The Old Times: The Carbolic Acid Incidents of 1908

Today's post is going to feature two stories from the same month of January in 1908. Coincidentally there were 2 deaths from drinking "carbolic acid". Carbolic Acid: A very poisonous chemical substance made from tar and also found in some plants and essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants). Carbolic acid is used to make plastics, nylon, epoxy, medicines, and to kill germs. Also called phenol. I couldn't find what the they these people would be doing with this acid. 

Also before we start talking about John Krecha, I want to briefly mention the article juxtaposed next to it. "MINISTER FALLS INTO WATER IN BAPTISTRY", which is 3 paragraphs long. "In Immersing an unusually large person, be slipped slightly and received quite a drenching, so much so that he was obliged to secure one of the parishioner's automobiles, go hastily to his hotel change his clothing." This was like dictation to a YouTube video in the early 20th century. It's almost as light-hearted as this little gem right next to it: Louis Strauss, aged 68, committed suicide by shooting himself through the head, with his old German rifle. He deliberately set about taking his life, driving a nail into a long stick and using this to press the trigger of the rifle. whose muzzle he had placed under his chin. Crafty, if nothing else. On to John Krecha.

    Mistaking a bottle of carbolic acid for whisky, John Krecha, 50 years old, No. 713 Wesson-ave., drank the poison Monday morning and was dead before help could be given him.

  

  Krecha was a foreman in one of the factories nearby and was in comfort- able circumstances, owning his own. home. It was his habit to take a small drink of whisky each morning on arising.

   

     Monday morning he arose at 5:15, and drank what he supposed to be whisky.

   

     "This does not taste like whisky," he said to his wife.

    

    "Why, that is carbolic acid that I. put in one of the empty flasks," she cried, "don't drink any of it."

    

    He turned to the sink to get some water, but fell over and died immediately. Coroner Parker decided an inquest unnecessary.

How much you want to bet that Coroner Parker was necking with Mrs. Krecha? Also, I love the fact that at 5:15 in the morning before going to his factory foreman job, John HAS to have whiskey. If John was waking up every morning chugging a brown jug, which you know he was, Mrs. Krecha knew EXACTLY what she was doing. John Krecha was murdered. We need a podcaster to get to the bottom of this. Now let's talk about Mrs. Lulu Beck.

Driven to desperation by the knowledge that her husband, Henry Beck, had started suit for divorce, Mrs. Lulu M. Beck, No. 433 Bagg-st., committed suicide early Wednesday morning by drinking carbolic acid.

There is every evidence that the act was premeditated, and Mrs. Beck has several times threatened to take her own life. For several weeks she had been sleeping with a 14-year-old sister. The latter was awakened shortly after 2 o'clock Wednesday morning and found Mrs. Beck writhing in

agony. The child called for help, and Drs. T. M. Hart and Stevens, were hastily called. For an hour the physicians worked over the dying woman, but their efforts were of no avail and she passed away without regaining consciousness.

An empty bottle, which had contained carbolic acid, was found on the bed. It had been purchased at a near-by drug store Tuesday afternoon.

"Can you account for your wife taking her life?" the husband was asked. "Matrimonial troubles," he answered with no show of emotion. "We quarreled a great deal. For more than a month we had not spoken to each other, and she had threatened to kill herself, but I thought it was all a bluff.

"I started a divorce suit Tuesday, but had no intention of going ahead with it. I started it merely to bring her to time.

"What caused the quarrels?" he was asked.

"She was too self-willed. She insisted on her own way. If she started to climb up a hill she was the kind of a girl that was going to reach the top, no matter what she found on the way."

The husband admitted that they had lived unhappily ever since their marriage eight years ago. The marriage took place in Trinity church and Mrs. Beck at that time was but 17 years of age.

Mrs. Beck, before her marriage was Miss Lulu Cronin. She is survived by her father, A. H. Cronin; her mother, a brother, who resided with her, and several sisters. She also leaves three children, aged 2, 4 and 8 years, respectively. The house was full of visitors Wednesday morning. and while Mrs. Beck's body lay on the bed where she died, the story of the tragedy was discussed in all its phases, but not the slightest sign of emotion was visible. There were no signs of tears, even the little girl who slept with her sister, talking of the case with the utmost unconcern.

The husband, H. R. Beck, is a shirt-waist manufacturer, with a shop on Jefferson-ave.

In the bill of divorce the husband alleges that his wife was continually walling over the fact that she had married, and that she was not having as good a time as she would bad she remained single. He charges, also, that she was of a nagging disposition, and had driven him almost to distraction with her scolding and fault-finding. Many times, he says, she refused to prepare his meals, and had made the boast that she would ruin him financially. He says she would often goad him to anger, and then stand before him and dare him to strike her so that she could have him arrested.

Holy hell, that was terrible. Carbolic acid should apparently not be available at drug stores. I did some digging and found that Henry Beck was born in 1867 and that they were married in 1900 when she was 17. Mr. Beck, if you marry a 17 year old girl at the age of 33 and have 3 kids with her, you can't complain when she gets pissed that you demand her to make you food. No shit she had a "nagging disposition". Also, your job title of "shirt-waist manufacturer" sounds as if it's an old timey insult.