Brothers who were, but are now with the stars

I recently found this obituary in the April 1925 issue of The Phi Gamma Delta Magazine under Fratres Qui Fuerunt Sed Nunc Ad Astra:

CHARLES H. HULS

(Ohio State '25)

Phi Gamma Delta paid a large share of the toll taken by either stupidity or criminal intent when strychnine was mixed with quinine in the college of pharmacy dispensary at Ohio State University.

One of the two student deaths caused by this fatal confusion was that of Brother Charles Henry Huls, '25.

Huls died suddenly on January 31, 1925, in the chapter-house a few days after having a tooth extracted. The cause at first was thought to be tetanus.

Another student death followed shortly and an investigation showed that strychnine had been dispensed for quinine at the college of pharmacy where many students were wont to get remedies.

Further investigation disclosed numerous sudden and serious illnesses had followed the taking of capsules from the dispensary.

For two days during the investigation, a virulent and strange malady called "spotted fever," a form of meningitis, was suspected and several Fijis, intimates of Huls, were held under constant surveillance by doctors. 

Brother Huls was one of the leaders in student activities at Ohio State. He was editor of the year book and a member of Sphinx*, Bucket and Dipper**, Pi Delta Epsilon***, Sigma Delta Chi**** and the varsity band. He was also active in chapter affairs and at the time of his death was corresponding secretary.

Ae a student, he was respected by his colleagues and professors; as a Fiji, he was beloved by his brothers; as an all around good fellow, he enjoyed large popularity.

Huls' home was in Logan and he is buried near there. Among his survivors is Brother Fred Huls, a junior at Ohio State.

*SPHINX is the oldest honorary at Ohio State University. Since 1907, SPHINX has recognized 24 exceptional senior students with membership annually.

**Bucket & Dipper is a Junior Class Honorary comprised of up to 30 members dedicated to scholarship, leadership, and service. Since its creation as a student organization in 1907, Bucket & Dipper has been ​a dedicated group of juniors at The Ohio State University. This tight-knit group is rooted in tradition surrounding the Illibuck (Illi), Mirror Lake, and local service. 

***Pi Delta Epsilon, founded in 1909 at Syracuse University, is an American honor society for student journalists. It merged with Alpha Phi Gamma(ΑΦΓ) on June 1, 1975 and became The Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ).

****Sigma Delta Chi, now known as The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University.

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Prescription for death

Buerki

I've got some new theories to pursue. Dr. Robert Buerki, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University, wrote about the poisonings for his paper, Prescription for Death: The 1925 Ohio State Poisoning Case, which he presented at the annual meeting for The Ohio Academy of Medical History in 2012. Unable to read it in its entirety until now, I was thrilled to discover it was published in the History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals, Vol. 64, Issue 1, on Jan. 1, 2022. 

While most of his 15-page paper was a summary of previously resourced materials, Buerki did have access to some new information.

"On June 3, Governor Donahey forwarded to Ford an unsigned letter that he had received from 'some unknown source.' The letter added a bizarre note of conspiracy to an already tangled web of circumstances:

'If you really want to know the true inwardness of the poisoning at the University, put your best secret service man on the track of the first student who was taken sick. He can tell you much if he will. Why was he taken to St. Francis Hospital instead of the University Hospital? Why was Dr. McCampbell called about the case? The plot was against one man but it hit the wrong man. Who wanted a safe from the dental department "to keep all the strichnine [sic] in?"

'Who has been after Dr. Wingert for years and says he will drive him off campus? The fear of punishment for unintentional murder is keeping mouths closed, but it can be traced.

'The pressure is now on to let the matter drop 'because it will injure the University.' The inside facts can only injure the plotters. You are surrounded by athletic influences. Consult some others not under their control."

Ross

So is this "unknown source" referring to Robert H. Ross of Bellevue, Ohio? Ross became ill on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 1925. He was diagnosed with food poisoning at the time and was the first to become ill according to my timeline.

McCarthy

Or is the writer talking about Timothy "Big Tim" McCarthy, a sophomore on the varsity football team who, as far as I know, was the only man rushed to St. Francis Hospital? He was also the last known person to get sick on Feb. 2, 1925.

