Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-09-10
General Fries Believes Part.
of Drink Supply Obtained
At Edgewood
SURVIVORS IMPROVE
Additional Case of Drunkenness In
ves,igated and Found to be Due to
eGrGinary Hair Tonic.

Wood alcohol taken from an iron
drum IN one of the gas plants at Edge
wood Arsenal was the probable cause
# the death of the nine men and the
illness Of the other four who were in
The ilfsted party Monday night at
the arsenal.
Louis kincade, civilian employe,
was treated for wood alcohol poison
;nr also yesterday, but found to have
been drunk OF hair tonic.
This is the preliminary conclusion
Of Big Gen. Amos a. Fries, chief
If the Chemical Warfare Service, in
l statement made yesterday after
noon It is his belief that the wood
slrch0i was used to supplement sup
niy Of whisky brought into the Edge
wood post from Timonium or Balti-
more by members Of the party who
rave died The four survivors will be.
discharged from the hospital today.
Eycnala:icn Of the military authori'
,:cs Il; Eisewood from any blame as,
% idx;ty in guarding supplies Of al
ohol 1t the arsenal is believed to
le certain.
lne military investigation is being
cnducted by special board of three
,li;ccrs appointed by General Fries.
Special Agent William Doyas is con-
| iuctir@ the outside investigation un-
!cr direction of Howard Boteler. head
+ The 5esl office Of the Department
! f Ju<.;co. 4 third investigation un-
;cr tn Edgewocd civil authorities is
Ijc:ng conducted by Justice Howard
N. Lr,gi- who held the inquest on the
Iinc deaths. Investigation is rendered
difficult because the principals in the
irarty are dead.
| Among the civilian employees at the
arsenal the belief persists that the
men drank the denatured and poison
ii -rain alcohol which had been pro-
.cctcd with armed guards and eiectr'-
ally charged wires until recently. but
he Investigators failed to find any
evidence that this alcohol had been
ampcrrd with.
It developed that civilian !ernployes
utariNr ;he post are not searched, ex
ert when carrying packages or are
'rder suspicion Drunkenness among
lie civilian employees is dealt with by
l;smiszaI according to Major Henry
r. C:artner. acting commander of the
Ypst. When asked whether any other
.iv;liar employees had been missed.
:he Naior said that it was impossible
20 keep check on the 700 constantly
hitting lahorers.
Naia" Gartner said that the bodies
of Michael OLeary and Lueius Nelson
were shipped to relatives, O4eary's
being brought to Baltimbre and Mel
sans sent to Springfield, Mass. The
,od;eS Of James Davis, of Salisbury,
and John Anderson, of Brooklyn, N.
Y. will hg shipped today. William +.
Meyers. If Baltimore, will probably
be buried in the posttcemetery.
The official statement issued by Gen
aral Fries in regard to the case fol-
lows in part:
THE best information we now. have
vas obtained from man named Pet
Tvs. lie took a drink, but not liking
Il SPIT most Of il out. In his story
the saws that man named McCuen
cne Of he first to die, gave him a
rink: that McCucn and two others
mo had hccn in Baltimore on Labor
Dsv. brought the liquor on the post:
that they had narty and apparently
IAN out If the liquor which they had
hrough. with them. but he could give
no further informa ton.
"Connccting TIE story Of Pettys
with what Davis says, it appears that
the men might have gotten some sd-
d:ticnal wood alcohol from the iron
drum in one of the gas plants.
There is nothing further known
about this occurrence and if the men
lid obtain anything on the post. it
apparently came fr:m the above mer-
toned drum Of wood alcohol. That
was known by all the worknen, in
Guiding McCuen.