The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-31
TOOK NITRIC ACID.
Awful Mistake Made
By Two Oakdale
Residents.
SIMON COURNOYER is DEAD.
Drank Gin With His Friend
With Supposed Soda
Water Chasers.
SIMON COURNOYER IS DEAD.

Oakdale, May 3O.-Simon Cournoyer
died here this afternoon from poisoning
by nitric acid, and Adalard Payette, a
companion, was horribly burned about
the stomach and mouth from the same
cause. Cournoyer lived for an hour
after taking the poison. and died in ter
rible agony.
Cournoyer and Payette, according to
story told by the latter, had attended
the morning masses at the church, and
afterward taken a short stroll. The
men then went to Payettes house on
the flats, where they chatted for a
time.
Payette has a barber shop and sells
confectionery, tobacco and light sum-
mer drinks The men had been at Pay
cites house but a short time when
Cournoyer complained of an illness, and
asked Payette if he had anything to
drink in the house. Payette replied
that he had some gin, and gave some
to Cournoyer and poured some in a
tumbler for himself. He then took
from a shelf in the cupboard what he
supposed was a bottle of soda, which
he poured into other glasses, to be
drank as "chasers."
The men drank the gin and then
drank the Chaser" In an instant both
were in terrible agony and writhed
with pain. COurnoyer seemed to be in
the worst condition and his sufferings
were something terrible to witness.
Hardly had the poisonous stuff be-
gun to work in the stomach Of Payette
before an irresistible feeling of nausea
overcame him, and he vomited freely
This is the only thing that saved Pay
cites life.
In the meantime Cournoyer's condi-
ton grew rapidly worse. and his suffer-
ing became intensified. Neither of the
men realized what caused their suffer-
ing as their agony precluded thought
of anything but their condition.
Hence it transpired that Cournoyer's
true condition was not realized for
nearly htree-quarters of an hour. Then
his countenance assumed a palor which
indicated speedy dissolution, and
messenger was hastily dispatched for
a physician.
Dr. Joel Boyer responded to the sum-
mons, and FASTENED to the Payette
home. When he arrived he
end was near. He made a hasty
examination of the contents of the bot
tie from which the men had drank The
gin bottle was found to contain nothing
but the real article. The soda bottle
was then examined, and it took but a
glance from the practiced eye of Dr.
Boyer to determine it's contents to be
nitric acid. This had been used by
the PaYette family for polishing pur-
poses, and had been mistaken by Pay
cite for a soda bottle
De Rover at Administered e11pb
antidotes as he had in his grip but the
system Of Cournoyer had become so
saturated with the poisonous stuff that
no response could be secured from the
antidote. In a very few moments Cour-
noyer became unconscious, and within
ten minutes from the time Of Dr.
BOyer's arrival, the unfortunate man
was a corpse.
Soon after the arrival of Dr. Boyer,
the parish priest was summoned and
administered the last rites of the Catho-
lie church.
The local authorities were soon noti-
field If the tragic affair. and excite
menG grew to a fever heat. Crowds
gathered about the Payette home, and
stories Of suicide, foul play and various
other theories were advanced. Deputy
Sheriff Emory A. Bacon was one of the
first to arrive after Cournoyer's death
and soon put stop to the idle rumor |
as he saw at glance that the affair
was the result Of an unfortunate acct
dent.
Medical Examiner F. H. Baker OF
Worcester was notified by telephone, |
but as the affair was purely accidental,
deferred his visit to Oakdale until to-
morrow morning. Deputy Sheriff Bacon
took charge of the bottle of fatal nitric
acid and will turn it over to the medical
examiner tomorrow.
Although Payette's throat and stom-
ach are horribly burned, and he is suf-
fering from terrible pain, it is thought
he will recover. He was unable to lie
down at a late hour tonight, and beside
suffering physically, he is in mental
agony over the unfortunate death of
his friend. whom he was trying to
succOr.
Cournoyer came to Oakdale from
Canada about six weeks ago. and short
" after his arrival here was married.
He had borne a good reputation, and
what friends he made are grieved over
the unfortunate affair. Mrs. Cournoyer
is Frustrated by grief The arrange
ments for the funeral will not be made
until after the examination is completed
bv the medical examiner.