100 years ago: Woman poisoned by tansy tea

From the Lawrence Daily World for Sept. 16, 1909: Mrs. F.L. Coup died at noon today from an overdose of tansy tea which she had taken. She leaves a husband and two children. The tansy, which is poisonous, was self-induced and no inquest is planned. . . . People from the Bell Telephone Co. will be here tomorrow to try to settle some of the controversy and confusion over the local phone franchise setup. . . . The freshman football players at the university will have to learn football without a coach this fall since there is a shortage of funds to pay a coach. The athletic association says it may have to borrow $800 to get through the year. There once was $3,300 in the treasury but a disastrous baseball and track season brought about the need for a loan. Football coach Bert Kennedy gets $1,200 a year and borrowing will be necessary to pay new basketball and track coach W.O. Hamilton. It is hoped new student fees will help. . . . All trains today were loaded as the university students began pouring in to Lawrence. Enrollment has begun, the registrar’s office is flooded with students and the fraternities and sororities are preparing for a gala social week to help break in the freshmen.