Michigan's Strychnine Saint

Recently I have been reading Tobin T. Buhk's book, Michigan's Strychnine Saint: The Curious Case of Mrs. Mary McKnight. According to the summary found on amazon.com:

The spring of 1903 proved disastrous for the Murphy family. On April 22, the infant Ruth Murphy died in her crib. Within an hour, her mother, Gertrude, experienced a violent spasm before she, too, died. Ten days later, John Murphy followed his wife and child to the grave after suffering from a crippling convulsion. While neighbors whispered about a curse and physicians feared a contagious disease, Kalkaska County sheriff John W. Creighton and prosecuting attorney Ernest C. Smith searched for answers. As they probed deeper into the suspicious deaths, they uncovered a wicked web of intrigue. And at the center stood a widow in a black taffeta dress.

I have not finished it yet, but I was struck by the mention of "little pink and white pills" that supposedly contained strychnine, quinine and/ or aspirin.  

"I had this strychnine and some quinine mixed together in some capsules," according to the accused murderer, Mary Murphy McKnight, who apparently used it to "calm her nerves."

Now these events took place 22 years before Charley and David were murdered in 1925, but it certainly illustrates how easy it was to get strychnine in the late 18th or early 19th centuries. So easy that Mary McKnight possibly poisoned another eight or so of her family members previously!

I have read that she was found guilty and sentenced to about 18 years in prison -- so she was out by the time the OSU strychnine poisonings occurred. Thankfully she appears to have never left Michigan. She supposedly died in 1941 and is buried in Detroit.

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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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No explanation other than chance

As a child I wondered why no women were poisoned, other than sheer dumb luck. When I recently started more intense research, I discovered conflicting accounts.

The Friday, Feb. 6, 1925 issue of the Canton Daily News stated:

    The fact that Dr. Gertrude F. Jones, medical advisor for girls, does not prescribe quinine and aspirin to her patients who suffer with colds, was said to account for the fact no girls were among the poison victims.

However, the Ohio State Lantern had this on the very same day:

    No explanation other than chance can be advanced for no co-eds being among those poisoned. 

    Student health service, under direction of Dr. H. Shindle Wingert, treats as many women as men in proportion to their enrollment in the University. Last month 300 women and 1900 men visited the health bureau. Dr. Gertrude F. Jones of the department of physical education for women does not maintain a separate health service for co-eds. Miss Jones does not treat cases, but merely advises.

G.F. Jones*

Hmm. I'll probably never know the answer, but I then became curious about Dr. Jones. It wasn't easy being a female doctor in those days. Unfortunately, Dr. Jones seems particularly elusive. I found a tiny mention in The Ohio State University Monthly for July 1926:

That Dr. Gertrude F. Jones, Medical Advisor, Department of Physical Education for Women, be granted leave of absence for the Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters, 1926-27, without salary. 

Eleven months later she was noted in the Wednesday, June 8, 1927 issue of The Lantern:

Resignation of Dr. Jones Handed in to Trustees

    Dr. Gertrude F. Jones of the department of women's physical education has given her resignation to the Board of Trustees and it will be acted upon at their meeting June 13. Dr. Jones has been the medical adviser of the department since 1923. She is a graduate of Leland Stanford University. She has been practicing in New York City since her year's leave of absence granted last fall.

(I was grimly amused to see she graduated from Stanford. You might recall that Leland Stanford and his wife Jane Stanford co-founded Stanford University in 1885, but she was murdered by strychnine in 1905 in Oahu.)

After that I lose the trail. She possibly returned to Stanford where a Dr. Gertrude F. Jones taught obstetrics, but I cannot be sure at this time it's the same woman.

*I am not positive this is the same G.F. Jones (or Gertrude F. Jones) or not in the 1919 Stanford Dart.

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Reds and whites

The favorite common cold medicine at Ohio State University was the inexpensive and popular R&Ws: three Red capsules containing five grains aspirin and three White capsules containing two grains of quinine. Patients were instructed to alternate every two hours starting with the Red.

