Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1916-04-21
Poisons Self
With Acid


This community was shocked
Sunday evening to learn Of the
untimely and unexpected death
of Mrs. Lester Martin. Sunday
Mrs. Martin stayed at home all
day on account of a slight cold.
At about 1890 o'clock that ev-
ening she complained of having
a sore throat. While Mr.. Mar
tin was building a fire in the
kitchen stove to prepare her
some coffee she stepped on a
chair in the kitchen saying she
was going to get some medicine
off the shelf-a gargle her
mother had prepared. On the
shelf there was two ounce !
bottle containing a small guam
tity of red medicine, about one
fourth full. Mr.. Martin said
this bottle had been on the shelf
a long time. He told his wife
not to take any medicine not
labeled. He also said not to
gargle her throat out of the bot
tie, so he gave her a wine glass
to use. She said to her hus-
band, You know l can't gargle."
She then asked him to make her
a cup of hot coffee. She then,
asked him if she would have to
take a dose of salts and he told
her yes. At this time she was
still standing on the chair in the
kitchen. Mr.. Martin then went
into the sitting room to build
fire because his wife was COM
planning of being chilly. ''In
making the fire." said Martin, 81
blacked my fingers and went to
the sink to wash. My wife was
just then coming into the sitting
room. Just before she started
in / heard her spit in the sink
a thing she never did before.
went to the sink and it smelled
like carbolic acid. BY this time
she had laid down on the bed in
the sitting room. She said q
am awfully sick She raised VI
and attempted to vomit. She
put her fingers in her mouth tc
aid in vomiting. She turned or
her face but could not yomit
She then put her hands on my
shoulders, looking me strangely
in the face and pushed herself
back in bed. She never spoke
after that but went into a com
atose and unconscious state ant
died in about two hours. From
the time she took the medicine
she thought was gargle till she
became unconscious was three
or four minutes. l kissed hel
and then / smelled the odor ol
carbolic acid on her breath.
went into the kitchen where she
had placed the little glass bot
tom up on the shelf and smelle(
the carbolic acid. Where the
mouth of the glass rested on the
shelf it left small ring the
same color as the medicine IL
the two-ounce bottle. took {
tooth pick and removed a small
particle of the medicine that haC
come out of the bottle ant
placed it on my lip and it burned
the lip, but the color of the burr
was dark. ! gave her the small
wine glass that she used. i
seems evident that the large ant
small glass contained the sam,
medicine that was I'm the small
bottle that she mistook for th
throat gargle. 1t had the sam
color and the same odor.
moved this same bottle on tn
shelf Sunday morning and 1t ha,
the same red color. 1t had n
label and l did not know what
was. It had been on the shel
at least a year" This is tn
statement of Mr.. Martin, and h
was the only one present unit
Mrs. Martin became uncon
scious. Several witnesses wer
examined and the glass and bot
tie containing the medicine wer
on exhibition for the coroner
fury to examine. This is tn
verdict of the coroner's jury
1--WE, the jury empaneled to In
vestigate the cause OF the deaf
of Mrs. Lester Martin, find fror
the evidence produced that de
ceased came to her death by ac
cident caused by her own hands
Signed. A. Schumacher, foreman
G. A. Arnson. NJ. A. Abbey, Chas
Welch. Elmer Patrick, M. Walk
smouth. o. r. Hillingsworth
coroner" Or. Fawcett wa
called but too late to render an,
assistance. Mr.. and Mrs. Mil
Ter the mother and step-fathe
of Mrs. Martin, and her two lit
tie brothers came In from Port
land Tuesday evening. Thi