Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-07-31

TERRIBLE POISONING OF CHILDREN. -
The Cincinnati Commercial of the Odd
instant has the following particulars of
the poisoning of number of children
in that city:
Yesterday afternoon, between the
hours of two and four, couple of boys,
apparently from IA to 16 years of age,
were observed sauntering up Buckeye
street, densely populated German
neighborhood scattering small lozenges
upon the sidewalk about the size of pep
permint drops. In another part of the
street rather robust looking man, dress
ed in black coat, white pants and white
hat, with box under his arm, was also
observed occasionally distributing a SINH
lar description of lozenge, only in larger
quantities. As is usual in German To-
calities, quite number of children were
playing upon the street, and they greed
lily seized the tempting candies thus gra-
tutously thrown in their way. Occa-
sionally the man would give package to
persons he met, but in these instances
the parties declined tasting, suspeeting
something wrong. Not so, however,
with the unsuspecting children, who
greedily devoured the Ito them) dainty
waits, and in short time afterwards
they were taken with violent vomiting
The neighborhood became speedily alarm
ed, and Drs. Smith, Davis and Fries
were summoned, who speedily detected
the action of poison, and upon a chemist
in the neighborhood, Mr. Eckel, analyz-
ing lozenge, it was found to be COM
posed of equal parts of arsenic, sugar
and flour. In the track which the man,
or rather monster, had taken, as many
as 1900 of these death dealing drops
were found in one pile, and in another
spot one-fourth pound of arsenic was
found tied in couple of parcels.
The neighborhood became fearfully
excited, for at least twenty children had
more or less partaken of the insidious
poison. The first victim was a fine little
boy named John Shultz, aged 8 years.
He expired at about 6 o'clock in the
evening. We were present when the
coroner held his inquest, and more
melancholy sight it has hardly been our
lot to witness. The mother of the dead
child had a few days previous been con-
fined, and in the same room her eldest
born lay stiff and rigid corpse, while
the now-born infant sought in vain for
nourishment from the maternal breast,
the fount Of which sudden grief and ag-
ony had dried, Her two other children
had also partaken of the poisonous drops,
and lay sick in the same room, but they
were pronounced out of danger.
Immediately upon the other side of
the street, another promising child named
Henry Schwartz, about III o'clock last
night is said to have breathed his last !;
and at the time we visited the poisoned
district some four or five other children,
male and female, were in very critical
condition. We heard also that several
similar cases had occurred on Fifteenth,
between Race and Elm streets.
1T is with heartfelt pain that we are
compelled to record crime which makes
Us blush for our common nature. Such
6end as the perpetrator of the above
atrocities might well cause us to rather
claim kindred with the brute and for
swear our relationship with the human
species. 1t is to be hoped that no pains
will be spared in hunting the vampire TO
his lair.