Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1882 — Death in Candy. [ARTICLE]

Death in Candy.

Philadelphia Record. A case of poisoning recently occurred in this city under strange circumstances About two weeks ago a 9-year-old son of Mr. John Woertz, a shoemaker living on twelfth street, belo-w Gilbert went in company with his brothers to a festival at the Pitman Merhodist Church. He diversified the pleasures of the evening by indulging pretty freely iu colored candies, aud before leaving the festive scene he was also persuaded to make away with a.plate of ice cream. The child retired to rest apparently in the best of health, but at 3 o’clock in the morning the family were awakened by his moans, and on his mother rushing to his bedside, he was barely able to make her to understand that he was suffering severe pains in the stomach. Shortly after this he was seized with a violent fit of vomiting, and then became delirious, from which befell into a comatose condition. Dr. James F. Berlet, wbo was called iu at the outset, immediately saw that the case was a serious one,and a close study of the symptoms enabled him to arrive at the conclusion tbat the child had been poisoned. For a week the little one lay in a comatose state, varied but once by a brief spell of deli;nun, and then death put au end to his sufferings. A portion of the vomit, which had been preserved, is to be submitted to a chemist for analysis Shortly after it had t»een gathered in »» glass a white sediment appeared at the bottom, and persons who have examined this say that it is Georgia day. a material used largely by confectioners to give whiteness aud weight to the sweets. Whether this adulteration contains within itself the e'emeuts of death is a question to be solved by the analysis.