TIBBETTS, Malcolm 1866-1894

CONNER, TIBBETTS

Posted By: jackie (email)
Date: 11/14/2010 at 19:37:24

Poisoned by Eating Wild Parsnips

The sudden death of Malcolm Tibbetts last Friday night, from the effects of eating parsnips, was a sad affair. The particulars were as follows:

Malcolm, with his brother, Will, were in the field Friday afternoon dragging and planting. He pulled up, as he supposed, an artichoke root, and broke a piece about the size of a man's thumb and commenced eating it, remarking to his brother that it was sweet and offered him a small piece. His brother became sick at once and commenced vomiting, saying he felt sick. Malcolm remarked that he felt very bad and commenced to grow weak. It dawned upon their minds that they were poisoned, and unhitching the horses they hurried to the house.

Upon reaching the door, Mrs. Tibbetts asked Malcolm what was the matter, and he said he was poisoned and went into spasms. Milk, warm water and grease was administered, but to no effect. His brother had throwed up all of the parsnip, and was able to ride a horse to a neighbor for assistance in getting a doctor, but before the medical services could reach him. he died in great agony, which occurred about 8 p.m., hardly three hours after eating the wild parsnip.

Mr. Tibbetts resided on the Bishop farm in Rudd township, and leaves a wife and two small children. He was 29 years of age, of good habits, honorable and a hard working industrious man.

The respect that he was held in the neighborhood where he resided, was attested by the large number of friends who gathered to pay the last tribute of affection, thirty carriages accompanying the body to be buried in the Osage Cemetery.

He was the nephew of Jessie Conner, of this city.

(Malcolm Tibbetts was the son of George Tibbitts and Charlotte A. Conner, born 1866 and died May 11, 1894.)

(Newspaper article found in an old family scrap book)