The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-14
SOLDIERS THE
VICTIMS OF A
CRUEL JOKE
Solution Of the Pre-
SidiO Poisonin gs.
PERPETRATORS ARE KNOWN
CRoToN OIL POURED IN THE
COFFEE.
The Conspirators to Be Arrested To
Day-WiU Be Sent Over to Al
catraz Island to
Repent.

The members of Company X, Forty
second Regiment, were not poisoned by
diseased beef as many were incllned 10
believe. but were the victims OF what TWO
Of their comrades, who were guilty OF the
outrage. thought was good JOKE.
Anxious to have some fun with their
fellow-soIGiers two privates of Company
X. whose names the military authorities
at present refuse to divulge, conceived the
CiabOliCal scheme Of placing croton OIL IN
the coffee. lust to see now il would act
on them" as one Of the men expressed H.
Friday evening TWO soldiers, who are
under suspicion as being the perpetrators
Of the outrage, visited drug store dI
CLAW and Fillmore streets and asked for
an ounce bottle of CrotOn oil. The drug
gist. suspecung something wrong, refused
10 serve them. The soldiers at once lett
the place and visited several other drug
stores in the immediate vicinity, nut
without succeeding in purchasing the
oil Il is known that they subsequently
boarded q downtown car ana alshteu
at California and Dupont streets. Gong
to a drug store in the tenderloin district
they had little trouble in purchasing a
sufficient quantity of the deadly OIL 10
several friends they exhibited the vial OF
oil and unfolded their scheme to Job
their regiment After returning to the
Preside they discussed the most feasible
Dlan TO administer the oil to their COM
Tades and finally agreed to place II in the
coffee lust before the morning mess was
served the COnspiratOrs Stealthily entered
the kitchen, and while one of them en-
gagged the cook in conversation the other
dumped the contents of the ounce bottle
into the cOffee-pOt. A few minutes later
breakfast was served. together with the
poisoned coffee. Those who had partaken
Of the drugCed coffee a short time after
ward were seized with violent cramps and
fits of nausea. Altogether sixty non
commissioned officers and privates were
made sick by drinking the coffee. They
were hurried to the post hospital and
were first treated for strychnne poison
doctors that the unfortunate soldiers had
partaken of coffee dOsed with crOtOn OIL
and they so notified the commanding
officer. He ordered thorough lnVeSuga-
ton and threatened to have the perpe-
traitors of the cruel outrage court-mar-
tailed. Yesterday the officers who were
commissioned 10 inquire into the poison
Ing Of the members Of the FOrty-seCond
Regiment visited several drug stores in
tanning at least a description or the
soldiers who wanted 10 buy crotOn oil.
They afterward visited the drug stores in
the tenderlOin district and succeeded in
learning in what store the deadly oil was
bought. To-day the two men viii be for
malv charged with the crime and taken
before COurt-martial. The officers Of
that # they are convicted they are
doomed TO long imprisonment at Alcatraz.
The soldiers who were poisoned are all
out Of danger and viii recover. They are
very bitter against the men who perpe-
tTated the sO-called joke. and threaten to
make il very interesting for them when
their identity IS made known.