The New York herald., 1879-11-25
PIE POISON G.
Terrible Experience of Another Family
Brought to Light.
HOSTLER MULVAY'S SUfFERlNGS.
Mr. SchinkeI Describes His Method OF
Making Pies.

death of AR George Wheeler, OF No. 4l3 West Forty
third street. and the eating of lemon meringue
pie said to have been bought at Mr.. Schinkefs
bakery on Eighth avenue. seem likely to be dissi-
pated by the light of yesterdays developments
in the case. coroner's jury viewed the
remains in the morning, after which
quiet funeral was held and the body was
taken to Greenwood for interment. The absence OF
any legal proof that the pie the immediate
of the poisoning, and the doubt whether the
analysis of the stomach would show anything con-
clusively, account of the length Of time Mr..
Wheeler sick before he died, made it exceed
ingly doubtful whether the real cause of death
would ever be matter of record during the
day, however, q man who gave his name as Stephen
Mulvay appeared at the residence Of the Wheelers
and told remarkable story. He had seen in the
HERALD the account of the poisoning and called to
express his sympathy and to say that he too had
been poisoned by meringue pie. bought the same
night Mr. Wheeler's. at Schinkels bakery. He
and his wife and little child had all come DEATH
and they had doubt about the pies being the
of their Illness He referred to his physician, Dr.
OIseilly, of NO. 303 West Forty-sccond street, in
reference to his Illness and described it as being Of
exactly the same nature as that of the Wheelers.
MULvAY's STORY.
Mulvay is a hostler by occupation and is employed
in the Brunswick stables. He occupies, with his
family suit Of rooms in the of the TOP floor of
the tenement house No. 304 West Thirty-eighth
street His appearance is that of sober. indus
trious workingman, and in conversation he i'm
presses ravorably TO his trutnfulness.
When reporter called to see him yesterday
was lying lounge apparently prostrated
His wife was in bed evidently suffering, she
moaned piteousy. Once when she called her hus
band he went to her bedside staggering across the
floor from weakness like drunken man. At first
his physician did not object he conversed freely
about the
"a week ago last Saturday night about nine
O'clock" he said, ''my wife went to SchinkePs
bakery. in Eighth avenue near Forteth street, and
purchased lemon meringue pie. for which she
paid twenty cents. She brought it home and put it
side to have for our Sunday dinner.
to our usual custom we did not have
dinner until about six O'Clock in the evening All
was anything wrong about the taste of the pie. I
ate e-quarter of it, wife onequarter and little
Jimmy here only about mouthful; but even that
was sufficient to make him sick for three or four
when were you first taken ilI?"
IL went back TO my work at the stable after din
ner. but about eleven O'Clock at night was seized
with fearful cramps and vomiting and purgng. The
agony was simply terrible. and l would not go
through it again for worlds was that way all
night long and when went home in the morning
the neighbors all said was a dying man. I was in.
deed, all shaken to pieces and could not account
tor the sickness, as had not been drinking eat
ing anything that knew of to cause such thing"
when was Mrs. Midway attacked?"
''rhe poison did not seem to have any effect on
her until after got home that morning. but she has
been very. very SICK and is still. She tried to
hide it at first because had been taken bad but
she had to give in at last. and she is not able
get out OF bed. She is i'll very great pain yet but
think she is q trihe better to-day For four days
not able to keep the smallest particle of food
my stomach Inc medicine prescribed by Dr.
OReilly and little bits OF chopped ice are all could
keep down."
TERRIBLE suFFERINGs.
"Did not the thought occur to you that you had
been accidentally poisonedT'
Not until after read about the Wheeler case.
The substance which came off my stomach was of q
decidedly greenish color, but did not pay much
attention to that circumstance at the time was i'll
such terrible agony. l don't think DIR. O'Reilly in
the very beginning supposed poisoned.
cannot describe to you the pain suffered. 1t
seemed it there big ball of fire in the pit of
my stomach. My lips mouth. throat, and indeed all
inside of me- felt as though had been burned
by nre. while from lips thick pieces of skin.
thick us half dollar silver piece. peeled off, There
is not a shadow OF doubt in my mind that were
poisoned by something in that pie"
While this conversation going '1ittle
Jimmy" who has entirely recovered was playing
about the floor. and the door OF the bedroom in
bear all that said Her husband frequently re-
terred to her to corroborate his statements and she
herself said that she purchased the pie at Schinkels
"Do you know OF any one else in the neighbor-
hood being sick from the same cause?"
well, dc know of one. but it wouldn't do to
give the information"
subsequently it transpred that the person he sup
posed to be sick was Mr.. McGunness. to whom his
wife had gwen the balance of the pie.
DR. oREILLys STATEMENT.
DR.. y Reilly told the story of the illness of the
Mulvay family readily. and corroborated their
statements in every particular. He said that at
about lafpast eight O'Clock on Monday morn
ing. November II, he was summoned to
greatest agony. rolling over and his
floor and vomiting at frequent intervals. HE was
III such great pain said the Doctor. "that he would
hardly allow me TO feel his pulse or take his tenn
perature OF course l recognized that the first
thing to do was to give something TO relieve his pan
50 administered mustard poultice to the bowels
and stomach aud gave MIN Squibb's compound
tncture OF opium. which contains opium ana
What effect did it have?"
"It relieved him. But was called again at little
after noon of the same day and found that he was
taken again with the terrible pains, and that Mrs
Aluivay was suffering with exactly the same symp
toms. Then was certain that something they had
eaten contained violent irritant poison and
treated them for it. giving the usual allevia-
tions The little child was taken sick in the same
learned that they had had lemon m6ringue pie
for the sunday dinner. and that the child had only
eaten very small piece, while the father and mother
had eaten more, had no doubt the pie contained
the poison. had thought at first that it might be
IN some cranberry sauce which they had eaten ut the
same meal but Mrs. Mulvay was positive that
~ was tue pie. and when learned that
the child had eaten only mouthful or so
agreed with her. 1 supposed from the
symptoms that the poison was very prob bly, sub
acetate OF copper, or vordigris which had been de-
rived from some dish in which their food had been
cooked, aud at once shaped the treatment accord
ingy. l gave them milk and the white OF
it the third day before they could retain
anything on their stomachs-I mean, of course. the
parents. The child's illness only trifing They
are all out of danger now. think, though, the
parents are both IN very bad condition"
How DO you account for the TACT that Mrs. Null
way was not taken sick until four hours after her
husbandY'
at entirely matter OF constitution. You
might give person two ounces of brandy and he
would be overcome by 1t whle another would take
half pint and perhaps not feel IL at all.
TRYING TO THE PIE.
did YOU find out ythiug aDOu< the pie?"
"les. asked Mrs. Mulvay hrst IL she made the
Pic herself and she said she had not; she hal bought
II at SchnkeIs bakery, in Eighth avenue, ON Satur-
day evening. then asked her II 1t had all been
eaten, and she said no, but n. first was OK
ceedingly reluctant TO tell what had become
or what was left. pressed the question, how
ever, ana hnaly she told that she mad given IL TO
Mr. McGuinnoss, "A friend of theirs. who had called
70 see thcn after dinner Mr. McCuinness, she said,
kept small grocery store at No. 32l West Forty
second street, ana was very poor man. who had
LLnt LII.