Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-31
Police Making Investigation
After Analysis of Food
DiScIoseS Drug.
HOLIDAY CAKES FOUND
ACCIDENTALLY DEADLY
Discovery Is Made in Time to Pre-
vent Tragedies in Virginia
and Canada.

Following closely on disclosure by
Federal food and drug authorities of
their success in averting a possible
series Of lWcal Christmas tragedies by
their seizure of nine fruit cakes acci-
dentally poisoned with arsenic, munich
pal health officials announced todav
that quantities of the same poison had
been found in turkey dressing which
made 16 persons i'll Christmas oay at
the home of Mrs. Edith Caylor, 723
Fifth street northeast.
While governmental inquiry in the
fruit cake case has indicated the arse
mic was dumped into a flour sack in a
Falls Church home by children at play
source of the arsenic found in the tur-
Key and dressing at the Caylor resi-
dence was the subject of investiga-
tton today by local police.
The accidentally poisoned flour was
prevented from dealing death to the
family of Mr.. and Mrs. ]. Bernard
Parker of Falls Church and to recip-
tents OF fruit cakes baked by Mrs. Par
ker for The holiday trade, and the poi
Soneo turkey dressing almost brought
Tragedy to eight children and eight
aou4Cs VINO teasted at the Caylor home
Analysis Shows Poison.
chemical analysis of the turkev
ana dressing eaten at the Caylor home
made by DR.. John b. Reed, revealed
the presence of the deadly substance.
1t was not clear which was the source
OF the arsenic, but apparently it was
the dressing, since there was more in
the dressing than in the turkey meat,
according to DR.. Reeds report.
Health Officer William c. Fowler
turned the report over to Inspector E.
w. Brown, acting chief of police. and
Inspector Brown sent it to the Detective
Bureau, where it was assigned to De-
tect1ve Charles Mansfield for investiga-
ton. Mansfield said today that thus
lar he has failed to find any tangible
clue as to the source of the arsenic.
He said that he learned that the meal
was prepared in exactly the same man
ner as a Thanksgiving dinner which
was attended by no evil effects He ex-
poets to file a final report tomorrow
with Capt. walter Emerson, acting chief
OF the Detective Bureau.
Eighteen persons, nine of them chill
dren, sat at the table and partook of
the poisoned meal. Fifteen of them
became i'll, the other victim being the
colored maid employed by Mrs. Caylor
Apparently the amount of poison was
not enough for very serious harm as its
principal result was faintness and
nausea.
Those at the dinner besides Mrs.
Caylor were Mr.. and Mrs. G. H. Spence,
who live at the Caylor home; Mr.. and
Mrs. H. w. Reid of Delray, Va, and
their three children-Harold, 9; John,
8, and Geraldine, Z; Mr.. and Mrs. j. E.
Spaulding of Delray, Va, and their
children = Edith, IA: Jean, 8, and
Cecil, 8; Dr. and Mrs. c. c. Caylor of
1888 Warren street and their children
Catherine, 13; Claude, Z; Joan, S, and
Mary, 3.
Maggie Charity, the Caylor's colored
maid, was one of those made Ill.
All Have Recovered.
The three who did not suffer were
Mrs. Spaulding, Mrs. Caylor and
Catherine Caylor. Mr.. Reid and his
children were treated at Providence
Hospital. The others were treated at
home by DR.. Terrell Moody. In no case
was the illness very serious, and all the
victims have since recovered.
After the wholesale illnesses devel-
oped, the Health Department was noti-
fed, and samples of the food were taken
for chemical and archaeological exami-
nation. All of the food except the tur-
key and the dressing was reported pure
by DR.. Red and DR.. John Noble. bacteri-
ologist of the Health Department.
Only the quick work of Federal food
and drug inspectors is believed to have
prevented widespread series of Yule-
tide death feaSts from the fruit cakes,
but Uncle Sam was not brought into
the extraordinary case early enough
to prevent the poisoning of three near
by Virginia families.
Mrs. Parker, mother of four young
children and baker of the fruit cakes,
is confined to her bed in the Parker
home, on the Lewinsville road just out
side of Falls Church, but is rapidly re-
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