The New York herald., 1879-11-24
THE POISONED PIE.
Disclosures at the Post-Mortem on
Mr.. Wheeler's Body.
TOXICAL EFFECTS ON THE STOMACH.
Exhaustion and Death Resulting from
Paralyzed Digestion.

Deputy Coroner David u. Miller yesterday made
an autopsy OF the remains of Mr. George Wheeler. of
NO. 4l3 West Fortythird street. whose death is sup
posed to have resulted from eating portion OF q
meringue pie purchased by his mother at an Eighth
avenue bakery, and result of the examination.
found that death was produc0a by irritation Of the
intestinal tract and exhaustion. presumably result
ing from it. Gastritis found to be we'll defined.
and the irritation was such to render il impossible
for him to have taken nutriment aud retained it upon
his stomach In sufficient quantities to sustain life
80 that in point of fact substituting ordinary Ian
guage for medical phraseology. Mr.. Wheeler starved
to death in the midst of plenty being unable to take
food account OF the terrible irritation ill., above
and below his stomach.
The story Of his sickness and death. and the sick
ness Of his mother. his sister and his cousin. was
told exclusively in the HERALD yesterday. and it is
fair to say that few have startled the
community to such extent. The terrible nature
OF the disease and the way in which 1t
tracted brought home to every reader the sense that
the accident might have happened in exactly the
same manner to himself. Besides this wide circle
of friends Of Mr.. Wheeler's family wore shocked
and panied to learn. many Of them did learn for
the first tilne OF the calamity that had befallen
family 80 well known and so highly esteemed. All
day long stream OF visitors came to the door to
express thoir coincidence and to inquire to tho
condition Of the survivors. Only very few of tho
most intimate friends admitted to the house
Of mourning. some one of the of the house
meeting the others ut the door, Over and over they
told the circumstances Of the case and reiterated
the fact that their mother and cousin were pro-
nounced out Of danger. but that their sisters
dition still critical.
THE AUTOPSY.
In the afternoon the black wagon of an undertaken
stood near the door. and Inside the house two men
were making ready for the autopsy. 1t was thought
by Mr.. B. G. Wheeler. Mr. George Wheeler's father.
that the Coronsrs inquest would be formally begun.
and he had secured the presence Of few whom he
desired to serve on the jury. and had sent to DR..
William White. OF No. 143 West Forty-ifth street.
asking him to be present Also DR.. White was there
when Deputy Coroner Miller arrived. little after
halfpast four o'clock. and remained an interested
witness of the autopsy.
The cosey little dining room in the basement Of the
house crowded to overfowing when the body
brought in and Dr. Miller began the examination.
He made no research beyond the intestinal tract.
being satisfied from DR.. Purdys statements that
disorder Of any kind existed elsewhere. This tract
however. he examined with great care. finding
traces OF very intense Inflammation throughout.
The organs besides those examined he declared
from observation to be IN good condition, and the
cause of death was plainly apparent from tho
obvious irritation. Certain portions Of the intes-
tines. including the stomach. he wrapped up for
moval. saying that he should tako the proper steps
to procure analysis. although he thought it very
doubtful II the frrtant substance, whstever 1t was,
could be detected because Of the lapse OF time be-
tween the swallowing or il and the death OF the
patient: my my impression rs he said to Herald
stomach and that there will be no proof to connect
the death with the eating Of the pie that has been
supposed to have caused the death. But of course,
we must do all that we can to establish the connec-
ton II there was one."
A FRAGMENT OF THE PIE PRESERVED.
After the autopsy however, he received from DIR.
White what may prove to be most important piece
of evidence II have here. said the latter "a piece
the pie, which have carefully preserved exactly Us
received it. If you desire it will hand it over to
you''
anything Of that kind"
The piece thereupon produced. 1t was dirty
aud broken. but was nearly complete segment Of
the pie. "It is not In good condition." said DIR.
White. 'but 1t is in Just the condition in which
received 1t from Mr., Wheeler. 1t had been thrown
Into the ash barrel. and he got it for mo at my
quest
as the one which he had given to DIR. White saying
that 1t had been smashed fiat by having plato set
When Dr. White asked him for it he had gone for it
at once aud recovered 1t from the ash barrel He
was positive that 1t was piece of the pie that had
been partly eaten by his family on Sunday. Novem-
ber l6. Dr. Miller thereupon took it for analysis.
He said very little In reply to questions to the
any) being verdgrs but after reiterang the state
ment that no connection was yet established between
the death and the eating of the pie. he said that It
had been prepared in copper vessel il would be
easy to how acetate OF copper might be formed,
which would IL swallowed, account tor the syinp-
toms accompanying Mr.. George Wheeler's sickness.
Copper. he said IL exposed to tho action OF any
acid-and he specified lemon juice-would, IL cx-
posed to the air. form acetate Of copper. He said
he had made effort to Schinkel. the baker ut
whose establishment the pie is said to have been
bought. as he saw no use in talking with him.
Snh In q M hA 10 mt fssits
presume. II we Want him we can hnd him." he
said.
PROFESSIONAL CAUTION.
DR.. Purdy was similarly guarded in speaking
about the pie. although he asserted Saturday
tanned the deadly poison. since the four persons
who ate OF 1t were all sick. while Mr.. b. q.
whceler and the servant who had not eaten of 1t.
the servant being out OF the hou use. not sick.
Yesterday, however, he said that he had no OF
determining what the irritant matter that had
produced the symptoms with which Mr. George
Wheeler died. lie had, he said. been entirely
ped with trying to pull his patients through their
sickness. and had paid attention to tho circum-
stances attendant upon their being taken sick.
DIR. White. when questioned. was equally cautious.
Ho said that he and his wife, who had treated the
family before Dr. Purdy called in, had been un-
able TO determine what tho irritant was since tho
frst effects had passed and the secondary stage
had already been reached when they
moned. They had therefore been unable to mako
any different diagnosis OF the than DIR. Purify
had made when he was called three days later The
illness had begun on Sunday night, and he and lis
wife had not been called upon until Monday even
ing. aud by that time the irrtant whatever IL was
had been Absorbed into the Tissues.
ORIGINAL TREAT EENT.
"What treatment did you adoptf" he was asked.
foctly harmless treatment. wo gave such aIlevia-
tons possible. principally milk and eggs and we
gave small doses OF morphine which We found gave
''Did you give the morphine in sub-cutanoous in.
jections2'
case IL was impossible to keep anything the sto-
mach even few minutes. but We persevered in tho