DEATH IN SODA PACKAGES

Evening Star, Issue 22228, 4 January 1936, Page 7

DEATH IN SODA PACKAGES

Death lurked on the pantry shelves of hundreds of San Francisco homes last week. Housewives in the thicklypopulated Mission district shuddered as they heard, by radio and newspaper, that repacked bags of poisoned baking soda had been scattered throughout the section. ■ “ Three deaths, nine cases of violent sickness,, and scor.es of others reporting symptoms of arsenic poisoning were yesterday’s toll from the sale by a local salvaging concern of nearly half a ton of the dangerous compound since October 23,” said the San Francisco ‘ Chronicle ’ on November 20. Dr J. C. Geiger, San Francisco City Health Officer, declared: “ I fear this may be a case of attempted mass murder. There seems to be every reason to suspect this was not an accidental mixture.. Had the poison been poured by mistake into one or more barrels you would have found all soda, or all arsenic in spots. This stulf appers too well mixed to permit us to look ou it as accidental.” . ; Poison food also appeared in the county jail at Indianapolis. Physicians treated 80 persons stricken after eating the noon meal. The poison was traced to disinfectant poured into the gravy served to the inmates.