Hmm.

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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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Annual Report of the President

Poor Prexy's final annual report. Curiously, there is no mention of Edward A. Byron of Cincinnati. Was there a different diagnosis of his illness by then?

Obviously, this is not the entire annual report. I only included the section that I found to be relevant.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

     

HONORABLE LAWRENCE E. LAYBOURNE, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The Ohio State University:

    DEAR SIR -- I have the honor to present through you to the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University for transmission to the Governor of Ohio, as required by law, the fifty-fifth annual report of the Ohio State University, for the year ending June 30, 1925.

. . . 

THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

    The feature in connection with the report on this college for the current year demanding a statement is the experiences occurring during the winter.

W. O. Thompson

    On Saturday, January 31st, the University was shocked at the announcement of the sudden death of Mr. Charles H. Huls of Logan, a Senior in the College of Commerce and Journalism. On Sunday, the first day of February, the startling announcement was made that David I. Puskin, a Junior in the College of Commerce and Journalism, had suddenly died. Immediate attention was brought to these two cases and the preliminary assumption was that the death of Mr. Huls was due to Tetanus and that of Mr. Puskin to Meningitis. These two assumptions aroused a state of great anxiety as to an impending epidemic among the students.

    On Monday, February 2nd, G. Delbert Thompson of Canton, a Senior in the College of Commerce and Journalism, while in one of the stores downtown was seized with convulsions similar to those which preceded the death of both Mr. Huls and Mr. Puskin. He was promptly sent to the University Hospital and an investigation begun by the officials there, Through heroic efforts the life of Mr. Thompson was saved. Mr. Timothy J. McCarthy of Columbus, a Sophomore in the College of Commerce and Journalism; Mr. Harold E. Gillig of Toledo, a Sophomore in the College of Arts, and Mr. Robert H. Ross of Bellevue, a Freshman in the College of Arts, also fell ill. The fact that these students had capsules in their possession led to a searching investigation in the dispensary of the College of Pharmacy and every effort was made to discover the causes leading to this most serious and most deplorable experience. It was soon discovered that the cases were due to strychnine poisoning. A few capsules were found also in the possession of the students. Analysis of these capsules revealed the fact that they had been filled with strychnine. A further investigation developed that only a few of these capsules had been available and that not a single one remained in the receptacles in the dispensary. Having determined the questions of fact as to the presence of these capsules filled with strychnine and as to the limited supply of them, the investigation then turned upon the sources of supply. That question is not satisfactorily determined to this date. The issue still remains whether a limited number of these capsules had been distributed through the ordinary channels in the dispensary. The Columbus Police authorities were called into action and through an extended investigation conducted by the Police Prosecutor, Mr. John J. Chester, Jr., every effort was made to discover any possible information as to the facts involved, the motives that might be present and any other facts that would assist in reaching a conclusion as to how these capsules of strychnine could have been filled and dispensed.

