MRS. SHUMAN GETS $2,000 DAMAGES

Spencer, Ind., Jan. 26 - The jury in the case of Mrs. Nancy Shuman against the Island City Coal Company at Spencer returned a verdict awarding $2,000 damages to the plaintiff. Her husband was killed in the company's mines.

Margaret Smith Eller

Contributor: Karen Zach

A very sad case of accidental poisoning, attended with fatal results, occurred Saturday night. The life belonged to Mrs. Maggie Eller and the sacrifice was occasioned by her own ignorance of morphine and its terrible effects, couple, perchance, with a piece of carelessness on the part of some druggist in selling her the powerful drug without cautioning her in regard to the quantity constituting a dose. Mrs. Eller has been a sufferer for sometime with acute neuralgia and has been taking treatment for the same under Dr. O. H. Jones. Saturday afternoon she returned from the Coffin factory, where she was employed in the lining department, and complained that she was not feeling well. From the symptoms she believed that it was an attack of neuralgia coming on and dispatched her young son, Harry for Dr. Jones. The physician responded in due time and found the lady in a condition bordering on the critical. She complained of feeling numb over her entire body and had all the symptoms of one suffering from an overdose of morphine. Notwithstanding her denial that she had taken any of the drug, Dr. Jones began treating her for morphine poisoning but she finally passed into convulsion and until death relieved the pain about 2 o'clock Sunday morning the lady never regained consciousness. Beneath her pillow was found a quantity of bulk morphine and several capsules. The box bore no druggists trade mark and where it came from is not known. However it is presumed that Mrs. Eller had taken it to relieve her pain and when questioned had denied the fact for the reason that she did not want the doctor to know she had been so careless as to prescribe for herself. A dose of morphine ranges from 1/8 to 1/2 grain and the supposition is that Mrs. Eller took a three grain capsule. The coroner was called and made a post mortem examination yesterday afternoon. The verdict returned was "death due to accidental poisoning."

Mrs. Eller was born in Whitehall in Owen County in 1833 and has been a resident of Crawfordsville for about 10 years, Her husband died soon after they moved here leaving his family in rather straightened circumstances but Mrs. Eller, by her own exertions, had succeeded in supporting and educating her two children, Harry and Carrie. She was a woman of many good qualities, a good neighbor and had the respect of the entire community.

Funeral services at 12 o'clock today by Rev. Howe and the remains were taken on the afternoon train to Bloomington, where the interment will occur.