Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-10
Poisoning Of Colonel de Vecchi From
Eating Mushrooms.
INVESTIGATION MADE BY EXPERTS
Statementof the Countryman Who
Furnished the Product.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

| The condition of Col. Achilles de Vecchf,
who, with DR.. D. J. Kelly, was poisoned
yesterday by eating toad-stools at No. 1865
| 10th street, was pronounced very critical
late this afternoon. and his attending
| physicians would say nothing to encourage
| the belief that he would recover. His
| daughter, Mrs. St. John Cordery, today ar
| rived from New York where she resides,
but her father was unable to recognize her.
| Inc unfortunate man has been unconscious
for more than twenty-four hours, and his
| death at any moment would not be surpris-
| ing to those at his bedside.
| DR.. Kelly, it was stated, is believed to be
out of danger.
| Botanist F. V. Covillc of the Department
of Agriculture and v. K. Chestnut, an as
| sistant in his division. made a trip to the
K street market this morning to discover
If any of the mushrooms being sold Their,
| were of the poisonous variety.
| The inspection was brought about by the
poisoning yesterday of DR.. Daniel ]. Kelly
| end Col. Achilles de Vecchi, as stated in
| The Star.
After a short search basket of the iden
| teal kind which poisoned the two gent,n-
| men was found in the wagon of John
| Bowes, market dealer who lives in Vir-
| g1nia about mile and a half back of Ar
| linston There was full peck of the
| deadly vegetable products-enough, prob
| ably, to poison a dozen people.
Ignorant of the Results
On investigation is was found that the
supposed mushrooms which had been re-
| sponsble for the condition of Dr. Kelly and
Col. de Vecchi, were furnished the latter
| Monday by Bowes. The latter had heard
| nothing whatever of the illness of the two
men, and was simply dumbfounded when
tolu what had been the result of eating
| what re supposed to be perfectly edible
| and wholesome products. He was natur-
ally greatly worried over the matter but
| told a straightforward story of how the
| mushrooms came to be given to Col de
| Vecchi.
| The colonel was in the market several
| days ago. Bowes said and became engaged
| in conversation with him. Bowes was
| asked, he says. if there We're any mush-
rooms in the locality from which he came
He told Colonel de Vecchi that there were
some things he supposed to be mushrooms
| that he would gather them and bring him
| some for trial, which was done. The buyer
seemed perfectly satisfied that they were
all right, and claimed Bowes asserts that
| he had experimental on them with acids
and found them free from poison One test
| which Colonel de Vecchi thought infallibe
| was that the mushrooms did not blacken
| when their stems were cut with knife.
Acted Under Instructions.
Bowes further told the scientists from
the Department of Agriculture, Inspector
Cavanaugh of the health office who was
present, and The Star reporter, that Col.
de Vecchi ordered him Monday to bring
| large quantity OF the mushrooms today.
If there more than he could dispose of,
Col. de Vecchi said, 1t would be a good
plan fer BoWeS to visit one of the most
prominent hotels in the city, giving its
name to see if he could pot sell some of
the mushrooms. ana also to see a number
of the cooks in the restaurants for the
same purpose. With this end in view the
| mushrooms were brought today
Bowes told such an apparently straight
story that it decided that no steps
would be taken in the matter, rs it was
thought the responsibility rested on Gel.
de Necchi more than any one else. Inspec-
tor Cavanaugh instructed the man not
to bring such poisonous products to the
market again, and he was most positive in
asserting that he woull no. do so. He was
badly frightened over the occurrence and
trembla1 like a leaf when told of the pois-
oning, and while relating how the mush-
rooms Lad been furnish ID Col. de Necchi
He further declared that ne hal received
orders from persons Monday TO bring them
mushrooms Of the same kind as those
furnished the poisoned man.
OF Poisonous Variety.
Assistant Chestnut of the Department of
agriculture visited Dr. Kelys residence
ard obtained some of the mushrooms which
had been cooked and also some specimens
of the kind which were still intact. The
amount eaten by Col. de Vccchi must have
been very larSe, as it was stated a whole
bowl had been cooked and there was less
than a pound remaining The residue how
ever, could plainly be seen to be of the
poisonous variety. The most remarkab BILE
thing about the whole affair was that a
pamphlet furnished by the Department of
Agriculture showing the distinction be-
tween the variety by which tine men were
poisoned and another kind which most re-
sembled it and was edible. were found to
belong to Col. de Vecchi. He had examined
the two varieties. cuts of which were given
in the pamphlet, but for some reason lad
failed 10 distinguish between them.
The mushroom with which the poisoning
vas done was known as the amanita
muscaria. The edible kind, which 1t re-
sembles. is the amanita caesarea The
amonita caesarea has yellow stem and
cap, with base enclosed by a sheathing
cup. The other variety does not possess
this. The amanita Tluscaria has white
stem and red or light yellow warty cap. 1t
is not provided with a cup at the base. but
the latter is greatly swollen or enlarged.
The presence of the cup at the base, how
ever is on some of the most deadly kinds
of mushrooms
Most Deadly of All.
There is species known as the amanita
phalloides. This is the most poisonous of
all the fieshy fungi. 1t is found in summer
throughout the greater part Of the United
States, growing upon the ground in the
woods at medium and lower elevations.
The stem is white. When young it is solid
and afterwards 1t becomes somewhat hol-
low and pithy. The base Is surrounded by
characteristic cup-shaped appendage, the
remnant Of veil which covers the entire
plant when young. The length varies from
three to five inches. r.
The cap is viscid when moist and is
generally smooth and satfny, but 1t may
sometimes bear fragments of the outer
covering or veil. The gills and spores are
white Several varieties of the plant exist,
the one most common having a white or
yellowish cap: but this may be green or
even spotted when growing In deep shade.
The general shape is much like that of
the common mushroom. = 1t is also like
that of the fly amanha tAmanita 1nusca-
rial, which is perhaps more common, but
Is less poisonous From the former 1t Is
at once distinguished bys its basal cup
shaped aEpendage and a child can usually
distinguished the fly amanita by its more
brilliant coloring. u g
The death Cup"
The death cup occurs in Europe as
well as In America, ard it is mainly from
European sources that Our knowledge of
it is obtained. Plinyh. ascribes numerous