The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-09-04

large crowd in attendance to witness
to-morrow's game.
| PECULIAR DEATH OF Four Chill
DREN.-From Mr.. Felix Reynaud Of
New River we have learned the par
ticulars of a remarkable case of fatal
poisoning that occurred in the family
of Mr.. Douradou Mire, residing at
Conway Settlement, 9TH ward Of this
parish. Wednesday evening of last
week, August 25th, four Of Mr.. Mire's
children, two boys aged l23 and 8
years respectively, and two girls of 10
and 6 years, came home from q ram
bic in the woods, where they had
been gathering muscadines, and COM
planned of pain in the stomach. At
6 o'clock next morning Mrs. Mire ad-
ministered to each of the children o
dose Of samtonine dragces, commonly
known as "vermifuge candy" About
four hours afterward all the children
were taken sick, vomiting or retching
continually, and refusing to take any
remedies. They craved water, but as
soon as drinking it would be seized
with fits of vomiting of renewed vio-
lence, emitting only blood and water.
No medical attendance could be pro-
cured, one of the resident physicians
being absent from home and the other
confined to his bed with an attack of
rheumatism. At 2 o'clock on tie fol-
lowing morning, Friday, the older
girl died; at 10 o'clock the older boy
expired j; and half-hour after noon
the younger girl also breathed her
last. The younger boy fingered until
l P. NJ. on Saturday, the 28th,, when
he, too, found relief from his suffer-
irgs in death. The symptoms pre-
ceding death were the same in each
case. Commissions would set in, last
ing about two hours; then for an
hour the patient would be quiet and
easy, passing peacefully away from
life, apparently free from pain.
Did these children die from the eff
fects of the medicine given them, or
was death caused by some poisonous
berry or other substance they had
eaten when hunting muscadines in
the woods7 Mr.. Reynaud will en-
deavor to have this. question solved,
and to that end has obtained posses
sion Of the two Walls Of dragees from
which those given to the children
were taken. He has placed couple
of these dragees in the hands Of DR.. j.
E. Duffel, who in turn has sent them
to New Orleans for analyzation. One
of the walls is from the mandatory
Of Grimault & Co. Of Paris, the other
from Pelletier Of Lyons. Mrs. Mire
states that she took only one dragee
from the Grimault vial. Those that
remained had adhered to the glass,
so she opened the Pelletier vial and
obtained seven others, giving two to
each child. She is unable to recall to
which she administered the Grimault
dragee and one of Pelletier's; Mr..
Reynaud thinks it notin,probable that
it was to the younger boy, who, it will
be observed, lived twenty-four hours
longer than any of the rest. If this
surmise is correct, and the medicine
really caused the deaths, it indicates
that the Pelletier dragees contained
the poison. y
Since learning of this sad occur
renee, we have been informed Of sew
eral instances in which nearly fatal
results have been produced from ad-
ministering vermifuge candy" to
children. We do not know how this
remedy is regarded by the medical
profession generally, but believe that
many physicians advise against its
use.
LARGEST STOCK YET j!
AND FINEST GOODS, ALSO!