POISON BY POST.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 709, 7 January 1910, Page 6

POISON BY POST.

;. v.;/;.;/>■,,.: :^"\,:'% VPEOTVAGAINST; : STAP&; Vienna •-correspondent ''of : ';. : th» . Standard,'-'.- writing on November 21, 'states: — .",-.'■,'.: >..-,;.••:;!>.-;.';-■.:.';;.,; ; .,;-,*-,. ,"/•: i The greatest: excitement has been. cattsad' here discovery of attempt, upon the-lives'.. of: the,- officers.'"of- the Hunganan staff. Poison was:the-mean* employed, -and one„dmcer,'„Captain Mader, has: fallen a victim to the designs: of tlw •perpetrator,., /who;.thus -i ar \is unknown. J-,no motiye. aiso rimains' ,'a ■ mystery,- al». Jnough. there are. .various surmises. ■;•;' lihe.method employed was 'simrJidtr pelf. -During the last-few' days -about forty junior captains of, the;:general staff received- : by l .post;letters containing car--' ■QUIaM'-.'describiijfii a', wonderful medicihe elteccing,.the instantaneous' cure of nervous .debiUty.': Two-, saihple;..pills' ,weTe enclosed, the instructions; that" 1 eachPV, 1 J™ 3 a, dose,, and. should ,be ' taken without delay, as it would not remain effective .long.; It was added that fur. ther supplies could be obtained from the ■ inventor, .Charles .Francis, the address .given; being; .Postbox .5, , Post' l Office, Vienna..;■., ,',.-;,- - ;-,,;:■,■:;,:/-.;. :., ~ *.;

Among, others .who receivedVthe letter' :■ was^Captain;:Mader,'a:promising^-officer, -" , .thirty "years,of : :age.:;Wheh. ; he.,receivel: 1 ::" the, circhlar.he showed' it" to'- his "brothel.: officers, M who; joked, him: abont' : it, though him. againstvtrying,unknown,. pis.> The captan.hbweyer,; took, the: bos - him, and the;same evening he. suddenly' fellX dead -: in;. hi s '-■ lodgings: At'- • : first it was thought that he- had died of syncope, but the'post-mortem : 'examina-- ' tion showed that his .stomach"contained " ■''■'■ a large dose ofoyanide of ;potash. : ' Suicide appeared,to be out of the question; ': and ■ his ;comrades.then recalled the ihci- , dent'of; the, pills.,; : :;,:; ;; . - ,>',- ; ;, ; ,;:'; A military chemist then made' an' an- ■ .alysis of some of'the pills,', and each'was';'", found to "contain, many times'a 1 fatal dose - of cyuiide.. The'police and military' authorities immediately, began a; search', for '' olues,.but thename 1 Charles Francis was; ' of:coarse, found: to be:an; assumed one, l '.■ the only person: in, Vienna; having this. v ' name'being the United'.! States iAmbassa- .'' ' ,dor. The style; of the circular, written i- 1 - with; a copying machine,•. indicates that the .writer.is'.accustomed to official: mili-,-; tary: correspondence,;,,and:the' handwrit-.'/ I. - ■ ing on the ,envelopes also suggests/: thai :■' i: the writer.might.be-an,officer, as'.a-simi-', -.: ,lar 'hand is taught in the military schools n" '"'• for writing the- names of places m -maps.'" .'-■" The .envelopes. and;.paper;are- - v . off i* fie . ordinary character, and sb;far give ho fur-■ - > ' ■%■'■ '■~-, ." : r.' ,: : 'V: -;-"::jV;

i Columns '/are • devoted 'to' the' • mystery"':• by:: the/ Vienna' newspapers,. which ; sug- • gest that the 'criminal is an'officer, who : jailed l , to pass .his examination.'for> ; the';.: general-staff.-.: It is curious that most of.': 4 the .officers receiving,' the ■■• poison; • passed ' ; out:, off the war school 'ini 1905, ■• so •'it .is ■'•'.' thought that he .may-be s a-jealous'conv temporary. ' Others - presume .';,• that:-. theI.'-';1.'-'; perpetrator may be", the-agent of a: foreign * Power like Sorvia.. -'A Wvell-known doctor ; giyes ; the:6pinion:':that,,the-.author ; iSv.a .-'> lunatic Meanwhile, most:'.elaborate .in-.-, quiries are.being made at chemists':and' stationers'- shops. -The. Emperor-is-tak-.. ing the greatest interest in the matter. ;