The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-02-07

| For the second time in the history
of the Provisional Government, what
looks like case of attempted whole
| sale poisoning has occurred. Last
| evening a number of the members of
Company E were seized, soon after
their dinner, with symptoms of min
| eral poisoning, and, although no
serious damage was done, they suf-
fered severely for some time.
AS soon as the men began TO show
that they were i'll DR.. Cooper, the
regimental surgeon, was sent for. He
found fifteen officers and men of Com
pany +, which is stationed in the
basement of the Executive Building,
suffering from severe cramps and
nausea. He at once gave them emet-
les and stimulants and soon brought
them around The men who were
first taken sick were Lieut. CoyDe,
Sergeant Moore, Corporal Mcdonald,
and private? Gillis, Fisher, Thomas,
Lubeck, Williams, Govea f2), Ham
bly,, Fuller, Murphy. Slatte.ry and
Madeira, all of Company E. A mum
Der of others complained later of a
slight touch of the same illness. Al
together about thirty were attacked
by the symptoms of mineral poison
ing.
DR.. Cooper could not state positive
ly that the men were poisoned, al
though he said that it lo6ked very
Ia% IDx aII
food that the men had for their dinner
were saved, and IA chemical analysis
of them will be made.
al am not, of course, SURE that this
is a case of attempted poisoning, but
the fact OF so many men being taken
i'll at the same time certainly looks
suspicious. Soon after dinner eight
or ten men were taken with severe
cramps in the stomach, and retching.
The majority of them are all right
now, however. .
4 serious phase Of the case is that,
although all the men ate together, all
did not suffer the same consequences
Men who sat next to each other and
partook of the same food, would be
differently affected, one having all the
appearance of having been poisoned,
and the other being entirely free from
any illness. This was especially so at
the officers table, where Lieutenant
Coyne was the only one attacked.
DR.. Cooper, who attended the men,
said that it was possible that they
I, y 4,
thought it was more probable that
they had,
''The cases look very much like min
eral poisoning" said DR.. Cooper, "the
symptoms, cramps in the abdomen,
headache, nausea, and severe vonit-
ing, all pointing that way"
Captain Good was seen last evening,
and said:
The men had for dinner roast beef,
poached eggs, macaroni and cheese,
and mashed potatoes. If the meat
had not been fresh, the cause of the |
trouble might have been found there, |
but it was cenclusively proven that !
this was not the case The only thing |
that could have hurt the men was the |
cheese that was used with the macar-
roni. This DR.. Cooper said, if put on |
cold might have had similar effect, |
though it is hardly prob able. 1t is |
mosts likely that someone has tried to /
poison the men, and failed In the das
tardly deed.
None of the men of Company were /
taken i'll, although one or two com.
planned Of a slight feeling of nausea.
They had about the same food, and it
is probable, had there been no poison
they would all have been affected
Later I'm the evening a report from
the headquarters was to the effect that
several more men hal been taken with
the same symptoms, and every few
a new case would be reported.
Lieutenant Coyne, who was able TO
be up, although still weak, said that
DR.. Cooper thought it was poison that
caused the trouble, although he could
not be sure,
1t viii be remembered that SINH
ar case took place April 18th last,
although in the present instance the
men We're attacked with the symp