    Somewhat later the Governor of Ohio instituted an investigation through the State Board of Pharmacy in charge of Mr. M. N. Ford. This investigation discovered no new facts save that the capsules used were of a slightly different size from those used in the University dispensary. This difference was so slight as not to be observed casually. It required an examination to recognize the difference. This at once raised the question whether these capsules could have been procured elsewhere than the source from which the University secures its supply and whether by some device a limited number of these capsules had been deposited in the receptacle in the dispensary. The absence of any motive for such criminal attempt upon the lives of innocent persons made this problem extremely delicate and difficult of determination. The University has not been able to trace any evidence of a purchase of capsules that would explain in any way the limited number of a different size from those in ordinary use, nor has the University been able to satisfy the minds of the investigators as to how such a limited number of capsules should find place and be distributed. None of the physicians associated in any way with this experience could provide any rational explanation of the situation. The University officials were pained and mystified by the whole procedure. The investigation by the police authorities was as complete as they could make it. The further investigation at the Governor's request has still left all the im-portant issues just where they were. No evidence was produced to show that anyone had any knowledge of the fatal capsules as to their existence or their source. One student whose service was in the dispensary in the ordinary routine remembers having given capsules to Mr. Puskin. There is no evidence, however, that he knew that these differed in any way from the ordinary capsule. In all the investigations made there was not the slightest approach to identification of any person criminally related to this experience. No blame could be attached to the administrative or dispensing officers in the College of Pharmacy. No motive could be discovered for any student to make such an irrational and criminal attack upon innocent lives. It seems impossible to tolerate the theory of an accident or of a careless method of procedure. The whole situation would seem to indicate deliberateness in the filling of those particular capsules. The history of criminal acts of this sort leads one to believe that by some inadvertence the future may provide a clew leading to a solution. The University will continue its effort so far as possible to discover a clew to this mysterious and perplexing situation. Such a disaster in the University experience lingers in the minds of University officials impossible of eradication. No responsibility could be located on individuals or groups of individuals for the occurrence. Speculative minds indulged in imaginary situations as always under such trying and distressing·circumstances but no approach was made toward apprehending a guilty person, or to a reasonable explanation of any motives that might lead to such a terror striking experi- ence. On the assumption that it was a deliberate act, some one or more persons unknown at present, carry the grave and terrible responsibility. If by any means the future shall disclose this person or persons the University will recognize its obligation to bring them to account. At present nothing more can be done than to record officially the profound sympathy which all University officials and students felt toward the unfortunate and bereaved families, and also the feeling of resentment that such a deed was possible among students.

    The official reports submitted to the President of the University from all University officials having to do with the investigation are filed as a part of the permanent records in this case and will be available at any time for properly authorized persons to inspect.

. . .  

    The usual statistical reports as required by law, the reports from the Deans, Departments, and other divisions of the University activities are herewith submitted as part of this report. The Summary of the Financial Report of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees is included as usual as part of this report. Reference to the appendixes will provide information supplementing that found in the several reports. Respectfully submitted,

                                            W. O. THOMPSON, President.

July 31, 1925.

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Let Nothing Be Spared

I found this to be a well-written editorial on page 2 of the Thursday, Feb. 5, 1925 issue of the Ohio State Lantern:

    The discovery that what was at first thought to be an epidemic of cerebrospinal meningitis is really the work of a perverted or malicious mind relieves somewhat the fear of the student body, but places a greater responsibility upon the authorities of the University.

    If the belief of the investigators is true, that a diseased mind is responsible for the deaths of Charley Huls and David Pusken [sic] and the illness of three other students, the person who conceals that mind behind a normal exterior must be found and prosecuted for his crime.

    To admit that there is such a person in the University is no reflection upon the University. At least no sane person will misconstrue the confession.

    In such a case it is more important that the criminal, if it be a criminal, be found and prosecuted than that the University escape from the notoriety which must follow. In such a case it is not the student body alone which is in danger. The entire state would be threatened if this person were allowed to graduate or if he were somehow allowed to escape punishment.

    The Lantern demands that no one be spared in the search. The students at the University and the people of the state as a whole must be protected. They have, also, a right to know the criminal. If he be an official of the University, or if he be the most obscure student, he must be found.

    President Thompson has done the right thing by placing the investigation in the hands of the police. We should not stop with them, but should call in all the other agencies which might aid in discovery of the criminal. It not a confession of weakness or incompetency on the part of the University to do this.

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With all the rights, privileges, and honors appertaining

I simply cannot imagine the pain grandpa Fred and his parents must have been facing as commencement week approached. Charley should have been there. Were his classmates thinking about him, or were they too excited for themselves to spare a thought for him? This article from May 25, 1925 The Lantern highlights the coming glories.

 

1925 Graduating Class Breaks All Records With 1700 Seniors

    The total number of graduates for the year constitutes a record class for the University. Approximately 1200 students will be graduated June 16, figures show.

eBay.com

    At the recent August, December 1 and March convocations or quarterly* commencements, 500 students were graduated who are considered members of the present class. This makes a total of 1700 graduates for the class of 1925. The largest previous total for a single year was 1500.

    The June class alone is larger than that of the combined graduating classes during the first 22 years of the University's life, and will swell the number of alumni to something like 18,000. The total for the year 1924-1925 is greater than that of all the years from 1878, when the first Ohio State class was graduated through 1903, or 26 years.

