Show Lethal Chemical Caused Death at Asylum By ARTHUR BREMER SALEM Ore Nov 20 UP State UP State police investigators faced laced the grim possibility Friday that a mad had tampered with food fed inmates of f th the state mental hospital causing what G Governor o 0 v e ern r n o 0 r Charles A. A Sprague described as the mass murder of 47 mental patients Pathologists determined that the scrambled eggs fed patients in five wards of the Institution for Wednesday nights night's dinner contained cont contained con con- t ined sodium fluoride a deadly salt commonly used in roach powder As soon as I received the report report re- re port that deaths at the pital pital were caused by a a. chemical poison Sprague said I r directed the state police to take charge of the investigation and to leave eave no noi Stone i ne unturned in an effort t to fix r responsibility for this mass murder murd mur mur- d der r. r The governor emphasized there was nothing wrong with the quick- quick frozen egg yolks from which the meal was prepared They were part of a consignment received six months ago from the federal surplus surplus surplus sur sur- plus commodities commission and kept at the hospital at subzero temperatures Unopened tins of the e eggs gs were tested Thursday and andt t found und to be in perfect condition Poison Polson Added to Food Theres nothing wrong with those eggs Sprague said The poison oison was evidently added in the preparation of the food 1 I Dr John C. C Evans superintendent superintend superintend- ent of the hospital hesitated to say whether the poisoning of the food was Vas intentional or due to care care- Captain Walter WaIter Lansing of the state police and Dr Frank Menne tenne University of Oregon pathologist who determined identity identity iden iden- of the fatal poison said they remained open-minded open regarding an intentional poisoning theory We have no opinion yet Lansing Lansing Lansing Lan Lan- sing said It is not fair to say It definitely was homicide but the fact that the police are hanging around shows were we're still Investigating investigating investigating gating that possibility Evans and his staff of six doctors doctors doc doc- tors and 10 nurses who have been on on n duty since Wednesday evening I still fought to save the lives of others who partook of the deadly meal About a dozen of the patients patients patients pa pa- still were considered dangerously dangerously dangerously dan ill suffering acute abdominal abdominal abdominal ab ab- cramps and partial respiratory respiratory respiratory paralysis as did those who succumbed Dr Joseph Beeman director of the state crime laboratory said in Portland that the organs of those who died and the cooked eggs showed of sodium fluoride or d j considerable ble quantity He described the appearance of the poison as a white crystalline substance very similar to salt Five grains about the weight of an aspirin tablet is fatal he said Poison Powder Ponder Available The poison in the form of roach powder was available at the hospital hos hos- pital It was kept In the fruit cellar cellar cel cel- lar accessible from the kitchen But t the tte e fruit cellar was locked Wee Wei ay y night as it is at all time timer Only regular kitchen em em- had keys Other kitchen supplies such as salt baking powder powder pow pow- der or powdered milk which resemble resemble resemble re re- re- re the roach powder in appearance appearance ap ap- ap- ap were kept in a separate room A A. B. B McKillop the chief cook said he put the egg batter in big bowls Wednesday night then went to the basement and came back backwith backwith backwith with milk powder He said there was was nobody in the fruit cellar McKillop met Mary O'Hare another another another an an- other cook on his return from the basement While she rolled biscuits biscuits bis his cults he mixed the scrambled eggs which were made of the egg yolks powdered milk salt pepper and water Tests were made of the uncooked uncooked uncooked un un- I cooked batter left over from preparation preparation prep prep- of the fatal meal but no trace of poison was found It was this fact that weakened the negligence negligence negligence gence theory since If negligence or carelessness had been I ble the poison should have been in all the batter co cooked ked and un un- unI I cooked The food was delivered to the wards by regular attend attend- ants Help Questioned Investigators questioned all help but concentrated on the kitchen McI McKillop and Miss O'Hare were outside as were most of the others employed in the kitchen The hospital however however however how how- ever does use a number of mental patients who are we well ll enough to work under direction of the healthy Most of those who became became became be be- came ill were patients grouped inthe in inthe inthe the worker class All patients at the institution are committed and released by the courts Its total population is about The investigation was In charge of the state police but also Included in included included In- In several doctors District Attorney Attorney Attorney At At- torney Miller Hayden Coroner L. L E. E Barrick and local police Until the poison was identified and the unopened egg yolks found free f fro from r o m contamination the tragedy had national r reper e p e r r- r In Washington the agricultural d department e par t men t announced announced announced an an- that it was halting distribution of frozen eggs through regional agencies pending results of the investigation Investigators from the army the American Medical association the federal food and drug administration and surplus commodities tion arrived to take part in the inquiry These investigators were expected to withdraw since the cause of the poisoning has been dete determined dete |