The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-03-01
STRYCHNINE is FED
TO MAN AND WIFE
ON POTATOES
Poisoning Mystery Battles
West Side Police-Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Reekie Par
take of Tubers on Which
Deadly Drug Has Been
sprinkled-Liyes Are Say
ed by Prompt Measures.

An attempt to poison Thomas Reekie
and his wife, of 279 East Robie street,
was made Friday evening, when an un-
known person sprinkled a large guam
tity of strychnine over q dish of boiled
potatoes. Little of The adulterated
food was eaten, but a sufficient guam
tity of the poison was taken to make
both dangerously Ill. Prompt medi-
cal attendance was all that saved Mr..
and Mrs. Reekie from the deadly effects
Of the drug.
So much mystery surrounds the
case that the police department is baf-
fed. Detectives are at work and it is
hoped that within day Or two inyes-
tigation will bring to light the perpe-
traitor Of the deed
Reekie, who has been IN America less
than a year, says that he is without
an enemy. He can suggest no clue that
would lead the police to solve the mys-
terry, while his wife is equally at a loss
to find a motive for the attempt upon
their lives.
The Reckless occupy two rooms in the
house of H. c.. Montey. Mrs. Montey
is Mrs. Reckless sister and both wom-
en- are employed as seamstresses, Mrs.
Reekte at Stronge & Warmers, and her
sister at Guiterman Bros. Reekie is a
carpenter employed at the st. Paul
Foundry company's plant. Montey is
also a carpenter There are two Mon
tey children, boy seven years of age,
who attends school, and a baby girl,
three years old. The baby is left in
charge Of a Mrs. Chaplin, who lives on
Winifred street, while her mother and
father are at work. Neither Mr. and
Mrs Montey or the Reckless come home
at noon for dinner but O. lunch is al
ways left for Leland, Mrs. Montey's
son.
Leland says that when he returned
from school at noon Friday he found
the kitchen door open. Usually the
door is locked when his father and
mother are away and at such times the
key is left hanging in shed in the rear
of the house. When the boy saw the
door open he felt sure that either his
father or mother had returned, but a
search of the house revealed, that they
were not there.
home last night, "and before returning
to school closed the door. but did not
lock it. 1 left the key lying on the ta-
bic where 1t was when l came home.
After school 1 did not core home d.
rectly, but stayed to play With a crowd
of boys.
In the evening I told papa about
hnding the door open and he thought il
strange, as none Of us had been home
from early morning until I came at
noon.
''But we thought nothing of the open
door until my sister and her husband
complained that the potatoes tasted
bitter" interrupted Mrs. Montey. "Then
the thought of poison flashed before
me and grabbing the dish I ran to
Settlers drug store on State street. Mr..
Setter made hurried examination of
the potatoes and at once informed me
that they were sprinkled with strych-
nine. He told me to have Reekie and
my sister drink mustard water, but as
was leaving the store I met DR.. john
son, who gave me a prescription.
"Hurrying home I found Mr.. and
Mrs. Reekie quite Ill. / told them what
the druggist had said and made them
take the medicine DR.. Johnson gave
me. They swallowed It and at once