    The College of Arts has the largest number of candidates for degrees with 201, followed by the College of Education with 188. The College of Engineering, including the department of applied optics, has the same number.

    From the College of Agriculture 130, including 67 girls in home economics**, are scheduled to be graduates. The College of Commerce and Journalism which at present numbers 134 graduates, including 105 in business administration, 17 in journalism [18 if Charley had lived], and 12 in social administration.

    One hundred and twenty-four people are eligible for degrees in the Graduate School. Nineteen of these, including one woman, are scheduled for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 86 for Master of Arts, and 18 for Master of Science.

    Other colleges and their classes are: Medicine, 78; Law, 73; Pharmacy, 70; Dentistry, 22; Veterinary Medicine, 29; and Public Health Nursing, four.

    The class exercises proper begin Sunday, June 14, with the baccalaureate services in the Gymnasium. "Class Day" will Be celebrated Monday, June 15, with the graduation exercises will be held at 10 a. m., Tuesday, June 16. Dr. William Lowe Bryan, president of Indiana University, will deliver the commencement address.

 

Charley should have been there.  

 

* O.S.U. switched to the quarter system in 1922, which consisted of four 10-week sessions: fall, winter, spring, and summer. It went back to the semester system in Autumn 2012. A semester system consists of two 15-week terms: one in the fall (followed by a winter break) and one in the spring (followed by a summer break).

**It cracks me up that home economics is under the College of Agriculture.

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I shall carry this to my grave

Poor Prexy. What a way to end his college career.

Ohio State was a rather small and struggling university when President William Oxley Thompson first arrived; by the time he retired 26 years later at the age of 70, the university student enrollment had grown nearly ten times.

William Oxley Thompson

Affectionately known as Prexy, he came to Ohio State in 1899, serving as university president O.S.U. until 1925. Thompson’s name is still known around the O.S.U. campus at today. 

The main library at Ohio State is named in his honor, with a large statue of him in front of the main entrance, and students still rub his bust in the library for good luck during finals week. What is not often known is that President William Oxley Thompson was also an ordained Christian minister, serving as a Presbyterian pastor.

The poisonings devastated him.

"We are very much distressed about it," President W. O. Thompson declared. "We bow our heads with regret and sorrow. I shall carry this to my grave as one of the greatest disasters of my lifetime." 

I suspect that the poisonings were one of the reasons why Prexy announced his decision to retire on Wednesday, May 20, 1925.

William Oxley Thompson, President of Ohio State University, desires to resign, it was announced Wednesday. Mr. Thompson's wish was voiced at a meeting of the Board of Trustees last Saturday, but announcement on it was withheld until Wednesday. Dr. Thompson himself made the announcement. Dr. Thompson's resignation will be presented formally to the board shortly after the June commencement.

Because of their admiration for President Thompson, the classes of 1923, 1925, 1926, and 1928 resolved to create a “life-sized” figure of the president to stand on the west end of the Oval in front of the library bearing his name.

The sculptor, Erwin Frey, an Ohio native and faculty member in the Department of Fine Arts, was a well-known sculptor at the time. It took 16 months to complete and was first done in clay and then cast in bronze. Frey was given $13,000 for the statue, including the supplies.

President Thompson sat for the sculpture, and was very pleased with Frey’s work, calling it worthy of high praise. Thompson wrote in his July 1930 column of The Ohio State University Monthly:

“Nothing in my long experience has moved me more profoundly than this evidence of esteem and good will which the cooperative effort of four classes has expressed.”

Thompson was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1926. He died on Dec. 9, 1933 and is buried in Columbus.

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The seemingly surreptitious appearance of the bottle

Much as I adore old-fashioned photo illustrations, old newspaper layouts like this drive me slightly mad.

