The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-30
A YOUNG GIRL POISONED
MISS RANKIN HAD BEEN GIVEN MED
ICINE FOR A COLD.
Druggists Who Say "Jim, Jordan Pur-
chased Cantharides of Them
No Arrests.

Yesterday morning telephone message
was received at the City Dispensary re-
Questing that physician be sent to No. 903
North Capitol avenue to attend Nellie
Rankin, eighteen years of age who it was
believed was suffering from poison. DR..
Flora MacIvor, of the Dispensary staff,
found the girl at the home of a Mrs. Ward.
The young woman was very i'll, and Mrs.
Ward made the following statement con-
corning her condition.: She has been keep
ing company with a young man who is
known as Jim Jordan. He called to see
the girl Friday night and found her suffer-
ing severely with cold. He told her he
would go out and get her a remedy. About
o'clock he left the house and in a short
time returned He gave the girl tea
spoonful of a brownish-colored drug and a
short time later left her. Miss Rankin be-
came very i'll within a few minutes after
taking the drug, and the night advanced
she grew worse. Mrs. Ward did not send
for physician during the night, but yes
terday morning when the girls condition
became very alarming the woman went out
to the drug stores in the neighborhood to
find out If she could what kind of medicine
young Jordan had purchased. AT Blodau' s
drug store, at Indiana avenue and Vermont
street, Mrs. Ward learned that a young man
had bought quantity of cantharides. When
she notified the Dispensary Mrs. Ward was
of the opinion that it was this drug Miss
Rankin had taken. The woman hurriedly
related this story to the physician while
she administered remedies to the suffering
girl.
DR.. MacIvor, as soon as she saw the girl
and had diagnosed her case, concluded that
she was suffering from cantharides poison.
The physician worked with the patient for
an hour or more, and when she left the girl
was much better Later in the day DR..
MacIvor learned that some one from the
Ward household had called at the Dspen-
sary and informed Superintendent Spencer
that there had been mistake, and that the
quinine for her cold. Dr. MacIvor, being at
a loss to understand why this statement
had been made to the superintendent, in
view of the story related to her by Mrs:
Ward, called up Druggist Blodau and
learned from him the facts concerning the
purchase of the cantharides the night be-
fore. Late yesterday evening the physician
called again to see Miss Rankin. She found
the girl in a fair way to recovery. The doc
last night a woman of the household asked
her If she couldn't give out the statement
that Miss Rankin had taken the cantharideS
of her own accord, and through mistake.
The doctor informed the woman that this
could not be done
Mr.. Biodau says that Mrs Ward came to
and inquired if he had sold young man a
drug the night before. Mrs. Ward, he says,
referred to Miss Rankin as her daughter;
She said that after Jordon had left the girl
to go for remedy for her cold, she adj
vised the young woman to not take any,
thing unless she knew what 1T was. Mrs.
Ward said that when the girl began to
grow i'll Jordon left her and did not return.
The woman told the druggist that Jordon
was a frequent caller at her house and she
knew his family. Mr.. Blodau says that
when the young man came into his store
and inquired for the drug he produced a
cantharides salve which he said he had
street. The stuff he bought of Mr.. Blodau
was in powder form. He seemed surprised
when the druggist told him it was a poison.
and the druggist, to avoid any mistake be"
ing made, wrote the word poison across
the package in large letters. The druggist
says the young man told him he wanted the
drug for "hiS wife," who had cold. Among
druggists the stuff is known as love pow
DER There are frequent calls for it for va
rious disorders. On this occasion the drug
gist sold drachm of the drug. An ordinary
dose, it is said, would be one grain. A tea
spoonful of it would be nearly sixty grains.
1t is frequently used as plaster to draw
Druggist Merrill says that the young man
who bought the salve from him stated that
he wanted it for his father He 1.see inquired
blister" When told that 1t would, he re-
piled that that was what he wanted it to
do In showing the salve to Druggist Bio
dau, he asked If it would blister" and
was told that it certainly would He re-
marked that ''he did not want 1t to do that"
The young woman who took the eu powder is
street. She is a rather pretty girl of re-
fined appearance. No one seems to know
who Jim JSrdon is Dr. M Mac INrd under hds,e
that either the young man or his father
has an office In the Stevenson building. 1t
that no information concerning the case had
been filed there.