National Republican (Washington City

SHE TOOK STRYCHNINE.

The Mystery of the Quadroon Girl's Death Partially Unraveled.

Special Dispatch.

BALTIMORE, May 27.—The coroner's jury in the case of the supposed poisoning of Margaret Nichols, a young mulatto girl, near Preston, in Caroline county, held an adjourned meeting yesterday to hear the report of Prof. Tonry, of this city, who made a chemical analysis of the stomach, under the directions of State's Attorney Bryant. A special dispatch from Preston states that the deepest interest was taken in the proceedings, and that a profound sensation was created when the result of the analysis was made public. The Nichols girl was a strikingly handsome quadroon, and a great favorite with the leading white families around Preston. She died about the middle of April under circumstances which suggested the theory of poisoning to Dr. H. F. Wells, who was called in after the girl's sudden death. She was pregnant, and just before she died her father noticed her take a white powder. She refused to tell him what it was, but, when pressed, said it was some medicine a white gentleman had given her, and told her to say nothing about it. Rumor at once connected the name of a middle-aged white man of wealth and high social standing with the girl's death. He had gone to see Dr. Andrew Stafford, and after telling him that he had gotten the girl in trouble, asked him to give him something which would "fix things all right." This Dr. Stafford indignantly refused to do, and he also refused similar requests made at other times by both the man and the girl herself. At the session of the coroner's jury yesterday Prof. Tonry's report was read and it states positively that death was caused by strychnine poisoning. His analysis shows the presence of strychnine in the stomach and also in a vial found in the girl's bureau, and in a bottle containing pepper tea from which she drank. The jury rendered a verdict that the girl came to her death from poisoning by strychnine, which was not intentionally taken, but given to her by some one unknown. Nobody has been arrested, and the state's attorney has not yet determined what steps he will take.