Multiple screaming (and competing) headlines: one eight columns, then seven columns, down to our six column headline: 

OFFICIALS OF CITY COUNTY AND UNIVERSITY PROBE DEATHS 

That leads to: MYSTERY STRYCHNINE BOTTLE IS TRACED

The story that follows is one we've seen before:

    COLUMBUS, Feb. 6 -- Mystery surrounding the seemingly surreptitious appearance of the bottle, containing about 300 grains of strychnine on a shelf in the college of pharmacy laboratory, Ohio State university was cleared up here today by police officials probing the mysterious distribution of capsuled strychnine which resulted in the recent death of two Ohio State university students and serious illness of at least three other students.

At least it's a nice photo of Harold E. Gillig.

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Charley's way

This was originally published in the Ohio State Phoenix two weeks after Charley's death. The Phoenix was a publication by and for freshmen. It was first published on Monday, Jan. 17, 1921, and Charley became its business manager the next fall. I do not currently know when The Phoenix ceased publication, but it might have been as early as 1925.

CHARLES HULS

In the fall of 1921, among the incoming class of freshmen, was a young man from Logan, Ohio. Possessing a fine record in activities in high school, he was soon selected as business manager of the Phoenix and did much toward putting the publication, which was then in its second year, on a firm foundation. This young man was Charles Huls. From that humble beginning, he rapidly rose in campus prominence, attaining the highest honors that the university offers, among them being the editorship of the 1924 Makio. A fortnight ago he died, and in his death the university lost one of the finest men that have ever been enrolled here.

    We never had the pleasure of meeting Charley, as he was called by every one who knew him, but it seems as if he had almost been a friend of ours, so much did we hear about him. But if we had known him we are sure he would have been just as cordial to us, a mere freshman, as to the best friend he had. That was just Charley's way.

    Mere words of sympathy can not express our sentiments in any wise and the least we can do is to strive to live as full and as rich a life as did Charley Huls.

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Poison pill probe

O. S. U. Pushes Probe of Poison Pill Deaths

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, Feb. 9, 1925

    With police officials believing that the deaths of two Ohio State University students from strychnine laden "cold pills" may have been caused by a "Leob_Leopold*" type of degenerate, and university authorities admitting that the poison may have gotten intn [sic] the dills [sic] by a terrible mistake," investigation of the deaths is being pushed. City and county authorities are seen above questioning one of the pharmacy students who worked in the college dispensary, from which the pills came. Dr. W. O. Thompson, president of the university who is directing the pribe [sic], and Dr. H. S. Wingert, who prescribed the fatal pills are also shown.

*Nathan F. Leopold, Jr., and Richard A. Loeb, were two wealthy students at the University of Chicago who in May 1924 kidnapped and murdered Loeb's cousin, 14-year-old Bobby Franks, in Chicago, Illinois in an attempt to create the "perfect crime."

 -30-

Commerce and journalism

As a journalist, I was curious about university journalism and what it was like in 1925. I was thrilled to find this paper, Journalism at the Ohio State University: 1893-1958, by James E. Pollard, former head of the Journalism department from 1938 to 1958.

The College of Commerce and Journalism was formed in 1916-1917 school year, with Dr. James E. Hagerty as the dean. It consisted initially as three departments -- Economics, Sociology and Journalism -- and offered only junior or senior work. Courses for the first two years continued to be given mainly in the College of Arts, Philosophy and Science. The College of Commerce and Journalism was authorized to convert to a full four-year college starting with the 1923-24 school year.

I am thankful Ohio State University is so thorough in its online offerings, including the 1924-1925 Course Offerings Bulletin for the College of Commerce and Journalism. I found it fascinating to look at classes both Uncle Charley and Grandpa Fred took. (I was amused to see that the stipends for the Lantern editor and business manager were cut during the depression from $500 to $300 a year each, since that was about what I was paid as photo editor my senior year in 1989.)

Dr. Thompson said in his final annual report in 1925:

The courses in journalism make a steady appeal for the primary reason that instruction in English in high school and college has so changed its form as to render writing a desirable ambition. The changed conditions in the offices of great city dailies and also in the papers of the smaller cities have brought about an increased demand for young men and young women with a college education and special training for journalism. There is no prospect that this call will ever be less imperative. These students in rare instances may become literary writers, but in the great majority of instances they will be efficient agents in providing the daily reading for the increasing multitudes who patronize our papers and our current magazines.

