Star of David

David I. Puskin

Sunday, February 1, 1925, dawned. Without social media, most of the people on campus were still unaware of Charley's death the night before.

David Isaac Puskin of Canton, Ohio awoke early. He, too, had a cold and took an R&W his friend Louis Fish of Canton had kindly procured for him from the OSU dispensary before he went to shave. I'm sure it was a leisurely morning for David. The oldest child of Jewish immigrants from Russia, he had no need to rush for church services.

Not much is known about David at this time. He was shown in both the 1910 and 1920 federal censuses with his parents, Louis and Maimie Pushkin (spellings vary: Puskin, Pusken, Pushkin), and younger siblings: Abraham, Ethel, and Harry. He was apparently a football star in Canton, but not at OSU where he was currently a junior.

I'm still not sure if David was in a boarding house or another fraternity (newspaper sources differ) but another person in the house heard strange sounds emanating from the bathroom. When they went to investigate, David was found thrashing on the floor. His death was quicker but not any more merciful. David was 21.

David's death was initially attributed to meningitis, also known as the dreaded and contagious spotted fever.

I don't know if there was an autopsy or not, but David's death certificate states meningitis as the cause of death -- but with "accidental strychnine poisoning" as a contributor.

Those were the early theories: Charley died from tetanus and David died from meningitis. The campus was in a frenzy by Monday, but the students weren't safe yet.

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