Quizzed in Ohio death probe

I have been lucky twice now to score on eBay old press photos relating to the murders: the photo of David Puskin which I primarily use, and now this photo of Dr. S. [sic] Shindel Wingert.

Dr. H. Shindel Wingert

The caption pasted on the back of the photo reads:

With the deaths of two students at the Ohio State University, supposedly from strychnine poisoning, and the illness of at least three others, after partaking of capsules for cold cure, issued from the pharmacy colle(g)e dispensary, university and police officials are engaged in a vigorous investigation. Because of the baffling manner in which only a certain number of the capsules have been found to contain poison out of the bottle supposedly containing nothing but capsules of quinine, has led the authorities to believe the strychnine was administered intentionally. The medicine was issued to students upon prescriptio(n) from Dr. S. [sic] Shindel Wingert, head of the University health services.

Poor Dr. Harry Shindel Wingert apparently never recovered from the scandal. He went on leave after a breakdown in 1926. He returned to OSU in 1928 but died within two months. He was buried in Lancaster Cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

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The result of 'deliberate' acts

Marysville Journal-Tribune
Marysville, Ohio
Friday, July 2, 1926 • Page 1

MAKE REPORT ON O.S.U. MYSTERY

 

SUBSTITUTION OF CAPSULES CONTAINING STRYCHNINE FOR QUININE CAPSULES TERMED "DELIBERATE"

COLUMBUS, July 2 --Governor Donahey today reiterated that he will not drop the investigation into the "poison capsule" deaths of two Ohio State University students as long as he is governor in the hope that the criminal or criminals responsible can be apprehended.

The declaration followed the report of the state board of pharmacy that the strychnine poisoning, which was in January and February of 1925, was not due to accident or carelessness,  but the result of "deliberate" acts of unidentified person or persons. The students who died were Charles H. Huls, Logan, and David I. Puskin, Canton. Four other students were ill from poisoning, but recovered.

Capsules containing strychnine were handed the students when they applied to the university dispensary for capsules containing quinine, according to all evidence. It has never been discovered how the poison capsules got into the jar with the quinine capsules.

The board report states that Ohio State University violated the law by not having a registered pharmacist in the dispensary at all times, but held that this violation had nothing to do with the poisoning. All officials and employes [sic] of the university were cleared.

In the report, physicians were scored for faulty diagnosis or failure to report promptly to the university. "Prompt action might have saved lives," the report states.

One of the most important statements in the report is: "Carelessness or accident in compounding as the source of the poisoning is proven absolutely absent. Thorough investigation shows no trace of poisonous admixtures as would have been the case with carelessness or accident in compounding. All strychnine was in separate capsules as though added to the stock in a limited number."

There is one difference in the opinion of the board and that of Police Prosecutor John J. Chester, who conducted a probe following the poisoning and is still watching the case. Chester states that he does not believe the strychnine necessarily came from outside the college of pharmacy as: "my investigation disclosed that at least two ounces of strychnine, enough to kill 200 persons, was not accounted for by the officials of the college of pharmacy."

In the board report, it is stated that chemical analysis and examination of strychnine found in capsules convinces the board the strychnine was not obtained from the university supply and that there is evidence the poison capsules were of a different make from those used by the university.

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To all intents and purposes

•  The Times Recorder (Zaneville, Ohio) July 2, 1926.

GOVERNOR TOLD OFFICERS OF "U" BLAMELESS

    COLUMBUS, O., July 1. (AP) Unknown persons deliberately mixed strychnine capsules with those containing quinine resulting in the death of two Ohio State University students in January 1925, the state board of pharmacy reported today to Governor Donahey today. The poison was dispensed with quinine from the university dispensary.

    While the report by the pharmacy board is to all intents and purposes complete, so far as can be made at this time, Governor Donahey declared the investigation will go forward so long as he's the state's chief executive in the hope that clues will be developed which will result in the "identification and prosecution of the criminal or criminals responsible."

