Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-03
ThOUG TIT WAS WHISKY.
0''"k o. Ca'bo!ic Acid Nearly Ends the Lie
Of Paul Soucier..-

fatality from drinking carbolic aci,
vas prevented. yesterday. only by III,
il"iipt ard efficient medical services q
~ A. .. Boulay. The victim was
dui n"ucier, who with his wife ana
fanny board with Elmer BraZier at IA,
| Water street.
his children. having heard the fir,
! crackers Of the other boys. began +,
| hustle To get money for themselve,
mat they might buy fireworks for ths
fourth. with proceeds from selling
! bottles. They Went to the river banL
and after searching for Il time found
half pint bottle filled with some kind
! OF liquid that in color resembled whjs
! Key n snort time before they were i,
ne sam" place and there found a bnttl,
! 'hat contained several ounces Of whis-
Key rms they had carried home
where 1t was drunk by members of the
family
thinking That the bottle they found
saturday. also contained Whiskey thew
carried IT home and asked permission
from their mother to drink it, Mrs
Soucier told them that their father
should have H. as he is 4 hard workin.
] man The bottle was put away in th,.
closet
When he had been at his work >
short time. yesterday morning. he re-
turned home. As he entered the housn
his wife asked him if he did not want
a drink. She poured out an ounce or
two in a Gun and he drank il. after
learning where the boys had found il.
When he placed the cup down after
Il IL; a..
was not Whiskey as it burned too much
He then left the house ana went to
store nearby where he ate several
peppermints that he might kill the
burning sensation. In a short time he
was deathly sick ana saving that he
could not work returned to his home
He grew worse and finally DR.. Bombay
was called. who tried to find out what
had been drank. but no one seemed to
know. Finally the bottle from which
he had drank was given him BUT by
this time the youngsters. wanting the
bottle 10 sell had washed off the label
rnsed out the contents. There was
odor enough. however. for the doctor
to learn that the man had drank car
bolic acid.
Seeing the serious condition of his
patient he applied the stomach pump.
SouCier was then in such dangerous
condition that Rev. FIR. McGil who
was passing. was called in and the sac
rament administered. as ii was thought
that the man could not possibly live
beyond the noon hour. The prompt
treatment of the physician saved the
mans life and. at O'Clock in the
afternoon he was pronounced out Of
danger.
Rev. Fr. McGil and DR.. Boulay called
again later in the afternoon and to
them the story was told. DR.. Boulay
when seen said that if the people in the
house had delayed Is minutes before
calling him his patient could not have
lived. When seen later in the day,
Soucier was very weak but was able
IL talk.
Several wild stories were in circula-
ton as the result of the accident. One
of these was that Mrs. Soucier had adj
mnistered the poison. Mrs. Soucier
and the other people in the house deny
this and say that there is not the
slightest foundation for the rumor.
During the evening. she was carefully
caring for her husband The story that
the matter is to be investigated by the
police also proves to be without foun
dation.