New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-26
NEW-,JERSEY.
FOUR PEOPLE KILLED BY EATING ChABo.
POISONOUS WATER, IN WHICH THE CRUsTAcEANs
WERE BOILED. THOUGHT TO HAVE
CAUSED CHOLERA MORBUS.

| POISONOUS WATER IN WhlCh Ihr
WERE BOILED. THOUGHT TO HAVE
CAUSED CHOLERA MORBUS
Four deaths from a mysterious cause cioseiy io'-
| lowing each other in Jersey CITY yesteruas' 60
rise to a rumor that the West Bergen section had
| been invaded by cholera of the Asiatic type mat
| story was soon disproved, though the facts are
| bad enough, four persons having oieu lioi" ~
era morbus contracted at one house. .housh a'
different times. The house is a shanty or poatho'Ia
| on the south bank OF the Morris Canal near Nui'
ver-ave. It is frequented by people who want boats
for Grabbing and fishing purposes. 1t was kept py
Mrs. Mary Ann Lewis. whose son ana oaush'e'
lived with her.
ON Sunday afternoon Mrs. Lewis had several VS.
itors among them being John Morse, alas Ellis
worth a colored man of much demand at merry
maknps on account of his musical abilities Young
Lewis went to the Hackensack and caught soihe
crabs. which were cooked and eaten NO one was
made sick but Morse who soon became violently ILL.,
The case was reported to the police, VINO sent an
ambulance to take Morse to the city HosP'ai'
He was found to be suffering from choiera NOR
bus and died on Monday afternoon his relatives
buried him Saturday. No one out Morse was
made sick by the crabs, though all present ate Oh
then, On Wednesday there was another gathering
AT the house of Mrs. Lewis. those present peing
Mis- Caroline Collins, forty-fve years DID, or NO
236 McAdoo-ave. Gustav Hassacner, nineteen
wears old of No. 70 Culver-ave.; Herman MS
tWelye-year-Old brother, ana several olhei IVY"
who had been out with young Lewis on craophs
expedition. AS before the crabs were cooked anu
all ate of them That night Gustav Hasslacher,
Mrs Lewis and Mrs. Collins were taken SICK
though Mrs. Lewis, her daughter says had oeeh
slightly i'll for week previous Ihey were at
tended by DIR. William l.. Pyle, DR.. Everitt and
Dr. Walter Wilkinson. who diagnosed the cases
separately but agreed that the ament was cholera
morbus of violent type Gustav Hasslacher died
at O'Clock Thursday morning, Mrs. Lewis at
o'clock the same afternoon and Mrs. Collins that
night. Death certificates issued and the
funerals will take place to-day. Mrs. Lewis will
he buried by the Kings Daughters of the West
Side Methodist Episcopal Church. her children
being without means.
Health INSPECTOR Benja min informed yester-
day that poison inadvertently administered might
have been an element in the tragedy. 1t seems that
there is a chemical factory near the Lewis BOAT
house at which strychnine and arsenic are manu-
featured AS this factory drains into the Morris
Canal it is thought that the water. which Is sell
dom drawn off the canal being little used, may
have become impregnated with the poisons named
1t is known that young Lewis poliea tne cIaps III
water taken from the canal but on the other hand
he ate six Of the crabs while the younger Hass-
acher seven neither being made SICK Lewis
says three four other boys ate Oh the craps
and not made sick. -, -,
Miss Lewis says her mother only ate the claw
of crab on Wednesday but she mad eaten OF
circulation yesterday that woman whose name
was not known visited Mrs. Lewis on wednesday,
ate Of the crabs, and was made SICK All that
could be learned of her was that she lived in
Greenvie.
The Lewises say the only woman at the house
on Wednesday was Mrs. Collins. AS she lived in
Greenve. the story probably had reference to her.
Mrs Collins did not eat any crabs at the boat
house. ,nt took half a dozen home with her.