MRS. LELAND STAFFORD'S DEATH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12834, 6 April 1905, Page 6

MRS. LELAND STAFFORD'S DEATH.

A MYSTERIOUS POISON Sax Francisco, March 17. The announcement from Honolulu of the death of Mrs. Leland Stanford was received in San Francisco with sorrow. Mrs. Stanford's death under any circumstances would have occasioned wide regret, but indications of murder added horror to the general grief. Shortly after Mrs. Stanford left San Francisco for Honolulu the local papers published tho fact, that, an attempt had been made *<» poison the aged philanthropist in her San Francisco mansion, on Jauary 14. She had, according to her custom, taken a glass of Poland water at bedtime, and had found it. bitter. She suspected poison, and immediately drank quantities of hot water, which acted as an emetic, and prevented any serious trouble from the poison. Mrs. Stanford sent her maid, Elizabeth Richmond, an English woman, to a drug store with the bottle of Roland water, which bad a peculiar appearance. Analysis proved that it contained a deadly dose of strychnine. When Mrs, Stanford learned of the attempt upon her lite she promptly decided to go to Honolulu, perhaps later to Japan. She was determined, in arty event, not to return to tho Cali-fornia-street mansion until the police bad discovered who was guilty of the attempt to poison her. This story was kept secret for some days —a policy which was later proven extremely unwise. The cablegram from Honolulu announcing her death followed quickly upon the publication of it, and it now appears that the poisoner succeeded in his work in spite of all precautions. On the evening of February 28 Mrs. Stanford drank some bicarbonate of soda in her room at the Moana Hotel in Honolulu, and was almost immediately overcome by dreadful convulsions, which soon caused her death. She cried out at once, "I am poisoned!" and her last words were, "This is a dreadful death to die." Unfortunately investigations set on foot both in Honolulu and in Nan Francisco have not cleared up the tragedy. Although the coroner's jury in Honolulu declared that death was caused by strychnine, administered by some person or persons tin - known, if. can hardly bo said any person is definitely suspected of the crime. Mrs. Stanford was accompanied by her secretary, Miss Bertha Pernor, but Miss Berner, who bus been with Mrs. Stanford 20 years, was not at any time suspected. Mrs. Stanford appeared to feel less confidencec in Elisabeth Richmond, but there is no evidence against this woman, nor, at. the present time, has anything definite been discovered as to the crime. Mrs. Stanford bad a number of servants in her house, and several of these might have had access to the bottle of Poland water, or to the bottle of soda, which, it is claimed, was taken from the California-si house, and not opened until Mrs. Stanford took the fatal dose in Honolulu. The police have been active, but. the hope of solving the mystery is now almost abandoned.