Bring out your dead

Services for Uncle Charley were held in one of the two front parlors.
Nine years later joint services for both of his parents would be held in those same front parlors.

I do not remember now where I first read this, but on Monday, Feb. 2: Dr. W.G. Rhoten, Hocking County Health Commissioner, was refused entrance into the Huls home in Logan. He wanted to check, or test, Charley's body for spinal meningitis.

The next day this orphan clipping appeared:

Funeral Services for Plague Victim
Logan Youth Stricken by Meningitis

LOGAN, O., Feb. 3. -- On advice of Dr. W.G. Rhoten, city health commissioner, funeral services for Charles H. Huls who died in Columbus Saturday night were held privately at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Huls on East Hunter Street Tuesday afternoon at one o'clock.

This action was taken by the health commissioner after it was learned that the death certificate which was issued in Columbus by Dr. J.L. Gordon bore the statement that the cause of death was [2.] meningitis. A change was made in the certificate which at first stated that the death was due to [1.] tetanus, after a second death occurred and an investigation disclosed that the cause of it was [2.] "epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis." This fact caused a change to be made in the certificate.*

Dr. Rhoten was called by Dr. Beer in Columbus who suggested that an effort be made to hold a post mortem over the body of Huls. This was deemed inadvisable by the parents and the inquest was dropped.

Precautionary measures were taken by health officials to prevent any possibility of a contagion of the disease from spreading.

Charley's death certificate was later changed a third and final time to read, "Accidental Strychnine Poisoning."

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