1951 — Oct 21-25, Wood Alcohol (Methanol) Poisoning, Atlanta (also Winder), GA — 41
–41 Bennett, et al. “Acute Methyl Alcohol Poisoning…” Medicine, V32, I4, Dec 1953, p. 432.
–41 Greenburg. Disasters: Terrorist, Natural and Man-Made. 2006, p. 49.
–38 Lima News, OH. “5 Poison Liquor Indictments Made.” 11-4-1951, p. 50.
–38 Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “Most Atlantans Turn to Legal Booze at Last.” 10-31-1951, 4
–36 Fort Pierce News-Tribune, FL. “December’s Disaster Toll Highest Known.” 1-10-1952, 8.
Narrative Information
Bennett, et al: “….This study is based on observation of 323 patients who had ingested bootleg whiskey containing methyl alcohol in Atlanta during a five-day period in October, 1951. There were 308 colored and 15 white patients; 210 were males and 113 females with an age distribution of 10 to 78 years. Forty-one deaths occurred; 22 victims were dead when brought to the hospital or succumbed within 30 minutes after arriving. The other 19 fatalities were in patients treated for a period of longer than 30 minutes in the Emergency Clinic or hospital wards. Although only 31 patients were officially admitted to the hospital, many more were treated in the Receiving Ward for periods up to 24 hours or longer.
“Approximately 90 gallons of illicit whiskey had been distributed widely throughout the city of Atlanta 24 hours before the first patients were seen. Later analysis of confiscated samples revealed 35 to 40 per cent methanol (by weight) and less than four per cent ethanol….” [pp. 432-433.]
“Mode of death. The prime cause of death in the acutely fatal cases observed by us was a peculiar cessation of respiration. The pattern of events was remarkably uniform in each instance where patients died while severely acidotic. Coma deepened and respirations gradually became shallower and less frequent….circulatory function was well maintained, with full, strong pulses and normal blood pressure despite clammy extremities. In several patients, when respirations began to fail, sinus bradycardia (rate 30-38) developed with widening of the pulse pressure. This slowing of the pulse is a sign of poor prognosis; no patient who developed bradycardia survived….
“…emphasis must be given to the necessity for prompt treatment of acidosis no matter how well a patient may appear clinically. Six acidotic patients who complained of no unusual discomfort, were rational and conversant, and in three instances, ambulatory, suddenly became comatose with or without a convulsion, rapidly developed respiratory slowing and died within a period of minutes despite vigorous measures….” [p. 445]
(Bennett, Ivan L., et al. “Acute Methyl Alcohol Poisoning: A Review Based on Experiences in an Outbreak of 323 Cases.” Medicine, Vol. 32, Issue 4, December 1953, pp. 431-463.)
Greenberg: “Bootleg whiskey contaminated with methanol resulted in 3,252 poisonings and 41 deaths.”[1] (Greenburg. Disasters: Terrorist, Natural and Man-Made. 2006, p. 49.)
Newspapers
Oct 23: “Atlanta, Oct. 23–(AP)–Fifteen negroes died here as a result of week-end moonshine liquor parties and 18 others were hospitalized in critical condition, police reported. Lieut. L. T. Bullard of the detective homicide squad said four negroes were arrested yesterday and charged with suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the poisonings. Three of the victims died soon after reaching Grady Memorial hospital Monday morning [Oct 22]….By nightfall the procession to the hospital’s emergency clinic had become steady. ‘We’ve never seen anything like it,’ declared Detectives J. E. Helms and W. M. Holland, veterans of the homicide squad. ‘They arrived so fast that hospital attendants didn’t have time to complete entrance records.’
“Hospital physicians said the deaths were caused by ‘acute acidosis resulting from internal consumption of methyl alcohol.’….” (Associated Press. “Poison Booze Kills 15 Negroes, 18 More in Critical Condition.” Hattiesburg American, MS, 10-23-1951, p. 1.)
Oct 24: “Atlanta, Oct. 24 [Wednesday] (AP)–The toll of liquor poisoning deaths reached 28 here today — and the list of dead is expected to grow. Twenty-two persons died of methyl alcohol poisoning at Grady Hospital in the wake of weekend[2] sales of a mixture of wood alcohol and water peddled as ‘good drinking liquor-cheap.’ Six others died in their homes.
“Physicians at the hospital have treated more than 100 persons for the deadly poison, and cases were still coming in today. Of the two dozen victims remaining under hospital care, several were given only a scant chance for recovery.
“Twelve Negroes accused of peddling the poison have been bailed on charges of suspicion of manslaughter. Officers are searching for an unidentified white man believed to be the source of supply.
“Death struck almost instantly in some cases. In others no ill effects were noticed for as much as 48 hours. Most of the victims were Negroes. Two white persons succumbed to the poison and three others were treated at Grady, the city’s emergency hospital. One of those treated was a 10-year-old Negro boy. Those stricken collapsed at home, in the streets and alleys and in automobiles. One woman was found dead in a chair on her back porch. A man told police he bought a drink on a street corner and 30 minutes later was admitted to Grady Hospital — blind….
