The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-10-19
MECCA OF DEATH.
Such Proves 10 be Drinking Place
in New York.
WOOD ALCOHOL DID THE WORK.
Twenty-Five Customers Who Drank
at Fritsche's Barrel House
Died in a Few Hours
After Drinking.

New York has sensational case on
hand. Acting under instruction from
the coroner, the police have taken
into custody Rudolph Fitsche, who.
keeps little saloon at 723 Tenth ave-
nue., New York. Fitsche is charged
only with being a suspicious person,
but the Police say that in his saloon,
it is suspected, whiskey was sold
which contained poison, and this
whiskey is responsible fer the many
deaths that have occurred in the
neighborhood recently. Fritsche only
recently bought the place, which is Of
the variety generally described as
barrel house.
Investigation of the numerous
deaths in the neighborhood during
the past few weeks showed that nearly
all these who had died suddenly were
customers OF the "barrel-house."
Frit:che, after being taken to the sta
tion house, was admitted to bail. he
returned to the saloon, but the police
followed, closely questioned the pro-
prietor and closed the doors.
twenty-five persons living in the
neighborhood, all OF them middle
aged have died during the past two
weeks. The symptoms were in the
main identical. They were charac.
terized by the attendant physicians
in all cases as those OF alcoholism. In
the past twenty y-four hours one death,
that of Robert Smith has been report
ed while the following awaited burial:
Michael McAulife, aged As, died
Saturday.
Charles McLeavy, aged so, died :
Sunday.
William Delain died Friday, aged
4S.
Adolphe Lehman, died Sunday.
Nora M3Ginnes, died Sunday.
All these persons resided in pre-.
Scribed territory. Lehman's stomach
and a bottle Of whiskey purchased in
the nsighborhcod were taken to the
health department. for analysis the
result Of which has not yet been made
public.
a doctor living In West Forty
Eighth street, who was called to
attend several OF the persons mention
ed said that while the cases he had
seen we're painly enough alcoholism,
there was yet something peculiar in
such an outbreak Of the ailment in SO
territory.
II was called" said he, to see Nc. :
Leavy. McAulife lay dead Of the
same disease in room just across the
hall when I got there and McLeayy
was already dead when I arrived.
st would appear as though there
had been something in the form Of
alcoholic beverage they had been tax
ing which had a powerful effect In
arresting the hearts action. have
found that in the case Of several who
died they had been in the habit Of
buying whiskey at the rate OF ten
cents a pint and that in some in
stances they drank great quantities,
pouring it into ordinary drinking
tumblers full and pouring it down as
though it were water. It is barely
possible the wtiskey was made Of
wood alcohol"
Coroner Scholer has ordered the
chief statistician Of the department.
of health to furnish him list of all
persons who have died durirg the past
three months in the district lying
between 465h and SD streets, Ninth
avenue and the North river. All will
be investigated and if it is thought
advisable In any instance, the bodies
will be exhumed.
a report submitted later to Police
Captain Hussey by the department OF
health analyst, alleges that wood
alcohol was found in Lehman's
stomach and it is further alleged that
a. bottle of whiskey purchased by a
detective also contained large per-
centage Of wood alcohol.
Determined that no mistake should
be made, Coroner Scholer at once
ordered that the funeral OF McAuliffe
and McLeavy be postponed and their
stomachs analyzed.
Samples also were taken from bar
rels Of whiskey in Fritsche's saloon
and the police took entire charge Of
the place. Coroner Scholer declares
it is his opinion that the same kind
Of whiskey will be found in other
saloons and that other deaths will be
traced to it's use.
InsuIted His Wife.
b. a. ViGetto, prominent mer-
chant, OF Augusta, Ca, was shot and
killed Friday night by Il. D. Chap
man for an alleged insult to his wife.
pooro eorvant oir1 of Hhanroan,c