PURE STRYCHNINE!

In late fall or early winter 1987, my late 83-year-old grandfather wrote a letter to Benjamin Balshone, R.Ph. Balshone, who died in 1991, published at least two books that I can find, so maybe he was interested in writing a book about the strychnine killings. A registered pharmacist, he had at least some connection to the O.S.U. College of Pharmacy where there are awards named after he and his wife, and he was a board member of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy from 1973-1977.

Part of that letter appears in The History of the College of Pharmacy at Ohio State University in  Chapter VI, simply entitled, The Poisonings.

I am publishing it here in its entirety. The mistakes Grandpa caught and corrected by hand are enclosed with (parenthesis). The mistakes I caught are enclosed with [brackets] and/or a sic. Emphasis is all his.

Dear Mr. Balshone,

Please forgive me for (not) having responded to your letter of September. I was in the hospital at the time the (letter) arrived and it became misplaced while I was not at home.

At 83 my memories sometimes become a little hazy, but I will endeavor to relate some of the events as I remember them. However I would suggest that (you) research the files of the Columbus Dispatch of that time and also the files of the Logan Republican, published by my father, A.E. Huls. Those files are on micro-film at the Ohio State Library.*

My brother and I roomed together at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house. He had been suffering from a cold and went to the University Health Service for an excuse from classes he had missed (something concerning a new (rule) about cutting classes, the details of which I can't remember). They gave him a prescription for cold capsules. It was filled by the pharmacy in the Colle(g)e of Pharmacy building.

He took one of the capsules at dinner that evening at the fraternity house. He had a date that evening and told me I could have his car if I would take him "down to the corner" which was the name for Fifteenth and High streets. As he went to get into the car is [his, sic]  legs collapsed and he could not walk. We carried him up to our room and called a doctor.

While the doctor was working on my brother, I went into the bathroom with one of the capsules, intending to take it as I also had a slight cold. Just then a fraternity brother came in saying the doctor wanted to see me. I put the capsule on (a) marble window sill and went to our room. The doctor told me my brother was dying. He was having convulsions and s(u)ffered an agonizing death.

Another student, a David Puskin of Canton, Ohio, died about the same time after having taken cold capsules from the University Pharmacy. Actual cause of the deaths was not known, but there were speculations about spinal menengitis [sic] and other similar causes of death.

The (U)niversity issued calls for the remaining capsules to be returned for a(n)alysis. Upon returning to school after my brother's funeral, I refused to turn the capsules in my possession over to the University (the capsule I had intended to take was still on the window ledge when I returned). The University found some of the capsules returned contained a trace of strychnine.

I took the capsules in my possession to Ray Hoyt, then City editor of the Columbus Dispatch and a friend of my brother. He took them to a private and independent chemist chemist [sic] and the result was PURE STRYCHNINE!

That of course broke the case wide open. Many believed it was murder. I refute this as my brother knew no one in the Pharmacy Department. It may have (been) an attempt at "wholesale slaughter' which has become so prevalent today. Personally I believe it mere carelessness on the part of students and faculty in the College of Pharmacy. Evidence given at the formal inquiry suggests this.

After a while (t)hen Go(v)ernor Vic Danahey called for an investigation of the P(h)armacy Department and he appointed the Dean to investigate the tragedy (to investigate itself).

For years I had a transcript of the hearing and investigation but it has become lost or misplaced. However I would believe an original is still on file by the State of Ohio.

The State of Ohio finally paid $10,000 to the parents of each student who died, which I believe was the standard death claim paid for industrial deaths at that time.

This has been written strictly from memory. I suggest that you review the newspaper files mention(e)d* and make inquiry as to the availability of the official report.

Sincerely,

Fred E. Huls

P.S. My typing also has slipped a little -- please excuse!

This letter shows a few errors.

• Grandpa always said Charley was murdered. Not intentionally, but randomly. It was no accident.
• Newspaper reports say Great-Grandpa Gene filed a claim for $15,000 but only received $7,500 -- as did David Puskin's father. However, Gene wrote a letter stating he received $10,000.
• I have found an R.G. Hoyt who was City Editor for the Columbus Dispatch in 1925.

*Grandpa Fred spent a considerable amount of time, money, and effort making sure the Logan Republican was on microfiche. Those films cannot be currently found.

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