EVIDENCE ABOUT POISON

Chronicle (Levin), 25 June 1947, Page 5

EVIDENCE ABOUT POISON

Pf&ss AsShr

Inquests Iitto Deaths Of Doctor and Wife

By Tilegraph

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Receive'd Wednesday, 10.45 a.m. LYNDON, ;jtfhe.24. The inquest into the deaths ' 0| Dr, Robert GeoiW Ciemehts ahd his wife was Cdntihtied 40'day . Dr. Siemehts comhiitt'ed StiiCide aftof the mysteriOlis death of -his Wife on May 36. Proceedirig with his OVidehce, Dr. Holmes dehied that tte had asked Dr. HOUStoh hOt to tell the police abotit the poSt hidrtem. He also aehisa that bt Hotistoh had said "that he intehded to tell the pohce ahd hdld hoijiihg back, and also denied that he had Said to Dr. Hotiston ih the pdst rhoftem rdom, "She fnight have beeh murdered for aii that 1 know." ' , Dr. Holmes said that he did not thihk that myeloid - leukaemia, Which Dr. HOustOn said had caused her death, was SuffiCiently severe to be the cause. He did not indicate ahy other cOhclhs'ion in the dda^h certiflcate, He did not know in fact What had been the cause of death, but he had heard rumours. Dr-. Aridrew Brown, of Southport, said that he first examined MrS. Clements last New Year's Day.- He could find hothing wrong except what he regarded as toxaemia'and slight ahkemia. He examined hef again on May ^6,, when he Con^ cluded that she was suffering from morphihe pdisoning. Hq, decided that in the event of the death of Mrs. Clements he WOilld repdrt the matter to the coroner before the funerai, . becattse he felt * it was either a eaSe of suicide or hOhiicide. He told Df. HOustoh after the post hiortem on May 30 that he suspected that Mrs. Clements had died of hiorphihe poisohing. Dr. HptlstOh replied: "i Wish to GOd I'd khoWii of this sdoner." Dr. Browh said he was certaih that Dr. Houston was not aWafe df any suspicioh of poiSonihg. MrS. Aiiiy SteVehS, df Sotlthport, said that she Was very friendly With Dr. ahd Mrs. Ciehients, and just befote last Christmas Dr. Clements visited her and Said that his wife. was "very poorly." Other ddctdrs had told him that it was onlv a matter of time.

The inqiiest Was adjoiirned at this stage. When detectives investigated the death of Dr, ciehients, they found everywhere in his six-roomed fldt in Bouthport evidence of his wife's meanness, says the Daily ExpresS. Every room was stacked with junk. In the bedroom there were no sheets or pillowcases. Ih the bed Dr. Clemeiits slept between biarikets aimost biack with dirt. DiScarded, moth-eateri ciothes were piied oh the dressing table. In another bedroom cardboard and broWn paper were piled :o the ceiiing. In the 'kitchen there were scors of jahi jars, while 200 ehipty mi'lk bottlds were' shouldef high on a pile of coal bokes. Empty powder boxes, medicine bottles and jewellery Worth more than £1000 were screWed "up in neWspapefs stattered all OVdr the house: The food indluded 30 packets of btittdr and margarine, 40 lb. of tea and 60 lb. df sugar.