Great Olive Poisoning of 1919 – Part 10

by | Aug 28, 2019 | Events

Jessie Sanford Struggles

The entry for August 28 in William H. Morgan’s account is equally short with yesterday’s:

Thursday August 28

Jessie Sanford’s condition worsening. Mary Bates critically ill.

The Alliance Review offers details on the day’s events, including a photograph of the Lakeside Club’s chef who died, Frank McAvoy, and the menu that was served at the dinner. Among the items served were pink meat cantaloupe, white and dark meat turkey with dressing, browned potatoes, scalloped corn with green and red peppers, sliced tomatoes on lettuce with French dressing, fresh rolls with butter, salted wafers, olives, ice cream, spice cake with caramel frosting, nuts, candy, and coffee. The olives, nuts, candy, Newport creams and chocolate were brought to the dinner by Mrs. Gahris.

A number of olives and the can they came in were still in the refrigerator of the country club. They were sent to Columbus for analysis. A rabbit died after eating one of the olives. The results of the tests performed on the olives and the organs of the Lakeside Club staff members were expected to take at least three weeks.

Mrs. Gahris was buried on this day in Sebring while plans were made for the funerals of Mr. & Mrs. Sharer and Col. Weybrecht for the following day.

Alliance Review, Aug. 28, 1919The Alliance Review, Aug.28, 1919, https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll36/id/9287/rec/1

Tomorrow: Funerals Are Held for the Dead

Part 11

Table of Contents

Part 1 – Introduction

Part 2 – Who was Col. Weybrecht?

Part 3 – The party hostess: Helen Sebring Gahris

Part 4 – The dinner guests

Part 5 – The dinner party – August 23, 1919

Part 6 – The first effects of the tainted olives

Part 7 – The similarities in the symptoms become obvious

Part 8 – Other members of the dinner party are contacted

Part 9 – The first information published in The Alliance Review

Part 10 – Jessie Sanford struggles

Part 11 – Funerals are held for the dead

Part 12 – The final victim

Part 13 – Aftermath for the Morgan Family

Part 14 – What happened to the other guests at the Gahris dinner party?