A grain is a unit of measurement of mass equal to exactly 64.79891 milligrams. It is basically based upon the mass of a single ideal seed, or grain, of a cereal.

For example, the dosage of a standard 325 mg tablet of aspirin is sometimes described as 5 grains. In that example the grain is approximated to 65 milligrams, although the grain can also be approximated to 60 milligrams, depending on the medication and manufacturer.

While authorities are in agreement that less than 1 grain may be a fatal dose for an adult, the usual fatal dose is 60–100 mg strychnine and is fatal after a period of one to two hours, although lethal doses vary depending on the individual. 

I was interested to find this description by a medical student who in 1896 described the experience of taking strychnine in a letter to The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal:

"Three years ago I was reading for an examination, and feeling 'run down.' I took 10 minims of strychnia solution (B.P.) with the same quantity of dilute phosphoric acid well diluted twice a day. On the second day of taking it, towards the evening, I felt a tightness in the 'facial muscles' and a peculiar metallic taste in the mouth. There was great uneasiness and restlessness, and I felt a desire to walk about and do something rather than sit still and read. I lay on the bed and the calf muscles began to stiffen and jerk. My toes drew up under my feet, and as I moved or turned my head flashes of light kept darting across my eyes. I then knew something serious was developing, so I crawled off the bed and scrambled to a case in my room and got out (fortunately) the bromide of potassium and the chloral. I had no confidence or courage to weigh them, so I guessed the quantity-about 30 gr. [30 grains, about 2 grams] bromide of potassium and 10 gr. chloral-put them in a tumbler with some water, and drank it off. My whole body was in a cold sweat, with anginous attacks in the precordial region, and a feeling of 'going off.' I did not call for medical aid, as I thought that the symptoms were declining. I felt better, but my lower limbs were as cold as ice, and the calf muscles kept tense and were jerking. There was no opisthotonos, only a slight stiffness at the back of the neck. Half an hour later, as I could judge, I took the same quantity of bromide, potassium and chloral– and a little time after I lost consciousness and fell into a 'profound sleep,' awaking in the morning with no unpleasant symptoms, no headache, but a desire 'to be on the move' and a slight feeling of stiffness in the jaw. These worked off during the day."

In October 1852 the Scientific American quoted a letter to The Lancet that stated that camphor is an antidote to strychnine. Strychnine was prescribed in doses of the 1/16 of a grain, to be given three times a day for a man with acute rheumatism.

By mistake the druggist divided the grain into six parts (with sugar) instead of 16 powders. The first dose produced severe twitchings, and the second dose threw him into violent convulsions. The doctor was called again who at once prescribed 20 grains of camphor in six ounces of almond mixture, to be taken every two hours. The first dose completely quieted the convulsions and there was no need of a second.

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Strychnine vs. quinine

Unbelievably, a small headline in the Monday, Feb. 9, 1925 edition of the OSU Lantern caught my eye:

Not Strychnine or Quinine; It's Diamond Nine

By NORM SIEGEL

With strains of quinine and strychnine floating about the campus during the past week, a new nine has been added to the group—the diamond nine.

And under the supervision of Lynn W. St. John, another investigation has been opened on the campus, this one promising to bring more successful results than the first. 

...

Not a baseball diamond.

I was gobsmacked the first time I saw this clipping. As a professional journalist, I know the dark, morbid, and black humor that journalists employ when in the privacy of the newsroom - but to print this?! Nine days after Charley's death and eight after David's?

I wonder what Grandpa Fred thought when he saw that edition.

I wonder what the university's (second) athletics director Lynn W. St. John thought when he saw it, since he was partially responsible for putting together the clues.

Students weren't the only people in turmoil at OSU those first few days of February 1925. University officials were too. Once it was proven that strychnine had killed and sickened the students, and not tetanus (the first hope since it wasn't contagious) to spinal meningitis (which is contagious but at least the university was blameless for a natural disease) officials scrambled.

