Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-20
POISON IN A KETTLE.
A Southside Family Brought 10 the
Point of Death by
CoPPERAS IN A COOKING U9EhslL.
D. b. Weigman's Life Still Hanging in the
Balance.
THE EFFECT OF MONONGAHELA WATER

A peculiar case of poisoning came to light
yesterday in Allentown, and but for the
timely action of the physician an entire
family would have died. Fortunately the
symptoms of all four were precisely the
same. which aided the physician in deter
mining the cause of their illness.
Last Saturday D. H. Weigman, COM
mercial traveller representing Joseph Camp
bell & Co., of Camden, N. J., returned to
his home at No. 20 Washington avenue,
Twenty. ninth ward, and found his wife sui
fering excruciating pain from the effects Of
copperas poisoning. Mrs. Weigman COM
planned of a disordered stomach, and
Mr.. Weigman administered simple
remedies. but as they did
not allay the lady's suffering,
he summoned DIR. E. E. Briggs, who re-
sides in the adjoining cottage. DR.. Briggs,
acting on Mrs. Weigman's symptoms,
treated her for the same cause as did her
husband. She showed none of the charac-
teristics of person suffering from
poisoning and not until some
hours afterward, when Mrs. Weigman
was seized with similar pains, did the ply
sician surmise that the case was of no ordi-
nary type
On the following morning Matte Wier,
domestic at Mr.. Weigman's house, was at
tackled with the same malady, and in an
hour or SO the infant child of Mr.. Weigman
was stricken down and suffered intensely.
SEARCHING FOR A CAUSE.
The case ba filed the physician, as Mr..
Weigman had been subject to similar at
tacks, but the other three cases were unu-
sual. He questioned them and learned
that they had eaten no canned food, from
which in many cases poisoning results. DIR.
Briggs examined all the household utensils,
and upon picking up copper water kettle
found that the inside was badly worn out
from continual securing. The cause of the
were promptly given the four persons,
which had no effect, however, as the
copper had worked into their systems
gradually, and to eradicate it
required considerable time, and it was then
a question whether the family would sur
vive. DR.. Briggs succeeded in saving Mrs.
Welgman, her baby and the servant girl.
On Wednesday they were able TO be up and
about, but all three were very weak, being
sustained on milk diet.
Mr.. Weigman was less fortunate. Yes
terday his physician permitted him to leave
his room, but he took drink of water and
Immediately went into convulsions and suf-
fered much more than at first.
A DISPATCH reporter visited the house
of the stricken amily last night and the
servant girl answered the summons. Mrs.
Weigman was met in the reception room
and showed traces OF her illness. She said
that the copper kettle had been discarded.
and the family, with the exception of her
husband, were doing remarkably we'll, con-
sidering the close call they had.' About 8
o'clock Mr.. Weigman had relapse, but
was recovering from it.
A VERY CLOSE CALL.
DR.. Briggs said that such cases were not
unprecedented, and cited several almost
similar that had come to his notice during
the past year on the Southside. 1t is
peculiar fact that only persons of strong
vitality experience the most dangerous
effects Persons with feeble constitutions
will show symptoms of copperas poisoning
before it works too far in the system, but
when it affects strong people it is often at
tended with fatal results.
"Mr Weigman is in no imminent
danger" said the physician, unless while
in faint he should succumb, but have
not the least doubt that the gentleman will
recover from the poisoning in a short time.
If it had not been checked in due season
his chances for recovery would be very
sliphtD -