The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-30
ARSENICAL POISONING.
A Young Man Given a Heavy
Dose i'm a Glass of Liquor.

Another case of mysterious poisoning took
place in Fresno yesterday. which may re-
suit fatally. although medical skill was
called in time to do much, says the Fresno
EXpoSitor of Saturday.
When the train from the Porteryile
branch arrived in Fresno among the pass
engers was young man, % years of age,
named Fred Merkel, who came from Reed
ley to this city TO attend to some business.
He is young man of good habits. never
drinking 10 excess, and only occasionally in
duging in a dram. He has accumulated
some property by hard work and economy.
Landing in Fresno before IL O'Clock he
fell in with an acquaintance, and together
they visited three saloons and drank in
each. After this they separated, each 60
ing his way.
At the saloon where they last drank Mr..
Merkel says he noticed a stranger who
seemed 10 be paying close attention to him.
Merkel paid for the drinks with a five-dollar
piece, receiving :he change in silver which
he put in his pocket.
Parting from the others Merkel went to
look for a business man whom he wished 10
see, and while passing along | street was
suddenly seized with pains in his stomach.
He went into a wholesale liquor store, passed
TO the rear and lay down on plank deathly
SILK.
While In this condition the stranger whom
he had seen in the saloon came through the
store, seeming to be following Merkel, and
came up to him. MeTkel asked him to 90
and bring doctor, to which the stranger
replied:
"Oh, you are only drunk. You don't
want any doctor.
In few minutes more the spasms came
on again and for several minutes-he does
not know how long-he was unconscious.
When he recovered consciousness the
stranger was gone, and the silver which
Merkel had had III his pocket was also gone.
But small purse containing two $40 gold
pieces was not taken. Probably it had been
missed when the silver was taken, as it was
a very small, fiat purse.
Merkel lay IN the back yard of the whole
sale ltquor-store several hours and no one
came near to lend him assistance Par
oXysms of pain, one after another, seized
HIM, and part OF the time he was uncon-
sciOus.
Between 4 and o'clock he started to 90
10 the Fresno House, kept by c. J. Cray
croft, on the corner Of NJ and Tuare streets
BY this time the par0Xysms had become
more frequent and violent Three times he
fell while passing through the Courthouse
park. and persons passing remarked that he
was drunk. The spasms had become eX-
ceedngly violent and the pain terrible.
He reached the Fresno House and fell on
the floor in a spasm. and was unable to
speak.
DIR. Dearborn was sent for as quickly as
possible and arrived III few minutes. The
doctor this morning gave an Expositor re-
porter the following account:
II reached the house about half-past 5
last evening, and found the patient suffer
ing terribly with pain in the intestines |
had never seen such parOXyms. 1t required
four men to hold him, and even then it al
most seemed that he would break the floor
with his heels.
AT first thought 1t was a severe case of
collie; but in short time l became satisfied
that it was arsenical poison, and hard case
at that. which already had gone several
hours.
The poison already had passed from the
stomach into the intestineS, and thus was
beyond the reach of ordinary methods. |
administered morphine, and was convinced
from the quantity required to produce an
effect that the amount of poison was large
The internal remedies given to neutral
ize the arsenic had the desired effect, and
by midnight the patient was past the worst
stage.
al is recovery at this time seems proba-
Bile, but the quantity of poison was so large.
and 1t was such length of time before any
remedies were applied, that it cannot now
be stated just what the end will be.
think, however, that the worst is past and
that the patient will now recover
Yet, It cannot he known but that there
is still arsenic lying latent in his system
which may bring on spasms at any time and
end his life. If he lives through to-day the
probabilities are that he Will recover"
1t is case of mysterious poison. There
are two theories, one of which 1t Is not
proper at this time 10 give, as 1t is best that
it be kept secret for the present. The other
has already been given. and is that the
poison was given him in his glass by the
stranger whom he had seen. in the saloon.
and who followed him to the rear of the
wholesale liquor house, and who probably
took money from his pocket while lie was
insensibe
Coming so near after the poisoning of
Welsh, this naturally excites much interest.
and leads people to wonder where this
mysterious poisoning is being done.