662 
MAGNESIUM. 
Mr. J. N. Hearder, of Plymouth, in experimenting with the new metal magnesium, 
has discovered some explosive compounds of tremendous power and striking peculiarities. 
Pie ignited a small portion (about twenty grains) of one of these compounds during a 
lecture which he gave at the Plymouth Mechanics’ Institute on the 5th inst., the 
instantaneous and dazzling effect of which upon the audience was like that of a flash of 
lightning, causing the room to appear for some seconds afterwards to be enveloped in 
darkness, though it was at the time brilliantly lighted with gas. 
On causing two bars of magnesium to form the terminals of a powerful voltaic battery, 
which was prepared to exhibit the electric light, a most intense combustion ensued. 
One of the bars speedily became red-hot, entered into ebullition, and then burned 
spontaneously so furiously that it became necessary to plunge it into water to prevent 
its falling on the platform. 
In this process portions of the burning metal detached themselves, and^floated blazing 
on the surface of the water, decomposing it after the manner of potassium, and liberating 
hydrogen, which also burned. 
The experiment had never been tried before, and the result possesses much scientific 
interest. 
MYSTERIOUS CASE OF POISONING AT DAWLISH. 
A recent number of the ‘Western Times’ informs us that the Dawlish people have 
lately been much excited by a rather remarkable case of suicide committed at the York 
Hotel. The main features of it, so far as popular interest is concerned, are as follows :— 
Late in the evening a middle-aged female, well dressed and of lady-like appearance, 
alighted at the station from one of the down trains, and proceeded to the above-men¬ 
tioned hotel. Here she represented to the landlady that she had just arrived from 
America, and intended to stay at Hawlish a short time for the benefit of her health. 
She retired to rest, and on the following day was found dead in her bed, apparently 
having poisoned herself with “Battle’s Vermin-Killer,” packet labels of which were 
found by her bedside. It transpired, however, that the deceased was the wife of a 
stationer at Devonport; and on the inquest “several of the jury expressed surprise that 
the lady’s husband had evinced so little concern in the disappearance of his wife from 
home. It appeared probable that he would have been still in ignorance as to what had 
become of her, had he not seen the report of the suicide in the newspapers.” There 
was, for certain reasons, an adjournment of the inquest. It was finally agreed, however, 
that it was an instance of suicide from the effects of arsenic; that the deceased was 
subject to alternations of great excitement and depression of spirits; and that her 
husband had shown her great kindness and forbearance. We have been interested in 
this case, on account of certain physiological and forensic circumstances connected with 
it,— a trustworthy account of which we have received from a correspondent, and with the 
main points of which we shall now make our readers acquainted. The lady who com¬ 
mitted suicide had several parcels of “ rat poison ” in her reticule or about the room, 
some of which had been opened, others kept as in reserve. Two papers of “ Simpson’s 
Vermin-Killer ” had, it would seem, been disposed of, and one parcel of “ Battle’s ” had 
apparently been used. Some blue stains were found in the mouth and at the angles of 
the jaw, the pocket-handkerchief being also stained in like manner. The rigidity and 
contortions of the dead body led Dr. Baker, of Dawlish (who was called in to see the 
deceased when she had been dead two or three hours), to infer that strychnia had been 
the cause of death. He sent the viscera to Dr. Herapath, of Bristol, who, from analysis, 
proved that arsenic was present in abundance in the gastric mucus and in the coats of 
the stomach, but that strychnia was not in either of these materials. Dr. Herapath 
found, likewise, traces of arsenic in the liver. What is the explanation of this discre¬ 
pancy of analysis and condition of the body and mode of death ? As Dr. Herapath 
observes, if strychnia were taken, it never got into the stomach at all! It is probable, 
however, as this gentleman explains it, that the first two packets did not kill her as 
quickly as she intended, and she then took the third packet, but that the contents 
never went further than the mouth. Some portion was ejected in consequence of the 