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The voice of Firestone

Family legend has always maintained that Uncle Charley was engaged to, and heading out for a date with, fellow O.S.U. student Margaret Speaks on the night of his death. Sadly, nothing survives that confirms it -- although I thought he mentioned it in the now missing last page of his final letter home.

Margaret Speaks, a soprano, was born in Columbus, the daughter of U.S. congressman John Charles Speaks, II and Edna Jane Lawyer.

Miss Speaks' father was also singer, and her mother was a pianist. The extended Speaks family boasted more than a dozen musicians, including several professionals, most notably her composer-uncle, Oley Speaks.

Miss Speaks was active in singing rolls, especially with the Glee Club, before her June 1925 graduation from Ohio State University.

Miss Speaks married Harold Cunningham on Oct. 5, 1925 and her only child was born 10 months later. Sadly, the marriage did not work and she filed for divorce four months later.

"Cookie" Sued For Divorce

    COLUMBUS, O., Dec, 2. (AP) Harold H. (Cookie) Cunningham captain of the 1925 Ohio State University football team and basketball star, today was sued for divorce and alimony in Franklin county courts by Margaret Speaks Cunningham. Mrs. Cunningham, daughter of Congressman John C. Speaks, alleges failure to provide. The Cunningham's have a four months old son.

According to my father and late aunt, Grandma always mentioned their engagement whenever Miss Speaks was on the radio, performing on The Voice of Firestone.

The Voice of Firestone was a long-running radio and television program of classical music. The show featured leading singers in selections from opera and operetta. Originally titled The Firestone Hour, it was first broadcast on the NBC Radio network on Dec. 3, 1928 and was later also shown on television starting in 1949. The program was last broadcast in 1963.

After her retirement, Miss Speaks apparently lived quietly with her second husband, Leslie Pearl. She died on July 16, 1977 in Blue Hill, Maine.

Ex-Voice of Firestone Singer
Margaret Speaks Pearl Dies 

    BLUE HILL, Me. (AP) Radio vocalist Margaret Speaks Pearl, who for years sang solo on the Voice of Firestone program, died over the weekend at her summer home here. She was 72.

    In accordance with her wishes, no funeral service was planned, said her son, John Speaks* of Buffalo, N.Y. Burial arrangements were private. 

    The classical singer, who died Saturday, had retired in the early 1950s after two decades on the air and doing concert tours sponsored by Firestone. She lived with her husband, Leslie Speaks, in Katonah, N.Y. 

    Mrs. Speaks was a 1926 graduate of Ohio State University. Her uncle was the late Oley Speaks, a well-known composer.

*John C. Speaks III (1926-2020) was the only child of Margaret Speaks and Harold B. "Cookie" Cunningham. Their son was renamed after her father after the divorce.

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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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Hello Jack

I was struck by the youthful appearance of the police prosecutor leading the investigation, John J, Chester, Jr., holding the dispensary strychnine bottle in this photocopy of a torn newspaper clipping (possibly from The Columbus Dispatch). I was glad to finally find some additional information about him.

Only 3 Years Out Of O.S.U.

He Now Seeks Criminals There

(Akron) Beacon Journal Bureau

506 Chamber of Commerce Bldg.

    COLUMBUS, Feb. 7. A slender, freckled-face youth, who three years ago was toting school books across the campus at Ohio State university. is the official who today is directing the efforts to unravel the university's "poison pill" mystery.

    He is John J. "Jack" Chester, 28 years old and police prosecutor of the city of Columbus.

    Chester graduated from the university law department in the spring of 1922, and was regarded as one of the best liked men in his class. His popularity among the younger set was so pronounced that friends urged him to get into politics. He did so and in the fall of 1923, only a little more than a year out of school, was elected municipal prosecutor.

Grim Campus Task

    Now he is back on the campus bent upon the grim task of feretting (sic) out its mystery which has some earmarks of developing another Loeb-Leopold affair, in which some crank, or "intellectual" with a complex has set about in a fiendish manner to commit wholesale murder.

