Ansberry - William - 1887
WILLIAM ANSBERRY
Source: Crawfordsville Journal (Semi-Weekly) October 1, 1887
William Ansbury, junior, a young man nineteen years of age residing in the east part of the city died on Friday forenoon under rather peculiar circumstances. He was not feeling well the night before, having a slight cold. His mother in order to break it up gave him a dose of what she suppose to be quinine. The family was aroused the next mourning and found the young man in a dying condition. Dr. Keegan was sent for and arrived to late to be of any assistance, as did also Dr. Hutchings. Dr. Keegan says he examined the medicine and thought it was quinine, that drug and morphia tasting and looking so much alike that they can not be told apart, save by the tests known to science and the effect when taken in over doses. Father Dinnen was called and administered the absolution and the young man died. An examination of the contents of the packet, at the drug store by Dr's. Keegan and Morgan showed it to contain five grains of morphia, the other five grains having been swallowed by Ansberry. Mrs. Ansberry says she purchased the drug at the store of Moffet & Morgan-of Dr. Moffet that she called for ten cents worth of quinine. At the Coroner's inquest Saturday Dr. Moffet stated that he had sold no one any quinine nor morphine either, Thursday afternoon, as died M.B. Keegan and Dr. Morgan, and that there was no woman in the store that afternoon. This firm uses square, white paper with the words, "Morphine-Caution" printed on it in heavy type, while this drug was wrapped in brown paper. There is a fearful mistake somewhere. Mrs. Ansberry is either mistaken in the place she made her purchase or else she called for something she did not intend to purchase, and did not want. It is a sad affair, look at it in any way possible.
Mrs. Ansberry's first statement was that she purchased the drug of Dr. Moffet in the evening. That she called for quinine, which was given her as she supposed. Before the Coroner, she stated that the purchase was made in the morning and that she bought some morphine pills and called for the quinine at the same time. Dr. Moffett and Mort Keegan remember that a woman called in the morning and got some one eighth grain morphine pills which Dr. Moffett put up for her and properly marked them "poison" but are willing to swear that she asked for nothing else, and no other medicine was given her. They are positive that the morphine which killed the young man did not come from their store. - kbz