The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-02
Mrs, Joseph Spiro Meets Most Tragic and Painful
 Death
HUSBAND PREPARED
 TIE FATAL DRAU5HT
Death Followed in Fifteen Minutes. Suffering Woman Complained Of Rlindncss-Was Wife
 Eut a Year.

The fearful mistake Of swallowing a tablespoonful Of oxalic acid for a dose of epson salts was fatal to the life of Mrs. Jospeh Spiro yesterday morning. The young woman, who was but 20 years old, died in agony in less than 15 minutes after swallowing the deadly poison. The Spires live at 1905 Seventh avenue north.
 The death was the result of a tragic accident. The young woman had been conValescent for some time and was feeling well, but shortly before the dose of salts which her husband had prepared for her. It seems that MT. Spiro took a small bag of what he be- lieVed to be epson salts from the medi- cine shelf and put tablespoonful of the drug in half a glassful of water. He noticed that the grains did not dis solve readily and emptied the glass. He prepared another dose with which he was better satisfied.
 When Mrs. Spiro slipped the dose, she remarked that it did not taste like salts, but 1t seems that her husband told her to drink it, as he had mixed it and knew it was salts. The young woman drank and within q few mn- utes began to feel the effects.
 Complained of Blindness.
 As soon as she complained pr. Lup- ton, whose infirmary is only a short ct e, notified, and told that Mrs. Spiro had by mistake been given large dose of alum instead of salts Dr. Lupton told them to give her some water to make her vomit This was done and had the effect intended
 Dr. Lupton immediately went to the Spiro nome to attend Mrs. Spiro, ar irving there about 10 minutes after she had swallowed the dose. The acid must have produced great pain in the ab- domen, according to Dr. Lupton's state- ment, but Mrs. Spiro spoke only once after she took the acid. She remarked shortly after swallowing it that she believed she was going blind
 Dr. Lupton gave immediate but nee- essarily very nasty attention to the patient. but shortly after he arrived the poisoned young woman had one short conVulsion and died.
 The Horrible Mistake. Oxalic acid is compounded in the form of crystalline substance very much like salts, and while the mistake of MT. Spiro was one of the most hor- rible imaginable, he is not to be blamed The bag containing the acid had no label on it, and the contents could very reasonably be mistaken for salts.
 Dr. Lupton states that there was n considerable amount of the acid undis- solved in the bottom of the glass and thinks that Mrs. Spiro swallowed pos sibly half a teaspoonful of the poison.
 The death of Mrs. Spiro is indeed a very sad occurrance She was Miss Irene Rae Spiro, daughter of Mir. and Mrs s. Spiro, and first cousin to her husband. She was married to Joseph spiro year ago this Thanksgiving, and they had planned to start housekeeping next April. Mrs. Spro was a young woman just past her goth birthday, and was very popular among the younger married set of the city.
 No funeral arrangements were made yesterday on account of the absence or Walter Spiro, brother of the deceased. The brother is attending Bingham col lese in North Carolina and funeral arr
 i., Ia reaches this city