Capsules that hadn't been ingested were examined. Apparently the original white quinine capsules were of a different make and size of the introduced white strychnine capsules. Dean Claire A. Dye of the College of Pharmacy also insisted that there was no strychnine to be found in the pharmacy.

Oops, he then found on February 5 a small, one-ounce bottle containing about 75-300 grains (sources vary) of strychnine. But this strychnine was chemically different from the strychnine contained in the capsules.

Then they tried to claim that it was somehow accidental.

So how does someone mistake quinine for strychnine? Apparantly not easily. Quinine is more of a white powder such as powdered sugar, while strychnine is more crystalline like table sugar or salt. They look and feel different to those who handle alkaloids regularly. 

It is inconceivable nowadays to find poisons such as strychnine at a pharmacy. Quinine is a natural alkaloid that has been used for centuries in the prevention and therapy of malaria. Strychnine is a highly toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small animals such as rats.

By 1925 strychnine had no known medical benefits, although some still used small amounts as a nervous stimulant. One of the men questioned (the son of a pharmacist!) had a small bottle of strychnine that he had purchased in Columbus and used to help stay awake during exams!

More recently at the Rio 2016 Olympics in 2016, weightlifting bronze medalist Izzat Artykov of Kyrgyzstan tested positive for strychnine, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances. He was stripped of his medal.

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*Deceased January 31, 1925

The OSU dispensary in the early 1900s.

The last week of January 1925 was not starting well for Charley Huls. It was his second to last quarter* at The Ohio State University where he was scheduled to graduate in June with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Journalism. He was the epitome of the Big Man on Campus at OSU.

According to the 1925 Makio yearbook, Charley was a member of Phi Gamma Delta, Sphinx, Bucket and Dipper, Sigma Delta Chi, Pi Delta Epsilon, Boost Ohio, editor of the 1924 Makio yearbook (Grandpa was editor of the 1926 Makio), News Editor of the Lantern newspaper, business manager of the Phoenix, Makio board, Junior Prom committee, band, and Senior Invitation Committee.

It also states, "*Deceased January 31, 1925".

By Friday, Charley couldn't stand it anymore and went to went to the college of dentistry and had the troublesome tooth pulled. On Saturday he went to Dr. H. Shindle Wingert at the student health center for a prescription of "R&Ws" -- red and white capsules available at the student dispensary that were filled with aspirin (red) and quinine (white) -- the house cold medicine, so to speak. Students were supposed to alternate red or white capsules every few hours.

An unmailed letter Charley wrote home the day of his death was found afterwards. In it he complained to his mother, Anna Rebecca Troxel Huls, that he had been holding a light bulb against his jaw for the heat. He said the heat helped. He also mentioned his cold and his plans to take medicine before dinner because he had a date.

(Charley was allegedly engaged to Margaret Speaks, daughter of Rep. John C. Speaks of Ohio, and the future Voice of Firestone.)

According to Grandpa and newspaper accounts, Charley told Grandpa he could borrow their car if he'd drop Charley off somewhere for his date. They were heading to the car after eating their dinners when Charley collapsed. Their Phi Gamma Delta fraternity brothers carried Charley up to the room they shared where it quickly became apparent that something was seriously wrong. A doctor and the stricken man's parents were summoned.

Charley was going into horrible spasms. The fraternity brothers gathered in the hallway began to wonder if Charley had lockjaw.

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection characterized by muscle spasms that begin in the jaw and progress throughout the body. Some spasms can break bones. About ten percent of cases prove fatal. The first tetanus vaccine was first produced in 1924, but that didn't help Charley.

Things were looking grim for Charley and Grandpa was feeling sick himself. He went into their bathroom and took out one of the "R&W" pills. Before he could take it, the doctor called for him to return.

Grandpa placed the white capsule on the marble windowsill where it sat until he returned to OSU after the funeral.

That decision saved his life.

*OSU did not switch to the semester system until 2012.

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