Telegram-herald., 1890-03-06
SOME UGLY RUMORS
Az 70 the Immediate Cause Of
Lawrence Curren's Death.
COULD IaERE HAVE BEESA sISIlKE 2
a Tslssrsm-a Herald Reporter Investigates
sat EtBds Oniy ",ymPtoUs Ihss
woaid fmPiy Deceased Had
Died fr0m strychaiss.

IN GJALcCt4On Win the Nt1EA "a
Lawrence Curren, who vas buried from
-. James Cathedral yesterday, there
seems - have been considerable gossip
and some grave and serious charges.
These charges, coming within the
notice of the TELGRAsf- HERALD, inves-
tgat.on was instituted, with the object
II either verifying the charges made or
indicating the people who might have
been wrongfully accused.
The rumOrs condensed were about as
follows. Lawrence Curren. 81 years of
age, nas been for the past eight years
sexton at Il. james Cathedral. tie was
a man OF superior attainments. and of
quiet, retiring disposition. some two
weeks ago he was taken IL with facial
erysipelas, and Was attended by DR..
John Brady AZ hrst, and later by DR.. l..
barth, who was the attending physician
a. the time OF death. DR.. Brady had,
according 10 all accounts, succeeded IN
getting n.s patient nicely along over
the crisis, when Mss Annie Cur
zen, sister OF the sick man,
and IN attendance on him, decided TO
call IN DR.. Barth. and did so. DR..
Brady then left che case. On Monday
last Curren died. Immediately stories
we're rife that there was mystery
about ms death, anu that not erysIp-
elias. but either druggists or doctors
mistake was responsible for ms death.
These rumOrs grew by what they fed
on, and startling detailed statements
soOn assumed gOOdly proportions.
H-aF ftts fan orfa or
Was Miss Annie Curren. Her story
runs about as follows: "My brother was
taken SICK with erysipelas two weeks
ago come Friday. was not at first
notified, but later was his constant at
tendant When | went there thought
ne was pretty bad and wanted nm
- have doctor. He refused,
saying there was nothing the mat
ter with him but a toothache
The next day he got some worse, and
insisted on his having n doctor. He
then told me might call in DR.. Brady.
did 90, and the doctor came and pre-
scribed for him. On Wednesday morn
'ng, February 26, he gave me prescrlp-
ton and | took il to Tibbs' drug store
and had IL made up. They gave me
three powders. When | got back with
them, said TO Lawrence they seemed
pretty big, and he agreed with me. The
dose ordered was one every five hours.
Instead of giving HIM whole powder,
they seemed so large, divided one into
two parts, one little larger than the
other, and gave him the largest. This
was about noon. About , O'Clock be
was taken with vomiting and later with
spasms, and continued IN them till his
death, on Monday. On Wednesday
morning | had called in DIR. Barth, and
shortly after he had left Dr. Brady
called. When showed him the powders
he re marked: There has been a mis-
take here. | ordered that medicine 10
be put up into twenty powders, not
three, and took the two and one-half
powders remaining and divided them
into fifteen parts. When / told him
about calling in Or. Barth, he was an
noyod. We had some words, and he
lett and did't come back. / was feeling
awfully bad and didn't care, as my
poor brother was suffering so terribly
with those awful spasms."
The young lady Is about IS years old,
and all through the story kept repeat
edly breaking into paroxysms of grief.
declaring that her brother had been
murdered. She further stated that she
had been TO the druggist and obtained
n copy OF the prescription.
Or. Barth said that his connection
with the case extended over a space of
about four days only. He found hls
patient IN spasms with all the symp-
toms OF strychnine poison, though con-
gcstiOn OF the brain from facial cry
spelas would produce the same result.
He had an idea that the three powders
must have arisen from a mistake and
30 been Intended, and that the cipher
had IN some way been overlooked. He
refused 20 sign the death certificate and
sent It to Or. Brady who returned II
again saying. rs was natural, that as
he was the physician IN charge
AZ the time of death, ne would certain
" 10 the one TO certify as ~ what tina {
death was. Or. Brady also sent him
assurances that the prescription in
question and about which there was so
much talS, was all right. Barth wanted
. see the preSCri JtiOn but was again as
sured 10 was all right and finally certi-
fed that Mr.. Currcu had died from ex-
haust'On consequent on spasms
without saving what the cause OF the
spasnls was. Poor Curren. for twelve
hours before he died. was constantly
picking az bis face and hands
Mrs. Margaret Lunn with whom Annie
Curren : now stopping. helped attend
the patient. and saws that II took two
strong women 20 hold him IN bed when
the spasms were ON him.
J. II. T0wle. the gentleman who re-
Gently bought ont ". n. Tlbbs, fur
nlshed n copyo Of the prescription. ItCOn-
tanned three ingredients. VIZ. Qunne.
p0vsrs powder and llCorice. Mr..
Towle states that If the patient
had taken the whole three powders e
would have done him no harm psrtlCu-
larry. Mr. Dmond. the prescription
clerk who put up the medicine, de-
c'sred it vas utterly impossible that
be could have substituted strychuIne
for qunne, as the former Is kept in a
very smsl bottle. while the latter Is
iH a bottle Of considerable size. He
savs Dr. Brady bad eglacted On state
on tno prescriptiou the number of
powders be wished the medicine divid-
cd INTO, aud he had taken three per-
pend'cular lines on the prescription -
mean . vas 20 be u9t into three pow
drrs.
Undertake. o'B-er knew nothing
further about the matter. than that he
had sent the cert 6cste n death 20 nr.
Farfh 20 srn. in order that he should
geta burial permit. and rhat DR. Bsrth
lad az first refused - sicn it bus SUB
seguently dd So.
Or Brady. when seen. az first sad hs
had no statement to MAKE. tut after
vard. realizing that ugly rumors we're