Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-26
WOOD ALCOHOL
Causes Death of Three Inmates
Of the State Prison.
Four Others Seriously III, But May
Recover--Had Been Warned.
Edward GRAHAM, the Murderer, Among
the Sick Men.

Thomaston, Me, April 25.-As result
of drinking Columbian SPIRITS, refined
grade of wood alcohol, three convicts at
the Maine State prison are dead ana
four others are so severely i'll that their
recovery is not expected. Among the
dangerously sick is Edward Grttfana'
the murderer of Clifford Mosher of Cor
ham. who is serving u life sentence.
The dead convicts are Thomas Corn
of York county, who was serving Il two
and one-half years sentence for break
ing. entering and larceny; w. f.. Coffin
of Androscoggin county, 10 years for
compound larceny; ana Morey Wylley
of Washington county, two years for
larceny.
The dangerously sick are Edward
Graffam, the GorhaIn murderer, SerN-
ing Il life sentence; Jos. White Of
Penobscot, two and one-haf years for
compound larceny; John l.. Sullivan OF
York county, five years for compound
larceny; and T.. A. Surrier of Cumber-
land, recent arrival Ut the institu-
ton.
The men found a pint bottle of the
poison in the paint shop, where they
were employed. last Wednesday after
noon, and although they had been warn
ed Of its deadly properties, each took i
drink.
Tie first knowledge Of the prison au-
thorties had oil the case was early
Thursday morning, when guard found
one OF the men deJthly sick in his cell.
\ few minutes later six other men Were
found in similar condition.
DR.. Smith, the prison physician or
dered Corn, Coffin, Wylley ana Currier
removed TO the hospital and the othe!
men We're cared for in their cells. II
was plain to the physician that the men
were suffering from the effects of
poison but none of them would tell
what they had drank until yesterday
noon. Corn and Coffin then were past
all aid and died two hours later. NVyl-
ley died, today The remaining four
are in a Yer serious condition and the
physician says there is only Il slight
chance Cor recovery.
The Columbian spirits had been useG
in the paint shop for cleaning nickel
etc., and great care Away was used
The foreman says, to Keep it away from
the convicts employed there. The bot
tie was plainly labelled and kept on q
shelf behind the foreman's desk. Each
man had been taken aside and told that
che bottle contained poison and that
| they must not drink it under any cir
cumstances. Wednesday afternoon
however, one of the men got possession
| Of The bottle in some way and the con.
| tents was equally divided among the
seven. They suffered no i'll effects until
several hours later when all were taken
Violently sick.
| Warden Smith said, today, that ONLY
| the prisoners themselves could be held
| responsible for the trouble The men
had been fully warned and every effort
had been made to keep the poison away
from them.
At p. NJ, Deputy Warden Wyman
said that the cases of the four men who
are i'll as result Of drinking Column
| bian spirits was slightly better and ii
was thought they might pull out all
right.
| You wouldn't think man would lie
with the fear of death in his eye" SAID
the deputy warden. and yet one of the
victims Of this unfortunate affair swore
| Just before his death that he had not
| touched drop of the alcohol.
| The men We're more or less sick with
nausea through the night but we did
not think anything of that for it is very
common among so many men. AS soon
as we found out what the matter was
we called the prison physician and
since then tho mon have had avarytb;, ~
done for them that medical skill could
provide.
Continued on page 81