    Most of the older students at Ohio State know Chester personally, and are known by him. It's "Hello, Jack," every few minutes as he goes about the university in his role of detective. The campus is experiencing a thrill in having one they know so well on hand as the Sherlock Holmes of the great mystery, and Chester is getting an even greater kick out of the thing. It is his first really big mystery, and he is anxious to make good.

    The whole responsibility is on his shoulders. County Prosecutor John R. King and other officials, older and more experienced, are letting Chester conduct the investigation. They say be is going about the matter in exactly the right way.

Criminal Theory

    Chester is working on the criminal theory. He has told Columbus newspapers he does not believe it was by accident that the deadly poison strychnine got into capsules at the university dispensary to cause the death of two students, and five others to become deadly (sic) ill.

    "I have found no evidence that would lead me to believe that this case came from an accident," Chester told newspaper men today.

    What the evidence does lead him to believe he would not say. Like all good detectives he is keeping mum.

    He indicated, however, that he believed the key to the mystery may depend upon discovering the means by which a small vial of strychnine, found among some harmless potions on a shelf in the dispensary, came to bethere (sic). The poison was identified as that obtained a year ago for experimental work in the university laboratory. It was supposed to have been destroyed. But the bottle, with some of the strychnine missing, has turned up in the dispensary.

    To find why it was not destroyed when the experiments were completed, and how it go (sic) to tho dispensary, is the task Chester is now chiefly addressing himself to. And, as he says significantly, "I am working on the criminal theory."

While Chester was not successful in apprehending anyone for Uncle Charley's murder, he went on to successfully prosecute O.S.U. professor Dr. Howard Snook (inventor of the Snook hook which is still used to spay animals) for the murder of his mistress in 1929. Chester died in 1957 at the age of 59.

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Secundum artem

OSU College of Pharmacy

I was interested in this torn newspaper clipping* that was saved by someone in the family. I do not know which newspaper it came from, but I suspect the Lantern due to the font, capital "L", and content. I shall update this if I ever discover it. (Letters appearing in the parenthesis are my guesses to missing letters.)

THE SYST(EM IS W)RONG

To the Editor of The L(antern?)

    Sir: Being an (Ohio) State pharmacy graduate, I (am) deeply interested in the prese(nt sit)uation. I feel a great deal of sy(mpa)thy for Dean Dye, upon whose (shoul)ders the burden of this investigation rests. I know of him as (a) man great for accuracy, system and detail.

    Accidental or otherwise, as the case may be, the practice of any druggist reading a prescription for two drugs written as R. and W. means nothing. A prescription coming from a doctor should be written in medical terms so that any registered pharmacist could fill it. I do not know whether drugs are furnished free to students or not; if not, a prescription should be given written in medical terms so as to be filled by any registered pharmacist as the law requires; if not, the method of prescribing is wrong.

    As stated above, R. and W. meant nothing to the druggist, as aspirin is a white powder not red (the color red is artificial), the practice of which should be discouraged by doctor and druggist. Had this prescription been filled by a regular registered pharmacist, as the state law requires, it would be an easy matter to trace the mistake if such was the case.

    A Loyal Ohio State Pharmacist

    Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

*Please always identify newspaper clippings with the name and date.

** According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition for "Secundum artem" is "according to the practice: in accordance with the standard procedure of a profession or trade." 

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Twenty cents

Let me begin by saying that Grandpa Fred always thought Louis Fish was innocent. I do not know if Grandpa knew him or met him, but he felt sorry for Fish and how he was raked through the coals.

Louis Fish

As you might recall, Louis Fish was a freshman College of Pharmacy student and David Puskin's best friend. They had been newsboys together in Canton. At Puskin's request, Fish stopped by the dispensary on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 30, 1925. His request for a few R&Ws was refused, either because the 20 cent prescription was not his or because he did not have Puskin's prescription with him.

He later admitted to entering through a back door at the shift change and grabbing a few of the White quinine capsules from the jar and gave them to Puskin.

Puskin took at least one of the capsules on Sunday, Feb. 1, 1925 and was dead 20 minutes later. 

