Assassination Trivia

[RJNorton]

Excellent guess, Eva, but Laurie is correct. Kudos, Laurie. It was on the grounds of the Smithsonian where William Petersen ingested too much laudanum during a drinking spree. The police found him and took him to a guardhouse. Two doctors tried to save his life but failed. This was on Saturday night, June 17, 1871. An inquest was held, and the verdict was that William Petersen died of an "overdose of laudanum taken through mistake." However, the New York Times deemed it a suicide.

Thanks to Kathy's book for the above information.

Laurie, you win best wishes for a nice weekend.