that he received the identical
parts, and that nothing of an extraneous nature, poisonous or
otherwise, had been mixed with them. It was evident that this careful
man made a deep impression upon the jury, and that his statements
would have weight with them, not alone as to his own evidence, but by
strengthening the chemical report, since he had made it apparently
assured that if poison had been found, it had not reached the body
after death. Finally, Mr. Munson brought his witness to the point of
special interest.

"From what you observed, Doctor," said he, "are you prepared to assign
a cause of death?"

"I should conclude that she died of coma!" was the reply.

"Can you state whether this coma had been produced by a poisonous dose
of morphine?"

"I should say that it was very probable that opium in some form had
been exhibited, in a poisonous dose."

"State specifically why you have adopted that opinion!"

"I found the brain wet, the convolutions flattened; the lungs, heart,
liver, and spleen, distended and engorged with dark fluid blood. The
vessels of the cerebro-spinal axis were also engorged with black
blood, and the capillaries of the brain, upon incision, vented the
same fluid."

"And these signs are indicative of opium poisoning?"

"They are the only evidences of opium poisoning that can be discovered
by an autopsy. Of course a chemical analysis, if it should show the
presence of the drug, would go very far to corroborate this
presumption."

"Then if the chemical analysis shows the actual presence of opium,
would you say that this patient died of opium poisoning?"

"I would!"

"Doctor, it has been suggested that she died of diphtheria. What is
your opinion of that?"

"I found evidences in the throat and adjacent parts, that the woman
had had diphtheria, but, from the total absence of false membrane, I
should say that she was well on the way to a recovery from that
disease, at the time of her death."

"Then from these facts do you think that she died of opium poisoning?"

"I think it most probable, judging by what I found after death."

"It has been testified by the physician in charge of the case, that
the symptoms of morphine poisoning were sufficiently marked for him to
deem antidotes necessary prior to death. Would not that corroborate
your own conclusions?"

"If correct, it would substantiate my opinion."

Considering the very positive and damaging nature of this evidence, it
was thou