Fish was devastated but didn't realize his culpability until later. In a panic, he went home to Canton. One newspaper said he went to the home of his sister, Mrs. Edward Weintraub, because they were orphans. Other newspapers said he went to the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Fish.  When the newspaper reporters found him there, Fish returned to Columbus.

"I'll do no talking here," Fish said to newspapermen. "I am going back to Columbus Sunday morning and anything I have to say will be told to the prosecutor there. I can explain all my movements.

"I came to my home here to spend the week-end, bringing a friend with me. That is all I have to say."

And the newspapers of the time had a field day with his name. Some referred to him as Louis Bass, trying to give hime some anonymity. The Columbus Dispatch Magazine referred to him as "Lewis Trout" in its Nov. 5, 1961 edition. Several reported that he was "grilled."

Fish was the only person ever arrested, but he was released the next day.

I was pleased to see Louis passed his examinations for pharmacy in the Wednesday, July 18, 1928 edition of The Cincinnati Enquirer. He returned to the Canton area where he worked as a pharmacist, married, and later died and buried.

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Governor Donahey steps in

Now that the medical dust had settled at Ohio State University, it was time for the criminal investigation. And please forgive me when I say the Keystone Cops (fictional incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies between 1912 and 1917) might have done a better job.

As Grandpa Fred said in his 1987 letter to Benjamin Balshone, R.Ph.:

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

Grandpa Fred confused that a little. Dean Dye was appointed to head the initial investigation. When that was closed too early, Gov. Donahey weighed in. Donahey was originally a printer; in addition to working as a newspaper editor, he also owned his own printing company. I bet great-grandpa Gene personally knew him and pestered him with letters (possibly even telephone calls or telegraphs) despite their political differences.

I was thrilled to find this letter from Governor Alvin Victor "Vic" Donahey reprinted in the Feb. 20, 1925 issue of The Lantern: 

Text of Letter

from Governor

Governor Donahey's letter to Mr. Ford, dated February 17, follows in full:

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy,

Attention, Mr. M. N. Ford, Secretary, Columbus, O. 

        Gentlemen — The investigation into responsibility for the recent poisonings at Ohio State University, resulting in the death of several students and near deaths of others, must not be permitted to end until every source has been exhausted.

        I am convinced, from informal evidence brought to my attention, that the University Dispensary, from which, it is believed, the fatal drugs were dispensed, has been loosely conducted. The law requires privately owned drug stores to be in charge of registered pharmacists at all times. The evidence, as it comes to me, shows this requirement was not always lived up to at the University Dispensary, although it was a full-fledged drug store. 

        Owners of private drug stores, so conducted are prosecuted. The state itself should not conduct a drug store in violation of its own laws. It should be more painstaking than private individuals or firms in living up to the spirit and letter of the law. If the persons in charge of the University Dispensary were derelict they should be prosecuted just as private individuals would be.

        I am directing you hereby, therefore, to make a thorough investigation of your own with a view to prosecuting the person or persons responsible for the reported laxity in the conduct of University Dispensary and, if possible to fix direct responsibility for the dispensing of the poisons which caused the recent unfortunate deaths.

                                               Very truly yours,

                                                   (Signed) Vic Donahey,

                                                                        Governor.

###

As far as I can tell so far:

• Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1925: Ohio State University closes its internal investigation into the poisonings. City Police Prosecutor John J. Chester, Jr., says he will confer with Attorney General Charles C. Crabbe.
• Saturday, Feb. 14, 1925: Chester and State Pharmacy Board secretary M.N. Ford meet with Crabbe who tells them to continue the investigation. (Duh.)
• Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1925: Governor Donahey orders investigation of methods employed by the State Pharmacy Board.
• Monday, Feb. 23, 1925: investigation by the State Pharmacy Board begins, headed by Ford.
• Saturday, May 2, 1925: investigation by the State Pharmacy Board is nearly done, according to Ford.
• Oct. 3, 1925: Ford plans to submit a report "soon" to Governor Donahey covering eight months' investigation.

So far I can find no mention of its delivery, and great-grandpa Gene filled his suit against the State in December. Grandpa Fred said we had a copy at one time, but it was either lost or destroyed over the years. No other copies have been found at this time.

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