John Seth Leavitt was born on December 2, 1906 the third son of John William Leavitt and Mary Jane Ollerton Leavitt. The story is he was baking a cake and mistakenly added rat poison as one of the ingredience and sampled the batter of the cake several times and died.
He died June 1927.
Novice Cook's Error Fatal
Young Man in Box Elder County Mixes Poison with Batter
SALT LAKE June 29, 1927, Services for John Seth Leavitt, aged 20, who died Monday from effects of poisoning, will be held at 1:00 pm Oclock Thursday in the Thirty-fourth ward Here.
Leavitt, the son of Mr and Mrs John W. Leavitt, 48 North Ninth West Street, was visiting his aunt Mrs. Mark Leavitt of Blue Creek, Box Elder County, While the aunt was away, Leavitt, his brother-in-law and three sons of his hostess were preparing dinner for themselves. One suggested that a cake be made and Leavitt volunteered. Leavitt brought a can out of the pantry, thinking it was baking powder. The brother-in-law J. E. McArdle then discovered that strychnine used for poisioning rats had been mixed with the batter, which Leavitt had sampled several times. Suffering severely. Leavitt was placed in a motor car and a dash was made for Garland about 20 miles away, but the patient died on the way.
