The Marlin Democrat

Wednesday, March 1, 1916

     George Gardener, a negro, living on the George Cousins farm east of Marlin,died Tuesday night at 7 o'oclock from the effects of poison taken by mistake for quinine.  He had secured  a small bottle of what was thought to be quinine from F. Franks, on a nearby farm, taken it home, swallowing a spoonful and sicken his boy a dose.  The boy was sick within a few moments and Dr. Sewall was called from Marlin.  On reaching the place he succeeded to getting the boy over the attack, but the old man insisted the medicine was was quinine, and after the doctor left, took another teaspoon, dying within half a hour later.
   Justice of the Peace Cobb rendered his verdict after an investigation as
accidental death by poison. He states there were two bottle of the mantel piece  of the Franks home, each containing white powders, and that Mr. Franks states he thought quinine was in the small bottle.  He put more in the small bottle out of the large ones, and gave it to the Negro.  A box of rat poison  with powder looking just like quinine, was beside the bottle, and it appear the small bottle had some of that poison  in the lower part, and the man, taking the first dose got pure quinine, the boy got quinine mixed with poison, and the last dose taken by the Negro got pure poison, resulting in his almost immediate death.

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