January 8, 1891 — During the last week in Christmas, a child of Mr. B.F. Sours, who lives near Grove’s Mill, this county, died under circumstances indicating that it had been poisoned.
Two days later Mrs. Sours, on returning from the grave where her child had just been buried was stricken with illness, though her symptoms did not then indicate the same trouble. She rapidly grew worse, and before her physician reached her she was dead.
Dr. Long who saw the unfortunate people, but too late to help them, found them suffering from severe headache and rigidity of the muscles, at once came to the conclusion that they must have been poisoned.
Two other members of the family were also attacked the same way, but the doctor being promptly called administered antidote and they soon recovered.
Mr. Sours says he had recently put out rat poison, and the doctor is of the opinion that the family must have in some way gotten it into their food and water.
One theory, that advanced by Mr. Sours himself, is that the rats after eating the poison communicated it to articles of food in the pantry, which showed that they had been eating upon.
We are informed that there is no question about the accidental character of the affair, and that Mr. Sours has the sympathy of all who know him in this sad misfortune.
~ From the public archives of the Page News and Courier
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