The evening world., 1894-06-05
FIVE BOYS
DIE BY POISON.
And Seven Other Inmates Of a
TarrytoVn Home Are
Seriously Ill.
ATE SUPPOSED FLAGRO0T.
Picked the Poisonous Stuff Out
of a Trench Which Laborers
Were Digging.
REMEDIES PROMPTLY APPLIED.
But in Spite Of Physicians Efforts
the Little Sufferers Died in
Great Agony.
REMEDIES PROMPTLY APPLIED.

TARRYTOwN. June 5.-Five young
boys. inmates of the Roman Catholic
Institution OF Mercy at Wilson Park.
just back OF this town. died in terrible
agony during the night. They had
eaten n poisonous root while at play
during yesterday afternoon. The VIC
Tins are:
F~ORREsTAL. ten years old.
JOHN CALLAHAN. aged ten years and hve
THOMAS NJ aged ten year, and three
months.
RIcHARD POWERS. aged twelve years. .
JOHN DONNELLY. aged twelve years
Seven other boys also ate the root. but
not In such quantities as those h died.
One. John Harvey. however. Is likely to
die. Two of the Ill boys are named
O'Day. The names OF the others the
Sisters refuse to give.
The prompt arrival OF Drs. Furman.
Fleming and Contant, who were sum
moned from Tarrytown. saved their lives.
They are convalescing.
The Institution Of Mercy Is a big gray
stone building, with room for over 300
inmates. 1t shelters orphan boys who
have lost either parent. They n
from a few months to fifteen years In
age.
A number Of the boys were out play
Ing yesterday afternoon In charge OF
Attendant Wrinkle. On the grounds n
force of laborers was engaged In dig
ging trenches for drainage purposes. As
the men threw up the dirt the boy DON
nelly discovered pieces OF a rough root.
1t resembled the sweet fiagroot. which
grows in marshy lands, and Donnelly
ayilantIu UNA IacaIyaI hv tho ragam-
blance.
He picked up a piece and chewed It.
"Um, iagrootl' he cried with all the
'n The nth sSPf chiiSren d div ssI' into the heap
Of fresh earth and soon. IA dozen were
chewing the root with great relish.
Two hours later the YOUNGSTERS who
hurriedly sent for. and though Drs:
Furman and Fleming responded
promptly, they were unable to save five
line with the other boys, about to go
into supper at 5 o'clock when he was
seized with COMMISSIONS, fell to the floor
and died In n few minutes.
The four others died the
hours of g and s. all of them suffering
the most terrible agony.
The physicians worked vigorously all
night and this morning on the other
cepting young Harvey. were pronounced
out of danger.
The physicians obtained some OF the
root, and after examining II came to the
conclusion hat II was the DOT OF a
poisonous Ivy. 1t resembles fiagroot
and is three-eighths OF an inch in dia-
meter, with n rough bark on the out
side and a pithy centre. 1t tastes some
thing like slippery elm.
Coroner Apgar. of Peekskill. was
notified, and this forenoon impanelled
a jury to hold an inquest. The Coroner
has ordered an autopsy to he made in
each case. Undertaken Vanderbilt took
charge OF the five bodies. and will bury
them at the expense of the Institution
at ~Pleasantville tomorrow.
The C%oroner's jury returned n verdict
to the effect that the children had died
Of paralysis or the heart from eating a
poisonous root.
AS soon as young Donnelly died, the
Sisters sent for the Mother Superior Of
the House Of Mercy, at l07b Madison av-
enue New York CITY. of which the Tar
rytown institution Is a branch. She ar
rived early this morning and took
charge.
OF the dead boys, Pasmore, Powers
and Donneliy were orphans. Callahan
ard Forrestal had fathers living in New
York.
The institution is situated on a plot OF
thirty acres. and although opened re-
Gently, Is already a beautiful retreat.
1t is in charge of Sister Celia, the Moth.
err superior, who has under her seventeen
Sisters OF Mercy.