Evening star., 1939-01-01

l7-year- old white girl-had been
suffering from an infected leg, the
result Of a scratch inflicted by a
piece of barbed wire. She died a
week after taking the elixir"
Two shipments were traced to
East st. Louis, ILL.,, where 1t was
discovered that 49 prescriptions had
been filled. All the prescriptions
had been issued to colored persons
and in most cases the identification
Of the purchasers was extremely
difficult. One patient was listed
only as Betty Jane, months old:
another as Mrs. Jackson (no ad-
dress)." There was one willie
Smith" or the list. All that was
known Of him was that he was ION
relief" After eliminating white per-
sons Of similar names, the inspec-
tor was confronted with six colored
Willie Smiths" to investigate. He
finally found the right one and OBJ
tanned the bottle before enough had
been taken to cause harm.
This same inspector followed the
trail Of one prescription to the
home of a colored woman in East
st. Louis. She said she had thrown
the medicine out Of the window,
into an alley. The bottle, still un-
broken, was found, with enough Of
the contents to kill a child.
A large drug firm in st. Louis,
Mo-, had received a shipment Of
seven pints. The inspector ascer-
tanned that five pints had been sold
to retail drug stores in various parts
Of the city. To find which stores
had received the poison required a
painstaking examination of 10000
sales slips. Within two days the
five pints had been accounted for,
and four were confiscated unopened.
One four-ounce prescription had
been filled from the fifth pint. The
patient was found-apparently suf-
fering no Ill effects.
In Memphis 1t was found that
three eight-ounce bottles had been
sold over drug counters. The names
OF only two purchasers were known.
One bottle was traced to a colored
man, who disclosed he had dropped
and broken the bottle after imbibing
a negligible amount. He was able
to identify the unknown purchaser
as a white man employed in a
grocery. The latter had not been
adversely effected by the dose. The
pair was persuaded by the in
spector to undergo hospital exami-
nation.
The hunt for the third consumer
led to one Joe Brown, colored en-
ploye of q filing station, who said
he bought the medicine for G. w.
Miller, white employe of the station.
Miller had died at hospital after
drinking half a bottle of the mix
ture.
The terse hospital record Of
Miller's case gives typical symptoms
of the poisoning:
November 16-Severe abdominal
pain, nausested and vomiting.
Acute anuria, probably chemical in
origin. Bichloride suspected.
November 17-Condition about
same. Urticarial rash over body.
November 19-More stuperouS.
Does not answer questions.
November 20-Acidodic. Hyper
nes. Color blush. In straight
jacket. Measly rash over body. Hav-
ing convulsions."
One inspector was assigned to in
vestigate shipment from st. Louis
to Blevins, Ark. He was told by a
druggist that prescriptions had been
filled for three girls. Two Of these
were found in time to prevent tragic
consequences, but the address OF
the third girl, Jewell Long, was moi
known. The Federal ofi1cer visited
a number of nearby towns before he
obtained a clue. At McGaskill he
was apprised that "a Long girl II
being buried down the road q few
miles" He drove to the girls home
while the funeral was in progres.
and, when the rites were concluded
confirmed his fears. Jewell Lonf
had taken a fatal dose Of th'
elixir"
While groups of inspectors wer'
pressing their inquiries in cities ant
towns, fellow investigators were fol
lowing elusive leads into remot'
, rural sections.
An inspector in quest Of one small
. bottle of the solution used severa
forms of locomotion before catch
ing up with his quarry in Southern
|, mountain region. He went as far b,
automobile as roads would permit
, | Then hA hired a horse and traVelet
j 1see DEATH ELIXIR, Page B-sJ