1922 – Jan 7-11, Wood Alcohol Poisoning, NJ, especially Hoboken, NJ          — 10-11

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-24-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

New Jersey

–11  Evening World, NYC. “103 Killed in U.S. Since Jan. 1 by Poisoned Liquor.” 1-12-1922, 3.[1]

–10  NYT.  “Four More Deaths From Wood Alcohol,” Jan 12, 1922.

—  8  Evening World, NY. “Eight Dead in Jersey From Poison Rum.” 1-10-1922, p. 1.

—  6  Hoboken,  Jan 10.  NYT.  “Seven Die in Jersey From Bootleg Rum,” Jan 11, 1922.

—  3        “          Jan 11.  NYT.  “Four More Deaths From Wood Alcohol,” Jan 12, 1922.

—  1  Jersey City, Jan 7.  NYT.  “Seven Die in Jersey From Bootleg Rum,” Jan 11, 1922.  

New York, Westchester County.

—   1  Tuckahoe, Jan 11.  NYT.  “Four More Deaths From Wood Alcohol,” Jan 12, 1922.

Narrative Information

 Jan 10: “With the total deaths from wood alcohol poisoning in Jersey City and Hoboken now numbering eight, the police of the latter city at noon today arrested a man and his wife operating, it is alleged, a large, complete still. Capt. Garick and Acting Detective Christie led the Hoboken  raiders. Their prisoners are Peter De Waele, thirty-seven, and his wife, Olga, forty, whom they arrested on the second floor of No. 307 Second Street. The raiders allege they found a whiskey distilling plant consisting of six washtubs, two milk cans, a ten-gallon still, twelve quart bottles of a colorless liquor, three small bottles of coloring and a proof tester.

….

“On Saturday [Jan 7] a man said to have been James Sheehy, a longshoreman, died in Jersey City. He also is believed to have bought the fatal drink in Hoboken.

“Mrs. Emile Lang, the wife of the proprietor of Lang’s Restaurant, at No. 326 River Street [Hoboken], telephoned for an ambulance, saying two of their boarders were seriously ill. Paul Smith, thirty-four, and Rudolph Eberle, thirty-four, steamship firemen, were rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital, where they later died.

“No sooner had Smith and Eberle been taken to their wards than another call came from Mrs. Langt. Her husband, forty-two, was also dying. He died shortly after reaching the hospital.

“A few minutes later a call came from the International Lodging House, No. 129 Washington Street, where Henry Offen, forty-nine, also was suffering from wood alcohol poisoning and died a few minutes after reaching St. Mary’s

“Then came a call from [unclear] Park Avenue, where William [unclear] a Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad waterman was in such a dangerous condition he could not be moved. He died in a few minutes from the same causes….” (Evening World, NY. “Eight Dead in Jersey From Poison Rum.” 1-10-1922, pp. 1-2.)

Jan 11: “Wood alcohol poisoning caused the death of six men in Hoboken yesterday and one in Jersey City Saturday. A man arrested on suspicion of having sold the poisonous liquor arrived in Hoboken with his wife about a month ago from Detroit, about the time wood alcohol is said to have killed several persons in that city. The Hoboken victims were: Emil Lange, saloonkeeper, 326 River Street; Rudolph Eberle, and Paul Schmidt, boarders with Lange; Henry Offen, boarder in the International Lodging House, 129 Washington Street; William Bergen, 108 Park Avenue; Edward Dean, 107 Garden Street. The Jersey City victim was James Sheehy, a longshoreman.

“Dr. Charles Hoskins, County Physician, said last night that the autopsies showed that wood alcohol had caused the deaths of Schmidt, Eberle and Lange….” ” (NYT.  “Seven Die in Jersey From Bootleg Rum,” Jan 11, 1922.)

Jan 12:  “Three more deaths from wood alcohol poisoning were reported yesterday from Hoboken, Making a total of ten in New Jersey since Saturday [Jan 7], all supposed to have obtained the deadly poison from the same source, which, the Hoboken police assert, was the steamer Sarcoxie of the Cosmopolitan Line, which sailed from Hoboken Saturday for South American ports.

