experimenters-returned to see'how things w-pre, going. .;-To .their ;surpfiso "tho' dog 'was dead. ; . The ..explahatiori. seems 'to :bo; that plants,', especially-flowering ..-kinds related. to tho j.ose,'.breathe in oxygen and give off car-' bonic'acid' gas' ; :day.and night,' just as human' . being's -' arid. pother,,:-' animals;;. do. A room crowded; with plants;is' as'unhealthy. as;one : crowded;-':.with'- human ' •-beings,as far as .breathing is concerned. is' true,'in ; the' •' \ - daytime,- but. much- moro so:at ;night.' " ■TJnde'r the"influence of .-light' on. tho loaves of plants a peculiar reverse process goes on, . which'in .a : small way'.offsets the breathing ; process. , Whilo the light is bright a. considorable quantity j'of 'oxygen ,is given ofi. i With'the criming.of darkness this.reversing process stops, : but: the breathing keeps on. - The Italian medical ;authorities- investigating the ;case are--of.- opinion -that the corisorvatory was : not dangerous to human '-life during ''daylight,'' even if .tho , doois ,were closed, because the reverse process of; breathing gave off enough'' oxygen to maintain the body. sense'of oppression, 'followed by a hoadachej .would naturally 'drive anyone out befdre'any had bcen done. At night, . - with tho door; open, the placo was still presumably. safe. With • the door closed, ,as ■ it' was ,'on tho.-night: in 'question;; the . supply, vof oxygen; was-" steadily' reduced by . the. . breathing, of : . the young .lovers, - and of the •great- jiuniber .of. ' rose' plants; 'until:.languor] bdgaii'to creep over tho-tw'o prisoners. They: were'found.lying riear.the door, and':the:belief is;that-th'ey-had intended waiting.until the. family- .was' all asleep 'before -tryirig',.to force -tho door and e'scape/ As they- waited the,:.languor; seized- them-' and thoy dozed,' ' thinking;to wake up in a mom'Cnt. ; , Tho - heavy perfume of the roses disguised the 'close'' smell •by - wliich, the ; surplus of carbonic acid,,gas would' have, warned them] arid - they 'yawned wondefingly .and . died, though'.thVy vhad only to lift a hand and . bro»C a pane, of'glass to'save their'Uvea;-