Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-19
ONE MORE DIES
FROM CARELESS
DEED OF NURSE
SAN DIEGO POISON VICTIMS
NOW NUMBER FOUR
TWO MORE SERIOUSLY ILL, BUT
MAY RECOVER
Girl Who Caused Fatalities Also Pros
trated--Hospital Attendants Ex-
plain How Accident Occurred.
Eyes Were Injured
[By Associated press.l

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1S.-Four deaths
resulted-all told-from the carelessness
of Mary Arthur. 19-year-old nurse at
the county hospital; a fifth death is
expected, and four others are seriously
i'll, though their illness is not expected
to be fatal. The dead are:
J. YOUNG.
CHARLES KEMP.
HENRY c. SHUETTE.
AUGUST FISHER.
The latter died tonight.
Capt. A. Paulsen, b. Tisler, George
King and Mr.. Penny are seriously i'll.
All were taken sick yesterday after
noon. and the evidence of poison was
so great that an investigation was
started, ending finally in a confession
by Miss Arthur that she had neglected
to throw out some water in which
there was a quantity of atropine, and
that these patients had got hold of 1t
with their medicine She realized her
mistake as soon as they became i'll. but
did not confess her error until the in
vestigation had brought the deaths al
most home to her.
Two of Victims
Young died about midnight, Kemp
early this morning, and Shuette about
s o'clock
Miss Arthur is in a state of nervous
collapse, but is kept under surveillance
at the hospital.
The inquest is postponed until the
result in Paisler's case is known.
Miss Arthur has a sister, who is also
a nurse at the hospital. Their mother
resides in Los Angeles.
fisler died late tonight, being the
fourth victim to lose his life as the
result of the poisoning. DR.. Northrupt
the county physician, expressed the
opinion tonight that the end of the
death list has been reached and that
King and Penny, the surviving victims,
will recover.
The manner in which the poisoning
occurred is thus explained In the state
ment made by Miss Mary Arthur, the
nurse:
An atropine solution had been made
yesterday morning by Miss Arthur.
This solution was used to dilate the
eyes of one of the patients.
Shortly after making the solution
Miss Arthur left the ward in response
to a call to assist in an operation. She
left the solution in water pitcher. IL
is supposed that some one came
through the ward and noticing that
there was not much water in the
pitcher filled it up.
When Miss Arthur returned to the
ward she thought the solution had been
thrown away and that the pitcher had
been filled with clean water.
Several of the patients, laboring un-
der the impression that the pitcher con-
tanned pure water, poured themselves
drinks.
Miss Arthur used the water from the
pitcher in administering medicine to
several of the patients and also gave
some of the patients drinks from the
pitcher. When the patients became III
She realized that the solution had not
been thrown away, but held her silence
on account of fear of the results.
She is completely prostrated over the
affair and it is feared the accident may
result seriously for her. 1t is said that
her own eyes were injured by using the
atropine and the view has been ad-
vanced that her failure to make sure
{ at the poisonous solution was not
used as drinking water may have been
the result of temporary mental aberra-
ton.