“Methyl alcohol often is used to ‘soup up’ racing cars. It can be purchased in 50-gallon lots for about $1.75 a gallon.
“L. O. Reagin, 54, one of the Negroes rounded up by police, admitted buying 62 gallons of moonshine from an unidentified white man and reselling it. When he learned it was making drinkers ill, he told officers, he recovered 37 gallons and returned it to the white man. Police said apparently this 37 gallons was put back on the market.” (Associated Press. “28 Dead in Atlanta Shine Poison Case.” Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA, 10-24-1951, p. 8.)
Oct 25: “Atlanta, Oct. 25.–(AP)–A deadly moonshine mixture of wood alcohol and water has killed 32 persons in Georgia and its effects have spread to a neighboring state. Two residents at nearby Winder, Ga., died at the City Hospital there of methyl alcohol poisoning last night, Police Chief G. L. Banks said, and a third was in critical condition. And police at Nashville, Tenn., said a man who left Atlanta early in the week was hospitalized in critical condition with symptoms of liquor poisoning. Thirty persons, 26 of them Negroes, died here after drinking the poisonous brew.
“Police were searching for a white ex-convict charged with bringing the stuff into Atlanta and for an unnamed white moonshiner accused of mixing the deadly brew. Detective Superintendent Glyn Cowan obtained a manslaughter warrant for John R. (Fat) Hardy, whose FBI record shows several convictions of liquor law violations. Solicitor Paul Webb of Fulton County, said the man who made the liquor would be charged with murder when captured and that he would demand the death penalty. He would not reveal the man’s name, saying it would hamper the police search.
“The two latest Atlanta victims, who died last night, were Negroes. Charlie Simmons, 42, entered Grady Hospital immediately after drinking the poison and died within an hour. The other victim was John Blount, whose wife was one of the first to die Monday [Oct 22].
“Of 13 Negroes arrested by police, eight have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and placed in $1,500 bond. The others are still being questioned….
“Sound trucks hired by the Atlanta Daily World, a Negro newspaper, toured Negro sections and broadcast warnings against drinking any moonshine.” (Associated Press. “Wood Alcohol Deaths Reach 32.” The Bee, Danville, VA, 10-25-1951, p. 15.)
Oct 25: “Atlanta, Oct. 25–(AP)– A 360-pound ex-convict was charged with manslaughter today in the deaths of 28 Atlantans from a deadly batch of moonshine. Solicitor General Paul Webb said the huge Atlanta man, John R. (Fat) Hardy, 44, had a criminal record three pages long.
“The lethal liquor…began taking its toll late Sunday night [Oct 21]….
“Webb said Hardy admitted he supplied 99 gallons of liquor to Negro distributors here last Friday. Even as police charged that Hardy brought the illegal liquor into Atlanta, they pressed their hunt for another white man accused of mixing the deadly brew. Hardy told Webb he ‘couldn’t remember’ the identity of the person from whom he obtained the moonshine….He [Webb] added that Hardy told him today where some 28 or 30 gallons of the deadly mixture remained hidden and that it was picked up immediately….” (Associated Press. “Ex-Convict Held in Atlanta Poison Whiskey Deaths of 30.” Florence Morning News, SC, 10-26-1951, p. B1.)
Oct 26: “Atlanta. –(AP)– A former convict charged with murder in the death of 31 persons… was identified Thursday night…Solicitor Paul Webb of Fulton county said a North Georgia farmer told him he saw John R. (Fat) Hardy blend wood alcohol and well water at an abandoned farmhouse about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta….Webb said the farmer–52-year-old Luke Turner–told him Thursday night that Hardy was aided by an unidentified Negro in mixing the deadly stuff….” (Associated Press. “Lethal Drink Mixer Named.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 10-26-1951, p. 4.)
Oct 27: “Atlanta, Oct. 27.–(AP)–Nattily-dressed Roger William Smallwood walked into the police station today and surrendered to face murder charges for the deaths of 35 poison liquor victims. The 24-year-old Atlantan has been widely sought on a murder warrant. Detective Lt. M. M. Coppenger reported that he stepped into the station ‘with his wife and some other woman, announced he was Smallwood and wanted to surrender.’ He is charged with assisting John R. (Fat) Hardy, 44-year-old ex-convict, concoct a blend of wood alcohol, moonshine and well water that spread wholesale death here this week….” (Associated Press. “Second Man Sought in Poison Booze Deaths Surrenders.” Hattiesburg American, MS, 10-27-1951, p. 1.)
Oct 31: “Atlanta (AP) – With the biggest part of a poisonous, 98-gallon batch of moonshine still unrecovered by police, most Atlantans turned to legal liquor for their weekend drinking.
