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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1984)
Page 4/The BattalionAA/ednesday,January 25, 1984 Jones trial continues; toxicologist testifies United Press International GEORGETOWN — The sci entists who performed tests on 15-month-old Chelsea McClel lan’s exhumed body capped an exhaustive day of technical medical testimony in nurse Genene Jones’ murder trial by telling jurors he found traces of a deadly muscle relaxant in the baby’s tissues. Dr. Fredric Rieders, a toxico logist who operates an indepen dent laboratory in Pennsylvania, said he helped exhume Chelsea’s body eight months af ter she died and then flew to Stockholm, Sweden to perform highly sensitive tests on the tis sue samples. Rieders said he detected the muscle relaxant succinylcholine in samples of Chelsea’s thigh muscles and organs. Jones, a 33- year-old mother of two, is ac cused of killing Chelsea with a drug injection at a Kerrville pediatric clinic in 1982. “Yes, in my opnion, I de tected, identified and measured succinylcholine present in a number of the specimens,” Rieders said. The jury was immediately dis missed for the day after Rieders’ testimony. ' the The bulk of the day’s testi mony consisted of detailed dis- criptions of how the test was de veloped and how it was per formed. In addition to Rieders’ testimony, the toxicologist who developed the test also discussed his procedures along with effects of succinylcholine. Dr. Bo Holmstedt described the “fearful, horrifying” effects of the muscle relaxant in earlier testimony. Holmstedt was not asked spe cifically about tests for the drug performed in his lab on the ex- umed body. He said the drug paralyzes muscles, causing small, painful twitchings under the skin, while slowing the heart rate and stop ping breathing. H e said the drug caused noticeable changes in the mus cles of the eyes, hands and feet. Chelsea’s mother, Petti McClel lan, 28, testified Monday the child showed those symptoms after receiving an injection from Jones. She said the child’s arms “be gan flopping around” and her eyes “got all strange looking” moments after Jones gave the child the first of two injections in a Kerrville pediatric clinic Sept 17, 1982, the day Chelsea died. In cross examination, Brook shire’s questions suggested suc cinylcholine could be formed naturally in human tissue. He also built on an standing conten tion that Holmstedt’s tests were not precise enough to detect the drug in minute amounts. McClellan said Chelsea had a cold the first time she went to Dr. Kathleen Holland’s pediatric cli nic, where Jones worked, on Aug. 24, 1982. She said minutes after Jones took the child into an examining room, the baby suf fered a seizure and was to an emergency room. Tests performed duriii subsequent hospital stay nothing wrong with theclii Chelsea accompanied mother to the clinic agait Sept. 17 and Dr. Holland tided Chelsea needed» routine immunizations.Mdi lan testified she heldherd^ ter in her arms asjonesgaitj I child the first of two inject DELTA UPSILON a non-secret, non-hazing Fraternity announces Spring Rush Thursday, January 26 - K-Mart Party (Wear your Blue Light Special) Southwest Village Apts., #101 S.W. Parkway 8 p.m. Friday, February 3 - Hawaiian Party White Rock Hall, across from main gate of TAMU, 8 p.m. -For more information call Migel 693-6515 or Chip 693-6365- Still train blocks rush-hour traffic MS T for i will In M Dan exp< Ben Immigration Law Firm Samuel PI. Tidwell & Associates, P.C. Complete Immigration Law Practice United Press International ann ord' the train pulled oil | fror Samuel M. Tidwell is Board Certified in Immigration Law. ALSO OPEN SATURDAYS Dallas (214) 699-9599 Austin (512) 476-1247 ADDISON —The conductor of a Cotton belt train that block ed rush-hour traffic nearly two hours was arrested on misde meanor charges Tuesday, and police chief Rick Sullivan said the railroad can expect more arrests if it does not get serious about keeping city streets clear. The train pulled across busy Midway Road, a major route into adjoining Dallas, at about 8 a.m. At 9:45 a.m., after increas ingly stern warnings from police, road. “The congestion washer dous,” said police diiefRid iivan. said pol "It’s bee probh - yeai s, and I’m not goingioj I up with it anymore. I'vef Sullivan said die crew train ignored or‘'didn'ttali | Sch La Juniors, Seniors Grad, Vet, Med students Get your picture taken on-campus at the Aggieland photo 8:30 a.m.-12 noon, 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information call 693-6756 or 845-2681 nously” warnings to dea road, and the train did not until officers had tlireatenrl arrest the entire crew. Cottonbelt spokesman I Johnson said the Addison was a switching yard builtbr awa Un: 1 inct 8. S mic His a construction boom crow I the suburb in around thei f Ml road. He said company poliol quired crews to inoveoffsiif f police ordered themtOM if poli Sullivan said he would again in a New York mot the problem is not cleared ace role Jan Glenn visit Fort Woitli hig ate hyc ma pla United Press Internalioui To off FORT WORTH — Preind^ tial hopeful John Glenn Ii® day blasted the Reaganadmi* n ation's defense and budfl proposals, and urged eB money for public education I “My program is far mo™ sponsible than the Reagan« program," Glenn said atanB conference, “Irecause wecauH go into the indefinite fiitB with a $200 billion deficit.’K Glenn said Vice PresidE George Bush was “either ii» ponsible or woefully formed” when he suggested* cently that Glenn would gin* defense department. “That was never in my wilB dreams,” he said, noth™ planned to pare back deft* spending by about $15 hi* not slash the entire progncB I le called the MX missile* wrong weapon at the wn* time at the wrong price.'' I He said the nation’s tax* tern needed to be made n* equitable and simple. “I’m willing to faceup* what’s happening,” hes* “He’s (Reagan) not.” He said he wants a $4.5bil* hike in public education spe* ing, but downplayed the$ll« lion plan of his Democraticii* Walter Mondale. “Restoring excellence to* education system will note* by throwing money at if* said. “That will not solve* problem.” Glenn stopped briefly ini* las on a whistle-stop tourof* state. Earlier this week hevis* AmaVillo, Lubbock, El Paso* Brownsville. Princess tours Heal Institute United Press Internationay HOUSTON — Prm Anne Tuesday toured theft Heart Institute with surgeon 1 ' Denton Gooley during her to the Houston area in su! of the British Olympic As lion. The hour-long tourof’ heart institute included alo“ | specialized laboratories ao* visit to the “dome,” ihe gan overlooking the heart sotf operating room with Cook 1 The princess came to H' 1 ton at the invitation of the'' profit organization whio working to raise funds wM meet the cost of accon# lions for the British Oh 1 ” competitors who will parW 1 ? in the Los Angeles Oly 11 ' Games this summer. Princess Anne is the p 11 dent of the British CM Associat ion and was a coflif tor at the Olympic Gank ! Montreal in 1976. On Wednesday, theroyalj I whirh i nr I a frienflol I ty, which includes a friend® princess Pat Biden and Bjj i Consul General Richard' boys, will head for Galvesl® observe the restoration done by the Galveston Hist® Foundation. She will als° New Orleans on ThursdSl speak in behalf of the Ol) 111 team. she