New-York tribune., 1922-08-04
Evidence That Handful
of Arsenic Was Put Into
Dough Lessons Mystery
of o Restaurant Deaths
Examination Shows
Other Food Pure
Owners of Lunch Room
Raise Reward to ST., 500;
Girl Victim Goes Blind

offcials Investigating the poison pie
| mystery are inclined to believe that
some one purposely put about hand
1ul of arsenic in batch of dough,
ready for baking, Monday moning. The
owners Of the Shelburn Restaurant,
ll21 Broadway, where about 100 per-
sons were poisoned, half dozen of
them fatally, are of the same opinion.
There is no question in Our minds"
said Harry II, Oshrin, attorney for
Samuel Drexler and Frank J. Rosen-
thai, members of the restaurant COM
pany, chat the poison was placed in
the dough maliciously and for das-
tardly purpose"
taurant proprletors had engaged a pri-
vate detective agency to cooperate
with the authorities in solving the
mystery. His clients were anxious
to take every possible step that might
be of assistance in discovering the
source of the poison, he said.
$500 Added to Reward
[ Although the placard announcing a
w
ing to the arrest and conviction of the
poisoner has been removed from the
I restaurant window, Mr.. Oshrin said
that the reward was still in force and,
in fact, had been increased by $500
through the generosity of an anony-
; nous friend of Mr.. Drexler, who was
anxious to see the shadow removed
from his restaurant.
The sign was taken out of the win
dow, the attorney said, because of the
attention it attracted. So large q
crowd stood staring at the placard all
day long, he said, that the police had
difficulty keeping the sidewalk clear in
front of the restaurant.
The@results of the analysis of food
samples taken from the restaurant, as
made public yesterday by Frank j.
Monaghan, acting Health Commits
sioner, are regarded as significant.
Huckleberry pie, huckleberry cake
and assorted cakes were found to con-
tain appreciable quantities Of arsenic.
A trace was found in some small
cakes. The huckleberry cake was found
to contain arsenic in such profusion
that the test tube in which the analysis
was made was clogged by the poison
precipitated.
No Trace in Other Foods
In the other of the forty-eight
samples of food examined so far no
trace of poison has been found. Every
article of food in the restaurant is
being tested for poison and even scrap
ings from the walls and shelves have
been analyzed TO determine whether
the poison might be an insecticide.
The scrapings showed no trace of
arsenic. which convinces Ole Salthe,
y Nf 10 /.
bureau of food and drugs, that the
huckieberry cake and other articles of
food accidentally.
Where it was found it existed in
such quantity almost as to preclude
the accident theory and the failure to
find any trace Of poison in scrapings
from the shelves and walls is decisive,
in Mr.. Salthe's opinion
Scrapings from pastry boards, roll
ing pins, bowls and other articles used
in the concoction of the huckleberry
cake and other pastries also have been
tested for poison without result. There
was no poison on any Of them.
In Dough Monday Morning
Yet the poison was in the dough when
it was put in the oven Monday morn
ing. 1t was learned from the bakers
that there was five pounds Of dough
left from the previous week which was
mixed with two pounds of fresh dough
Monday morning.
Spoons and other articles used in
the mixing of the dough showed no
traces of poison.
1t is regarded as fairly certain, there
fore, that the poison was placed in the
dough after the mixing and before the
baking. This narrows the search for
the poisoner to limits which make his
discovery seem possible, something of
which the Investigating officials here
tofore have had grave doubts.
Most of those who have been Ill from
the food poisoning were able to re-
turn to work yesterday, but there are
still many who have not yet recovered.
Elsie Schulman, eighteen years old, of
22l South Third Street. Brooklyn, who
said that she ate sturgeon, rolls and
coffee in the Shelburn on Monday, suf-
fesed at least Temporary loss Of eye
sight. Late last evening she showed
some improvement. Her friend Fan
ME Moskowitz, of 1880 Forty-seventh
Street, Brooklyn, who had lunch with
her and ate meat, pie and coffee, was
reported last night to be out Of danger.
Nothing could be learned at the
Office of the District Attorney yester-
day which would indicate that any
progress had been made there. eve
are not any nearer solution Of the
mystery than we were," said District
Attorney Banton. Eve have obtained
no clew worth while and no one is
re Jiv .11yodar suspicfon