    Students who died from taking the poison capsules thinking they were quinine were Charles H. Huls of Logan and David I. Ruskin [sic] of Canton. Four others were made ill by taking them but recovered. The report states that slow diagnosis by attending physicians or failure to report the diagnosis to university authorities, was in a measure responsible for the two deaths.*

    The report says that the origin and responsibility for the poison mixture with the quinine still is unsolved and that there is no direct clue "except that the strychnine evidently came from outside sources."

Not From Dispensary

    The report was positive that the poison did not come from the university dispensary. It also is contended that carelessness or accident in the compounding as the source of the poison is "proven absolutely absent" as all the strychnine was in separate capsules as though it had been added to the quinine stock.

    In its final conclusion, the board said that "the capsules were filled with strychnine and deliberately placed in the quinine dispensing bottle by persons filling them or they were placed there by direction of some one who knew their contents."

Officials Absolved

    Governor Donahey said that if the university dispensary which has been closed since the tragedy is again to be opened it must be under rules, regulations and management approved by the state board of pharmacy. The report absolved university officials from charges they were operating a drug store illegally as no laws had been violated in dispensing quinine and that they were nut responsible for the poison.

    The report made to the governor was voluminous and contained thousands of pages of testimony. It was ordered by Governor Donahey in February 1925 and has been under way almost continuously since that time. Prepared by Secretary M.N. Ford, it was officially approved by the board June 25.

Sadly, it appears that every single copy of this report was either lost or destroyed, but I am still looking. 

 

*I do not know why this was set bold and indented.

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A Brown study

I was intrigued to learn more about Clarence M. Brown, the professor who incurred the wrath of my great-grandfather Gene for directing a production of "Can't Afford It" at the Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association Convention to be held July 19-23 at Cedar Point, Sandusky*  I became even more interested when I discovered he was one of the two people who had any strychnine "under lock and key."

Marysville Journal-Tribune
Thursday, Feb. 5, 1925

Check Made. 

    Careful check was made yesterday of the supplies of strychnine in the possession of the college of pharmacy. There are seven bottles. Four of these, it was learned, still have upon them the unbroken seals placed there by the manufacturers. One, partly empty, has been in the possession of Dean Clair E. Dye and he says has been under look and key in a room separate from the dispensary. The two others are kept locked in the desk of Clarence M. Brown, assistant professor in the department and, he says, have not been out of his possession.

The (Zanesville, OH) Times Recorder
Friday, Feb. 6, 1925

FORMER ZANESVILLE TEACHER NOW ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

    Prof. Brown, assistant in the college of pharmacy and one of the custodians of the stocks of drugs, is a former teacher in the Zanesville high school and is an expert pharmacist, having been employed at a local drug store while a resident of this city and not actively engaged in his work as a teacher. His ability and carefulness will not be questioned for a moment by any who know him. The theory among the student body, and the probable solution of the mystery, is that in the hurry of filling capsules some student made an honest mistake and misread a blurred "strychnine" label as "quinine," being deceived by the similarity in the ending of the terms and like appearance of the powder at first glance.

 

Ohio State Lantern

Monday, Feb. 23, 1925

    Secretary Clarence M. Brown of the Pharmacy College feels confident that the Dispensary is, and has always been conducted to conform with the state laws, and does not believe that the ensuing investigation will result in any conviction of the supervisors, or throw any new light on the poison cases.

Prof. Brown was then mentioned in a letter written to my great-grandfather on June 15, 1926 by Theo. D. Wetterstroem, secretary of The Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association:

It so happened that Mr. McLean personally knew the ability of Dr. Clarence Brown of directing amateur plays from his experience in former years when connected with the Zanesville High School. In this manner Dr. Brown and his class at the O.S.U. was selected and not for any purpose of vindication or reference to what had occurred at the university. As to the selection of the cast this was left to Dr. Brown.

The (Zanesville, Ohio) Times Recorder

Monday, June 26, 1961 

Ex-Teacher Here Dies In Columbus 

    Clarence M. Brown, 74, who taught biology, chemistry and dramatics at Lash High School here from 1912 to 1920 and then became a teacher of pharmacy at Ohio State University, was dead on arrival at 11 p.m. Saturday at University Hospital, Columbus. 

