The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-01
Overcome by Cocaine That Was Being
Used to Deaden Pain Caused by the
Applicationofa an Electrical, Current.
ARREST OF TWO WOMEN
Who Were Operating on the Girl
at the Time of the Accident.
Story of Doctor Who Visited the Room
of the Blemish Removers After
the Victims Death.

CHICAGO, Sept. 30.-Bene White, twenty
three years Of age, daughter, OF Benjamin
s. White. a wealthy lumberman, died at
Woods Hotel this morning, at about 10
O'Clock, while under treatment for the re-
moval of facial blemishes. Death was
caused, II is supposed, by the use of cocaine
to deaden the pain from the application
of an electrical current which constituted
rhe emeans of treatment. The operator was
DIR. Sophie Santa, of the DIR. Sophie Santa
Company. Eliza A. James, the business
partner of DIR. Santa, was assisting in the
operation at the time. In one hand Dr.
Santa held the electric needle and in the
other sponge saturated with a 4 per cent.
solution of cocaine. which she applied at
intervals to deaden the intense pain caused
by the needle. She had almost completed
the treatment when Miss White gasped
for breath and, before the operator could
assist her, she slid from the chair to the
floor dead. Aid was hastily summoned and
restoratives applied, but without avail. the
young woman having died almost instantly.
DR.. Tallman. the only physician called. ar
rived too late to be of any assistance, and
as the people in the room where the dead
girl lay acted in rather a strange manner.
he informed the police and Santa and her
assistant were locked up until the exact
cause of the young woman's death is
known. There is no thought however, that
the death was the result of anything but
an accident.
DR.. Tallman described his visit as follows:
when / reached the room 1 he ard
through the closed door a woman's voice
repeating is she deadT / knocked several
times. At last an elderly woman opened
the door. When she saw me she banged
the door shut again. / felt sure that some-
thing was wrong and ] forced my way in.
J. told the woman / was a physician and.
brushing her aside, found two me-. making
vigorous efforts to revive a woman. AS
soon 1 looked upon the woman / saw
that she was dead / said: You cannot
do anything, that woman is dead The eld-
erly woman who opened the door began
lamenting and cried out: "T only used
four-per-cent solution. That would not have
killed her."
ga four-per-cent solution of whaty 1
asked.
She replied Cocaine She said the
Young lady sitting a chair while
she was at work removing the outer cuti-
Gle from her face. To ,ieaden the pain she
kept brushing the face with the solution of
cocaine. Seeing that any devices were of
no avail 1 left the room. / had heard
enough to warrant me in thinking that
interested people intended to hush up the
affair IL they could. / teleDhoned to the
Harrison-street station and advised the ar
res. of all the parties in the room the
only way of finding out the true story.
"An amusing incident occurred when
left the room that has its serious aspect
in showing to what extremes Of danger a
woman is willing to go in order TO beautify
her face. Outside in the corridor was an
old woman well dressed. She stopped me
and asked If there would be any danger to
her in taking the treatment. She said she
wanted to get rid of her wrinkles and was
ready to try the treatment. / told her
the fate of the young woman and she re-
piled that she knew that the girl had died
In the chair, but she believed herself
strong enough to bear the pain without
flinching."
The father Of Miss White is a business
partner of Don j. Leuthers, the we'll
known capitalist of Grand Rapids, Mich.