Mr.
Geo. F. Sterling, son-in-law of Mr. J. R. Wilson of Townsend, died
in Detroit on Friday evening. Deceased was at one time a
photographer in this place, and erected the building now occupied by
Mr. H. Dochstader near the station. He
took a dose of carbolic acid in mistake for medicine and only lived
thirty minutes.
The
Detroit Free Press of July 8th contains the following:
A
teaspoon of carbolic acid put a tragic end to the life of George F.
Sterling the Woodard avenue photographer, shortly before 9 o'clock
last night.
The
acid was taken by mistake, Sterling thinking that he was taking a
dose of medicine that had been prescribed by a physician.
The
darkness of the room and the similarity of the bottles was the cause
of the fatal error.
Sterling
had been taking medicine for some time and yesterday morning he
remarked to his wife that he felt much better.
Last
night, about 8.20 o'clock, he went to the medicine shelf in a room
at his home, 240 Woodard avenue, and taking a teaspoon, poured it
full of what he thought was his medicine.
A
short time previous to this, however, his wife had placed the
carbolic bottle on the shelf and Sterling got hold of that instead
of his own bottle.
His
wife was seated in the photograph gallery downstairs when she first
became aware of her husband's mistake.
"I've
taken a dose of --" He stopped and seemed bewildered. "Of
what?" demanded his wife. "My medicine," she
continued laughing.
"I've
taken a dose of --" He stopped again and seemed to be in pain.
His wife became alarmed. "What's the trouble, George?" she
demanded.
"I've
taken a dose of carbolic acid," cried her husband.
Mrs.
Sterling almost fainted. Then she ran to the telephone and called up
Dr. J. W. Wilson. Her husband became impatient. "Call the
ambulance," he cried.
Mrs.
Sterling saw her husband was weakening, and he fell back into her
arms.
John L. Lane,
the saloonkeeper, heard the affair, and gave all the assistance he
could. Milk and other emetics were given Sterling, but he failed
rapidly.
Drs. O.
S. Armstrong and J. W. Wilson were unable to revive the
photographer. About half an hour after taking the dose he was dead.
Coroner
Hoffman was called last night and investigated the affair. He gave
it as his opinion that there was no intention of suicide, and that
the affair was purely accidental. The darkness of the room and
similarity of the bottles were plainly the cause of the error, he
said.
No inquest
will be held, and the body will be taken to West Bay City for
burial.
Mrs. Sterling
and her ten-year-old daughter were alone with Mr. Sterling in the
house at the time of the accident.
Her seventeen-year-old son and
nineteen-year-old daughter were attending the Christian Endeavor
meeting. When they
returned home to find their father dead there was an affecting
scene.
The
daughter came in smiling and happy. The son sauntered by her
side. In a
moment they guessed something was wrong. A friend told them briefly
that their father was dead. The girl dropped to a couch with a cry,
the son wrapped his mother in his arms.
The
friends retired from the room. All were crying.
Photographer
Sterling was well known throughout the state. He took many pictures
of the Michigan regiments and became well acquainted with the
soldier boys.
He was
47 years of age and had been in business in Detroit about four
years. Previous to that time his home was in West Bay City.