    He had apparently suffered a heart attack at his home at 2425 Arlington road, Upper Arlington, Columbus. 

    A native of Galion, Ohio, he was a member of the Masonic lodge in Zanesville. He was a [1911] graduate of OSU and while teaching here had continued his studies to prepare for the pharmacy profession. 

    He was a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association, three honorary pharmacy fraternities, the OSU Faculty Club, and was secretary of the School of Pharmacy until his retirement in 1953. He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Columbus. 

    Surviving are his widow, Helen: a son, Dr. Gordon C. Brown of Ann Arbor, Mich., and two grandchildren. 

    The body is at the Deyo Funeral Home at 1578 West First avenue in Grandview Columbus, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be at Columbus Union cemetery.

Ohio State University Monthly, September 1961

Prof. Brown Dies

Professor Brown

Prof. Clarence M. Brown, associate professor and secretary of the College of Pharmacy for more than 30 years, died June 24 in University Hospital at the age of 74.

    He received his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University in 1911 and his master's degree in 1935. He had been a member of the faculty since 1920 and retired in 1953.

    Prof. Brown, who was born in Galion, O., became a high school teacher after receiving his degree from Ohio State. He taught at Logan High School from 1912 to 1913 and at Lash (Zanesville) High School from 1913 to 1920.

    He was an honorary member of Phi Delta Chi and a member of Rho Chi, a national honorary pharmaceutical fraternity. He was the author of numerous articles and textbooks in his field.

 

I was astonished to see he taught at Logan High School from 1912-13. I do not believe there was ever a LHS in Logan County, so he could have taught in my hometown. I wonder if great-grandpa Gene knew him?

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Sock and buskin

Now that I'm piecing together the clues from online newspaper resources, as well as the clippings and letters that I photocopied years ago, I am seeing how things fell apart for great-grandpa Gene in 1926. Yes, his son Charley was murdered in 1925, but he also had a series of setbacks in 1926.

(First, on April 19, 1926 he received only half of the $15,000 he had asked the state for in compensation for Charley's death.) This was a mistake on my part. He received the money in 1927. GH 4/26/21

Worthpoint.com

Second, he learned in early June about the production of "Can't Afford It" at the Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association Convention to be held July 19-23 at Cedar Point, Sandusky*.

Third, the long awaited report by the Board of Pharmacy was finally released on July 1, but no fault was really found.

I think this undated letter to the editor of The Columbus Citizen sums up his outrage and despair.

From Tragedy to Comedy.

Editor of The Citizen, 

We note that the College of Pharmacy at Ohio State will stage a comedy at Cedar Point some time this month. We note further that some of the actors in the tragedy at that institution a few months (sic) ago will appear in this comedy.

If they are bound to stage a play, they might be thankful for a few suggestions.

We suggest that the principal stage setting represent a cut-rate drug store with a clientele of 10,000 student patrons. This drug store to be free from any state inspection, not in charge of a registered pharmacist, and to be provided with locks that would enable the patrons to help themselves whenever they felt so disposed.

One scene could show freshman filling prescriptions, unhampered by the supervision of any instructors, who are supposed to be absent for long periods.

To add spice to this scene it might show one student in charge and another coming in and helping himself to the poison capsules which resulted in the death of two men.

Another scene might portray the (sur)prise of the instructors at the disappearance of two bottles of strychnine from some of their desks, a number of which contained strychnine and which were not locked at all times.

Then they might act the death struggles of the two young men who were martyrs to the negligence of the state of Ohio, in not inspecting this big cut rate drug store.

Another scene might show the big crowd composing the two-year course in pharmacy, a course which President Thompson admitted was utilized as a bootleggers course, and Dean Dye admitted that this overcrowding of the place rendered conditions so that they hardly knew where they were at.

And finally, if possible, they might show a stage picture saddened homes, ruined prospects and the misery which have followed in the wake of this disgraceful happening.

Respectfully,

                        A.E. HULS

Logan, O.

I doubt the letter from Theo. D. Wetterstroem of The Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association on "THE PHARMACY SIGN INSURES SAFETY" letterhead brought him much comfort.

*Opened in 1870, Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park located on Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio. 

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