The times., 1899-11-23
10 TRY DRUGGIST SMITH
He Is Charged With Violating the
Pharmacy Laws.
Poison Purchased at His Place Of
Business Ended the Life of Agnes
BruseI>e-Accusation in the War
rant for His Arrest Grow Out of the
snIc OF CarboIic Acid 10 the Girl.

William l. Smith, colored, druggist,
corner Of Brigbtwood Avenue and Pomeroy
Street northwest, was arrested last night
on a warrant sworn out by Inspector Proc
tor, of The Health Department, charging
a violation of the law governing the sale OF
poisons in the District. Furthermore, it is
alleged by Secretary Harper, of the Com
missioners of Pharmacy that Smith is not
registered pharmacist and is amenable
10 the pharmacy law as a violator of that
ordinance in that he conducts a pharmacy
while not registered. Last night Smith
was released from custody on $50 collateral
The pharmacy law states that no one
not a registered pharmacist shall conduct
a pharmacy or drug store and Secretary
Harper construes the word conduct to
mean the owner of such an establishment.
Smith employs a registered pharmacist,
who compounds prescriptions, but the en-
! ploye is not considered by Secretary Har-
per as the man who conducts the business.
/ While Smith, it is said, Will be prose
! cuted for the alleged violation set forth
/ in the warrant for his arrest, it
/ has not been definitely settled whether
action viii be taken in the second matter.
/ That, it is said, will be contingent on the
| disposition of the first charge against the
druggist.
| The issuing of the warrant against Smith
! and his subsequent arrest are the result of
i an alleged violation on his part Sunday
night. 1t will be remembered that four>
+ -year-old Agnes Bruseke, who com
mitted suicide at her home, 2242 Bright
wood Avenue northwest, by drinking car
bolc acid is said to have purchased the
poison at the drug store of Smith Smith
( stated al the time that he had fully COM
I piled with the law in reference to the sale
Of the poison, and claimed that the child
. was interrogated in regard TO what use she
intended 10 make of the acid at the time
she purchased it.
Joshua IA. W Murray the drug clerk
| employed by Smith was said by the proprl-
etOr 10 have made the sale and TO have
. been told by Agnes Bruseke that she was
! purchasing the poison for her mother. An
investigation into the circumstances by In
I spectOr Proctor revealed it is said. that
Smith had been guilty OF four violations Of
the law governing the sale OF poisons and
/ because of that it was decided to prOsecuto
/ him
/ Inspector Proctor in the warrant against
1 Smith charges that the druggist failed to
properly interTogate the Bruseke child as
, TO the contemplated use of the poison;
that he did not warn her of the dangerous
character Of the poison; that the address
of his store was not on the label of the
bottle, and that he did not label the out
side wrapper of the bottle all of which
the law requires shall be done All of
these charges Smith will have TO answer
TO when he is arraigned in court, which
viii probably be this morning. Local
druggists and physicians generally are
greatly interested in the matter and claim
that an opportunity has now arisen where
by the pharmacy law can be not only
properly construed but thoroughly tested
The druggists claim that the recently
inaugurated crusade Of Secretary Harper
against the druggists and hospitals not
! employing registered pharmacists viii now
demonstrate its value and the good il is
expected 10 accomplish for the benefit Of
the public. Secretary Harper claims, and
has claimed previously, that where an
unregistered pharmacist conducted phar-
macy mistakes were almost certain to oc-
cur He stated that while it was claimed
at the hospitals that only simple prescrip-
tions were compounded by the unregister-
ed pharmacists. that that fact did not pre-
clude the possibility Of mistakes. He said
that if a mistake in a quantity of a
poison in prescription OF a delicate char
acter could be made by a registered phar-
maCist, a mistake in an ingredient in a
simple prescription could more easily be
made by one not registered. The same
thing. ne said. applied to the drug stores.
Though registered pharmacists were en-
Ployed at such stores he was opposed to
allowing unregistered men TO conduct
those establishments.
A well known physician in sp aking Of the
alleged violation of the law by Smith. said
/ the law governing the sale Of poisOns was
defective. He put an entirely new phase on
the question and said he hoped something
would now be done toward remedying the
present condition of affairs
''Poisons,' said he should not be sold
to anyone, particularly children, unless Z
prescription is presented, or the druggist
requested TO make the sale is sure of the
use TO be made of the poson, AS the Law
stands anyone can go into drug store
} and buy laudanum, or various other poi
sons, and all that is required is that they
register their names prescription IL
, not at all necessary to obtain the poison
What man, woman, or child who intended
suicide would not register a real or ficti.
tious name in order TO obtain what was
desired. After a suicide an investigation
is made to ascertain whether the druggis
conformed to the law and registered thu
name of the purchaser of the poison I
he has done so the matter ends, as his
obligation is Cancelled. but that Is no pre-
caution What is needed is some law tha
viii prevent those contemplating suicide
: or perhaps murder by the use Of poisoI
from obtaining the drug.
ITO show the Inconsistency Of the whole
affair. should a citizen have a wife child
or other relative dying or seriously I'll a
his home and need Immediately small
amount of whisky or brandy for tht
patient it would be impossible to obtair
it after the saloons have closed unless OI
a physicians prescription. Yet under tht
existing condition of affairs, a child car
| purchase caIbolic acid
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