Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-09-17
TOADST00L POISON.
SEVEN PERSONS KILLED AND SEW
ERAL DANGEROUSLY ILL.
IL seems That the Expert Can Tell tho
True Mushroom, but Rules are
Dangerous to follow.
New York Sun.l

New York sun.l
| An unusual number of cases Of death
and serious illness from eating poisonous
fungi, has been reported IN and about
this city in the last few DAYS. Perhaps q
dozen persons in all. have died, and sew
eral Of those now i'll are not expected to
recover.
There was considerable excitement in
| the French and Italian colony in South
Fifth avenue Monday. owing to the death
OF three persons and the serious illness OF
four others. caused By eating poisonous
variety of mushrooms.
Petro Conzonero, who kept saloon at
IS South Fifth avenue. over which he
lived. with his wife. Rosina, bought some
mushrooms in the vegetable cellar, kept
by Girolamo Demorchio. and John Cuno.
at SO South Fifth avenue, on Friday after
noon. The mushrooms were a portion OF
o small lot purchased the same day by
Cuno, from Frenchman who peddles
mushrooms, cress and sorrel, which he
gathers in the annexed district.
Conzonero was the only purchaser from
this particular lot, the unsold portion
having been used by Demorchio IN
meat stew for dinner that evening. With
Demorchio. his brother, Mariana, and his
partner dIned. and with Mr.. and Mrs
Conz0nerO, the latter's sister, Maria Ne
era, dlned.
SHE ATE 40 MORE.
None of them seems to have suspected
the quality of the mushrooms. except Mrs.
Negro, who, after tasting them. SAID she
a. - M
no more. Mr.. and Mrs. Conzonero ate
heartily. They both died early Monday
morning, having been sick since midnight
FRIDAY. The three In DemorchIo's party
were also taken seriously i'll on Friday
night, but were pronounced out of dam
ger, although CunO was yet IN bed and
under doctors care. Cuno lives at
Varick street. but was taken iii i'll the ten
ement occupied by the family OF his
daughter, Mrs. John GayanO. GS West
Third street. Mrs. Gavano. who is an in
telligent woman and speaks English, said
that all Of the vegetable dealers III that
quarter traded with the French peddlers
who bring in field products from tho up
per part OF the city. Her father did not
know the name. nor residence of the ped
dler from whom he the poisonous mush-
rooms.
# Is supposed that the peddler was Jean
Taconet, Erenchman, 81 years Old, who
lived at 1872 Blocker street. He died ut
about the same hour that Mrs. ConZonerO
died, and apparently from eating poison
Gus mushrooms. He is known TO have been
Que of the peddlers who supply the quar-
ter with field products.
The confusion as to what fungi are edi-
BILE and what are not. Is added to by tho
facts that varieties OF the true mushroom
are poisonous, and some fungi, which are
not mushrooms are edible. Some expert
enced cooks declare that there Is no visit
Bile distinction between the right" and
wrong" mushrooms.
TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
A Sun reporter who was once poisoned
nearly to death 10y eating poisonous fungi
had 1t on his mind. when he recovered To
earn lasting fame by reporting to the
world some scientific means of determin-
ing the difference between edible and
poisonous fungi. With tins purpose he
sought an eminent authority, who replied
to his questioning:
Il can tell the difference at a glance"
How"
Il don't know. How do the experts in
the Treasury Department. tell at glance
counterfeit bank-note that would de-
celve the man who had engraved the gem
uIne. just tell"
But suppose one can't tell!'
I'm that case. If he Is lucky. he dies OF
something besides mushroom poisoning
The symptoms of mushroom poisoning
are first, nausea; next, violent cramps IN
the stomach, and then in the calves Of the
legs and feet. and three or four hours after
the trst nausea, diarrhGa. Alter these
violent symptoms comes collapse.
4 physician who has attended several
patients within the past week, said To-
reporter: The number of POISONING
cases from this source around New York
within the past two weeks mas been extra
ordinary. 1 am inclined TO believe that
all mushrooms are poisonous, aud that
only careful washing and good cooking
make them d tor the Ia Die. Some OF the
most vlralent pOisCns are found amOug
fungi. and | confess that | all afraid Of
mushrooms"
Chemist Martin. Of the Health Depart
ment. VINO has charge OF tee food inspec-
tors. sent some OF his men through tn
Italian district IN South Fifth avenue to
search for mushrooms. They were ordered
TO seize all they found offered for sale by
peddlers. and all III Italian groceries or
restaurants.
Frank Capalano. the Italian shoemaker,
OF 57o Milils avenue. who died on Su nday
from the effects of eating tOadstools, was
buried Monday ut Glen Cove. OF the other
SIX persons who partook Of the dish.
James Olyero, of COS East i3sth street, Is
in the most serious condition, but 1t is
thought that all will recover.
TESTS.
DR.. Emil Guenther, of Newark, n. J..
who has made a study Of toadstool POISON
ing, saws It IS remarkable that there wero
not mere cases If poisoning, as few people
are able 10 distinguish the poisonous fun
gus from the edible mushrooms.
He also declares that the old-fashioned
tests 10 discover which Is the poisonous,
and which Is edible are not always lnfall-
bic. During the last few days he has been
making tests on mushrooms and toadstOols
gathered IN west Orange. lie gathered
seven different species, cooked and tested
them with silver. onion and parsley
These three tests are supposed to be
lnialllble. 1t piece of sllverware is
placed among the tOadstOOls when cooking
1t Will turn black. onion will turn green,
and parsley Will turn brown. The latter
IS an Old Italian test. DIR. Guenther de-
clared that these tests failed several times
when applied to the POISONOUS fungus
lie called IN al expert mushroom gath
erer, who ut once threw out five Ot his
seven species as beng poisonous. Then
the expert tried the test on the cooked
vegetables, and was astonshed when the
physician told hun that they We're toad
stools. Tor, according TO the test. the
poisonous fungus was good TO eat
Dr. Guenther said all toadstoOls did not
contain enough poison to cause lmmedi-
ate death, yet there was sufficient OF the
poison IN the least noXlOus To lrTltate the |
stomach and produce gastroenteritIs and
perhaps cause death indirectly.
--n-
PRECIOUS STONES TO ORDER.