The French connection

Whenever stories are sent out by the Associated Press or other wire services, local editors can edit depending on space. As I was reading through my clippings and online accounts, I came across a new bit of information.

Two-ounce French bottle circled.

Unable to sleep as a result of the developments in the first five days, Dr. Clair A. Dye, dean of the college of pharmacy,  returned to the dispensary and personally examined all the shelves in the room late Wednesday, Feb. 4, 1925. 

Pushed back out of the way and with a coating of dust, the nearly full bottle was a square French bottle with capacity of two ounces. Previously unaware of its presence, it was not in an original container and it was his theory that perhaps the original bottle was broken and the odd bottle was used to rescue the contents of 300 grains of strychnine.

Instead of the ordinary printed label, the "orphan" bottle had a plain label on which the name of the poison had been lettered with a blue pencil. The identity of the writer was not known at the time, but was quickly identified to be professor William E. Keyser.

Dr. Keyser told the probers he had obtained the supply of strychnine the previous year for use of students practicing preparation of a standard liquid tonic containing iron, arsenic and strychnine. He said he had obtained it from the general chemical stock room in the building and. had himself labelled the bottle and attached the "poison'' warnings. Clerks at the stock room said the drug was doled out for use in pharmacy courses on order of instructors and only in peculiarly shaped sealed ounce bottles. Dr. Keyser did not explain to the probers why such a large amount of the drug had been obtained. Only a small quantity was used at the time in this practice work, he said.

It was also revealed that the rear door of the dispensary was left unlocked at night, leaving officials to wonder if someone not connected with the College of Pharmacy slipped into the building and purposely placed capsuled strychnine in the receptacle containing capsuled quinine.

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