Pennsylvania
Just over three-quarters of Pennsylvanian voters chose to repeal Prohibition on November 7, 1933. That decision was later ratified on December 5th. As the stories below illustrate, Prohibition was a troublesome time for Pennsylvania, especially when it came to poisonous liquor.
A Washington Post story from 1933 tells of how 12 died in Philadelphia after drinking alcohol that had been stolen from a garage. It had been apparently intended for use in car radiators.
Ten years earlier, The New York Times declared that with 875 deaths from liquor, it had more [deaths] in [a] year than any other city.
Pittsburgh, too, had its problems with poison booze. One newspaper article told of how the city experienced 7 deaths from tainted liquor in one week.
Sources:
7 in
Pittsburgh Killed By Liquor in One Week
, The Washington Post
(1877-1954); Nov 27, 1923; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The
Washington Post (1877 1991)
, pg. 3
HAS
875 LIQUOR DEATHS.
, Special to The New York Times.
, New York Times
(1857-Current file); Dec 28, 1923; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The
New York Times (1851 2004)
, pg. 17
Stolen Poison Alcohol Kills 12 In Philadelphia , The Washington Post (1877-1954); Jul 27, 1933; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The Washington Post (1877 1991) , pg. 4
