St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-08
POISONED BY MISTAKE.
LITTLE WILLIE WEISMAN rs GIVEN A
DOSE or CORROSIVE SU6LfMATE.


Cause.-The Coroner's Jury De-
cides That Death Was Due to
Scarlet Fever-Rut Also Cen
sures Druggists and Physi-
clans for CareIessness.
The coroner's jury returned verdict
yesterday afternoon in the case of
Willie Weisman, the four-year- old boy
who died Monday under such circum-
stances as to cause an investigation.
The manner of the death was reported
in Yesterdays GLOBE. Several witnesses
were examined, and after hearing all
the testimony, the jury returned the
following verdict:
I'VE find that the cause of death was
scarlet fever, but that the druggists and
physicians should use more care in the
writing and putting up of prescrip-
tons"
One of the Jurors stated that there
was no evidence to show the amount of
poison that had been dissolved in the
glass, as the residue of the solution was
not produced. and the post mortem did
not show that poison had produced the
death.
The boy lived at 2O9 Twelfth avenue
south, and had been suffering for about
week with scarlet fever. The physi-
clan in attendance had prescribed tab
lets, to DE dissolved in water, and the
prescription had been filled once and
used Willie's ten-year-old sister was
sent TO the drug store to have the pre-
scripIion renewed. The drug store is
kept by F. W. Latz, at 14O1 Washington
avenue north. When the little girl
presented the box which had contained
the first tablets, the clerk took it and
retilled the prescription. When the
child returned the box contained six
tablets. Five were dissolved III water
and the solution injected into the left
nostri. The little boy choked and un-
derwent a spasm. Mr.. Weisman became
alarmed, and looking at the remaining
tablet saw the word poison" stamped
on 1t and noticed that the solution was
Whitish instead of clear like the former
mixture. MIR. WeiSman then sent for
DR.. Smith, the attending physician, who,
on seeing the child exclaimed:
You've given him poison"
The testimony of the druggist and
drug clerks revealed how the mistake
occurred, 1t was III substance as fol-
lows:
The prescription was sent to the drug
store OF +. w. LatZ both times. The
clerk there, whose name is Anderson,
not having the desired antiseptic tablets
on hand, sent paper, on which he had
written 'antiseptic tablets Carl Sell
ler's)," over to the Seven Corners drug
store TO be filed. The clerk there,
Lien by name, saw the ''antiseptic
tablets" but failed to see the additional
carl Sellers" and put up six corrosive
subllmate antlseptic tablets, which were
stamped poison" Anderson then
transferred them to the original box,
not seeing they were so stamped, and
gave them to the little girl. who took
them home. Before the prescription
was taken to Late it was taken to the
drug store of E. Meier, 1900 Washington
avenue south. where the same mistake
was made. Mr.. Meier states that the
Carl Seller" was so indistinctly written
that he took 1t for IGOR. SUBJ" all alb
breviation of corrosive sublimate.
The poSt-mortem examination re-
vealed an int1amed condition of the
nostril and Rsophagus around the cpl
CLOTHS. Whether death would have
enSued If the corrosive sublimate tab
lets had not been administered is eX-
tremely doubtful. according to the testi-
mony of the examining physicians.
The coroner'S jury, however, gave the
drug clerk the benefit of that doubt.