Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-09-16
NEWMAN ERB IS
IMPROVED; MAY
SURVIVE POISON
Railroad Magnate Passes a
Comfortable Night, His Ply
sioians Announce.
Special to the Evening Star.

DEAL, Sept. 16.-Newman Erb
wealthy flnancier and railroad reor-
ganizer, who swallowed two poison
tablets by mistake, Is today confined
to his summer home, THE Corners, >
here, awaiting the outcome of the ef-
forts being made by three specialists
to save his life. He spent a COM
Portable night, is virtually free from
pain and entirely conscious.
The physicians hope that the
prompt rejection of the poison by the
stomach and the first aid rendered
by Mr.. Erbs valet prevent all bui
a small amount of the poison from
entering the financier's system. How.
ever, they have told Mr. Erb and hi.
family that If considerable quantity
of the poison entered 1t would be two
! and possibly four or five days before
any serious symptoms become appar-
ent. In the meantime every possible
effort Is being made to counteract the
effects of any poison that may be In
his system. The operation of scrapine
the kidneys, which has often proved
successful in similar cases of poison
ing, will not be resorted to in this
case ii was said, on account of Mr.
Erb's age, sixty-five years. Mr.. Erb's
daughters, Mrs. Irving Nj. Often
hoefer and Mrs. Jesse Mayer, and
their husbands are with Mr. Erh
constantly.
Took Them for a Headache.
Mr. Erb's family today explained
how he came to take the poison. He
was returning to Deal from New
York, having spent the previous day
and night In Philadelphia In his
travelling bag he carried a bottle of
headache tablets and another con-
tanning poison tablets, which he used
in making wash for an injured
foot. Mr.. Erb had a headache when
he boarded the train and took the
tablets from one of the bottles. A
short time later he was taken i'll.
At Matawan the conductor of the
train telegraphed ahead to Elberon
station. near Mr.. Erb's home, and
David Matthews, the Erb manser-
want, in the absence of the family,
met Mr.. Erb at the Elberon station.
He took him home in a taxicab,
stopping at the house of DR.. Robert
! Offenbach, Mr.. Erb's physician dur
ing the summer. The doctor was
playing golf, so Matthews admins
tered to Mr.. Erb some eggs he found
| in the Doctors kitchen and took him
home and put him to bed
| While Mr.. and Mrs. Irving M. Dit
tenhoefer and Mr.. and Mrs. Jesse
Mayer, Mr.. Erb's daughters and sons
| in-iaw, were being summoned DR.. Ed
ward Sternburger and DR.. Offenbach
arrived. DIR. Leo Kessler, a bichlo-
ride poisoning expert, was called
from New York. They found that
Mr.. Erb. although delirious and in
great pain, was still not In necessari-
Iy dangerous condition, provided he
passes the crisis in bichloride poison
| Ing cases, usually the third day.
Because of his prominence in the
railroad and financial world, Mr.
Erb's case is attracting much atten-
tion. It recalls the remarkable fight
made in behalf of B. Sanders Walker,
young banker of Macon, Ca, who
suffered a similar mishap. Walker
took a single poison tablet on May IA,
1918, but despite the efforts of doctors
and his own cheerful help in the
fight, he died eight days later.
Since then there have been several
such cases, some of which proved
| fatal, while in one case at least a
cure was effected.