Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-27

and December 20.
Chicopee, Mass, Dec. 20. hirty-
four deaths had resulted tonight
from the drinking of liquor bought
in Hartford. Conn, and drunk in
this city, police say. Yesterday. last
night and today. q men and one
woman died in Chicopee, 10 men
in Hartford and four in Holyoke.
A number of other men were in
critical condition tonight at hos
pitals in Holyoke and Springfield.
-Four men were under arrest in Hart
ford and two in Chicopee pending
the result of autopsies to be held
late tonight.
Police Investigations indicates that
the liquor, which was sent to Hart
ford from New York, contained
wood alcohol. Parts of it was sold
at bar in Hartford, part was
bought at that place by persons who
carried it away and part was sent
to a hotel in Chicopee Falls. State
and federal authorities in Massa
chusetts and Confiecticut were aid
ing the police of Chicopee, Hart
ford, Holyoke ard Springfield TO-
night in their, efforts to determine
responsibility for the deaths.
Two men were arrested by the
Chicopee police and are being held
pending autopsies. They are Charles
Perry, brother of Alex Perry, pro-
prietor OF the American house,
Chicopee, and William A. Baker, a
bartender.
Proprietor Not Held.
The Chicopee police announced
:hat Alex Perry, proprietor of the
American house in Chicopee Fails,
had left the city and a search for
him had not revealed his where
abouts. Charles Perry was released
tonight under $4,000 bonds pend
ing the outcome of the autopsy. .
The police and physicians believe
there are many more i'll as result
of drinking the liquor and have not
vet been reported, as the police de-
clared considerable of the iiquor was
sold in this section.
Although M edical Examiner
Fletcher would NOT state positivelv
that the deaths were due to wood
alcohol, it was stated at the hospitals
that the cases no doubt were due to
this form of alcohol. The victims
were affected similarly, most of them
becoming paralyzed.
AS soon al it was evident that
scme form of liquor was causing
the deaths, all saloons in the valley
were ordered to sell no more of it
The American house in Chicopee
Falls was closed and a special SQUAD
OF police detailed to keep guard.
At midnight the Chicopee police
announced that charges of mar
slaughter had been brought against
Charles Perry and William Baker.
who have been held pending investi-
cations.
Ten Dead in Hartford.
Hartford, Dec 26.-Two men died
IN hospital late tonight from the
effects of drinking liquor sold in
Windsor street saloons, bringinpthe
death list here to 10. Hospital and
police reports told of six more dan
gerously i'll from drinking a com
pound believed to be largely wood
alcohol. -Four men, two Of them
saloon keepers, are under arrest
charged with murder.
-Four Dead in Chicago.
Chicago, Dec. 26.-Four men were
dead here from drinking wood alco-
hol as substitute for whisky on
Christmas day, according to the DO
lice.
81 Deaths Reported.
New York, Dec. 26.-Twent.-
seven deaths from drinking wood
alcohol and several cases of poison-f 4
ing have occurred in Manhattan be-.
tween November | and December
~. according to official figures made
public by Medical Examiner Charles
Norris. DR.. Norris, declared that n
his opinion these figures did not
nearly represent the full toll in death
and sickness due to taking the
poison as beverage. as he believed
that many deaths aud illnesses re-
ported as due to apoplcxy, acute
abdominal trouble and other causes
xGerN ranf1,y