“In addition, a death from wood alcohol poisoning was reported from Tuckahoe, N.Y., and a man was picked up on the street here [NYC] last night and sent to Bellevue Hospital for treatment for wood alcohol poisoning.

“Two of the additional deaths in Hoboken were Carl Freund, 45 years old, a native of Germany, and Frank Sandhop, 54, also a native of Germany, both longshoremen. The police were called at noon yesterday to 716 First Street, Hoboken, where Freund lived. An ambulance hurried the man to St. Mary’s Hospital, where he died at 1:25 o’clock. Dr. Stites said that death was due to alcoholic poisoning, probably wood alcohol.

“Sandhop was found dead at his home at 220 Park Avenue, Hoboken…Dr. Goss of St. Mary’s Hospital said Sandhop had been dead from ten to twelve hours. He thought his death was due to alcoholic poisoning.

“Henry Hoffman, 42, married, living at 119 Park Avenue, Hoboken, was taken ill at his home yesterday and Dr. Goff of St. Mary’s Hospital was summoned. Hoffman died while the doctor was at his home. Dr. Goff pronounced death due to alcoholic poisoning. Hoffman was janitor of the Star of Israel Synagogue. His wife said she did not know where he got the liquor….

“Chief of Police Hayes of Hoboken said that investigation showed that the wood alcohol, which caused the deaths, had been put on board the steamer Sarcoxie from a West Shore Railroad lighter on Friday.

“James Sheehy of 513 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, who died Saturday from wood alcohol poisoning, was employed on the steamer Sarcoxie on Friday as a longshoreman. The police say the Eugene Lange, a nephew of Emile Lange, the saloonkeeper who died Tuesday from wood alcohol poisoning, told them that his uncle bought the alcohol from Sheehy, who delivered it in a water bottle.  The bottle was filled up aboard the steamer, it was said, and then brought ashore and emptied in containers in the saloon.  Persons at work on the river front told the police that the drums containing the liquor were plainly marked ‘wood alcohol’….

“C. M. Moretta, 45 years old, was found dead in a barn at Tuckahoe yesterday. Coroner Edward Fitzgerald of Westchester County said that the victim had evidently taken wood alcohol.

….

“Peter Hehyt and Mrs. Marie DeWaelle were held in $3,500 bail each yesterday on a charge of manufacturing liquor at 207 Second Street….”  (NYT. “Four More Deaths From Wood Alcohol,” Jan 12, 1922.)

Jan 23:  “…Two weeks ago there were ten deaths in Hoboken and one in Jersey City from wood alcohol poisoning.  The police have been unable to find any connection between the deaths Saturday night and those about two weeks ago.”  (NYT. “2 Bartenders Die…Wood Alcohol; Hoboken Men…,” 23 Jan 1922.)

Recap of Named Fatalities

Hoboken (9):              William Bergen

Edward Dean [or Dehn]

Rudolph Eberle

Carl Freund

Emile [or Emil] Lang [or Lange]

Henry Offen [or Hoffman]

Frank Sandhop

Paul Schmidt [or Smith]

Wiliam______

Jersey City (1):          James Sheehy

Tuckahoe, NY:          C. M. Moretta

Sources

Evening World, NYC. “103 Killed in U.S. Since Jan. 1 by Poisoned Liquor.” 1-12-1922, p. 3. Accessed 4-24-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-evening-world-jan-12-1922-p-3/

Evening World, NY. “Eight Dead in Jersey From Poison Rum.” 1-10-1922, pp. 1-2. Accessed 4-24-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-evening-world-jan-10-1922-p-1/

New York Times. “Four More Deaths From Wood Alcohol,” 1-12-1922. Accessed at:  http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0A12FE355B11728DDDAB0994D9405B828EF1D3

New York Times. “Seven Die in Jersey From Bootleg Rum.” 1-11-1922.  Accessed at:  http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50711F73F551A738DDDA80994D9405B828EF1D3

[1] “Thus far eleven persons have died of wood alcohol poison in Hoboken and Jersey City…”