Attempt to Chlorform Champaign Family

A very strange story from the April 10, 1904 issue of the Urbana Courier-Herald. I am much reminded of the story of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon . I do not know if this incident caused as much panic, however I hope to follow up with more information in future posts.

Picknell Home Filled With
Deadly Fumes.

PLOT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL

Quantities of Drug Thrown in Cold Air Shaft With Expectation that Fumes Would Penetrate Register.

What is believed to have been an attempt to chloroform an entire family and rob the home at their ease, was discovered yesterday morning, when Harry Picknell, 308 South Neil street, awoke from his nights' rest drowsy and unrefreshed. He lifted his head from bis pillow and almost immediately sunk back into a semi-stupor. A few minutes of this, however, convinced him that something was wrong and in spite of his inclination to sleep longer He arose and opened the door leading from his sleeping room to the hall. As he did so a strong smell of chloroform greeted his nostrils and he became thoroughly alarmed. He descended the stairs and with every step the odor became stronger until he reached his basement, where he was almost overpowered by the fumes of the deadly drug.

Keeping himself from its influence as best he could, Mr. Picknell opened all the doors and windows of the house and then proceeded to investigate the solution of the problem. A cold alr shaft connected with the furnace has opening on the outside of the house and it was quickly evident that evil-minded persons had thrown large quantities of the drugs into this shaft with the idea that the fumes would penetrate to the sleeping apartments of the occupants through the registers. This would have been the case and might possibly have resulted In the death of members of the family, had it not been for the fact that all the registers leading into the sleeping rooms were tightly closed. In spite of this fact the fumes faintly penetrated into the rooms through the closed doors and caused each member of the family to sink into a light stupor.

When Mr. Pieknell had discovered the source of the chloroform and arrived at the conclusion that the deed was the work of burglars, he made a thorough search of the house to see if the marauders had succeeded in their purpose. Nothing of value is missing and it is probable that the light fingered gentry were frightened away before they succeeded in breaking into the house by fence in the neighborhood of the Picknell house had caught fire during the night and although the flames were quickly extinguished, the police made frequent trips to the place to see that the hot embers showed no further indications of bursting into flame. It is believed that this frequent presence of Champaign guardians of the law kept the Picknell home from being burglarized.