“Drinkers were not scared off, however, by the 38 deaths caused last week by imbibing a methyl (wood) alcohol and water mixture. Police declared yesterday that weekend drunkenness arrests were no lighter than usual.
“Detective J. E. Helms said only about 40 gallons of the deadly stuff had been recovered and warned that deaths from drinking the brew might occur for the next two years.
“One of five…brought to Grady Hospital Saturday night with symptoms of methyl alcohol poisoning died early Sunday to raise Atlanta’s death toll to 36. Two others died last week in nearby Winder.
“Since the first deaths Oct. 21, 341 persons were treated, Grady attaches said, and 17 are still being attended. Two…are reportedly blind for life.
“A liquor retailer reported a five to ten per cent increase throughout Atlanta in sales of legal liquor to Negroes during the weekend. One customer said he hadn’t known that corn liquor could be had at the stores.
“The switch to lawful liquor was borne out by police records. Lt. J.- C. Barnes said 81 gallons of
moonshine were confiscated during the weekend before the poisoning outbreak. Only 15 gallons were seized on the weekend just past. Two white men and 12 Negroes have been arrested in connection with the poisoning. One white man has been charged with murder and two Negroes with suspicion of murder; the others with suspicion of manslaughter.” (AP. “Most Atlantans Turn to Legal Booze at Last.” Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. 10-31-1951, p. 4.)
Nov 4: “Atlanta (INS) – A grand jury has returned five murder indictments against bootlegger John R ‘Fat’ Hardy in Atlanta’s mass liquor poisonings. Hardy, who admitted distributing the deadly wood alcohol mixture, was charged with the murder of five of the 38 persons who died from drinking the moonshine. The 44-year-old ex-convict was named defendant along with four others in a $100,000 damage suit filed by Lewis Rivers, a husband of one of the victims.”[3] (INS. “5 Poison Liquor Indictments Made.” Lima News, OH. 11-4-1951, p. 50.)
Sources
Associated Press. “28 Dead in Atlanta Shine Poison Case.” Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA, 10-24-1951, p. 8. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/thomasville-times-enterprise-oct-24-1951-p-8/
Associated Press. “Ex-Convict Held in Atlanta Poison Whiskey Deaths of 30.” Florence Morning News, SC, 10-26-1951, p. B1. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/florence-morning-news-oct-26-1951-p-11/
Associated Press. “Lethal Drink Mixer Named.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 10-26-1951, p. 4. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dubuque-telegraph-herald-oct-26-1951-p-4/
Associated Press. “Most Atlantans Turn to Legal Booze at Last.” Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. 10-31-1951, p. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=101088002
Associated Press. “Poison Booze Kills 15 Negroes, 18 More in Critical Condition.” Hattiesburg American, MS, 10-23-1951, p. 1. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hattiesburg-american-oct-23-1951-p-1/
Associated Press. “Second Man Sought in Poison Booze Deaths Surrenders.” Hattiesburg American, MS, 10-27-1951, p. 1. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hattiesburg-american-oct-27-1951-p-1/
Associated Press. “Wood Alcohol Deaths Reach 32.” The Bee, Danville, VA, 10-25-1951, p. 15. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/danville-bee-oct-25-1951-p-32/
Bennett, Ivan L., et al. “Acute Methyl Alcohol Poisoning: A Review Based on Experiences in an Outbreak of 323 Cases.” Medicine, Vol. 32, Issue 4, December 1953, pp. 431-463. Accessed 11-1-2017 at: http://journals.lww.com/md-journal/Citation/1953/12000/Acute_Methyl_Alcohol_Poisoning__A_Review_Based_on.2.aspx
Broady, Arlinda Smith. “Photo Vault: Tainted moonshine killed dozens 64 years ago.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10-21-2015. Accessed 11-2-2017 at: http://www.ajc.com/news/local/photo-vault-tainted-moonshine-killed-dozens-years-ago/ar82zln5WxyxQ06p6QxkjJ/
Greenberg, Michael I. Disasters: Terrorist, Natural and Man-Made. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006.
International News Service. “5 Poison Liquor Indictments Made.” Lima News, OH. 11-4-1951, p. 50. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=30712275
[1] Cites: (1) Bennett, I.L, F. H. Pary, et al. “Acute methanol poisoning: a review based on experiences in an outbreak of 323 cases.” Medicine 1953: 32, pp, 431-426; and (2) Swartz, R. D. et al. “Epidemic methanol poisoning: clinical and biochemical analysis of a recent episode.” Medicine (Baltimore) 1981; 60(15):373-382.
[2] We are assuming what is meant by “the weekend” is Saturday Oct 20-Sunday Oct 21.
[3] “Hardy was convicted on December 12, 1951 and sentenced to life in prison.” (Broady, Arlinda Smith. “Photo Vault: Tainted moonshine killed dozens 64 years ago.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10-21-2015.)