Suspicion Surrounds Death In Fire

Chronicle (Levin), 20 August 1949, Page 5

Suspicion Surrounds Death In Fire

Press Assoeiation)

Coroner Suggests Eurther Police Inquiry

(Per

CHRISTCHURCH, August 19. "The circumstanees of this tragedy are highly suspicious, especially as to the possible factors causing death. They clearly do not indicate suicide nor do tliey by auy ascertainable- probability indicate an accident. I am bound to state that this death was attended with matters of \uspicion whicli should renfain a matter of poliee investigation notwithstanding the careful inquiries alread^ made," saidN the Coroner (LLr Rex C. Abernethy) at the -conelusion of the inquest today into the death of Charles Godfrey Parish, aged 39, who was found dead after a lire at his home, 30 Brett's Road, on, tlle night of Aprii 25. The Coroner returned a verdiet that Parish died on April' 25, the eau'se of death being asphyxia from carbon monoxide poisoning due to the inhaia tion of smoke .wlien he was burned to death. ' , Detective-Sergeant G. W. Alty, con ducted blie proceeding for the poliee and called 20 witnesses. Mr W. F. Traey appeared for the widow, Mr W. R. Lascelles for the Norwieh Union Fire Insurance Society, . Mr T. A. Gresson for the National Mutual Life Assoeiation of Australia Ltd. Mrs Parish said she had been married for Sbout eight yearS. She had two children aged 4 and 6. Iler husband went to the Portage, Marlborough Sounds, for the Easter holidays. Siuhad intended to accompany him but could not get anyone to look after the children. Her husband telephoned from the Portage several times and seemed to be in his usual health and "good spirits. Her husband arrived home on April 25 while she vcas- getting tea. He seemed very pleased to see her. He wasober and in good spirits. They washed the dislies together, and he said ,he \va^ going to bed because he was tired after a heavy day. He said he would sleep in the sunroom so that the chil dren would not disturb him. The sunroom had been built on the rear of the house. A door opened otf the porch into the -,sunroom and another door off the porch outside the house. Mrs Parish said she went into the sunroom and talked with her husband. He was reading when she left him. Did Deceased Take Tahlets? Answering Deteetive Alty Mrs Parish said: "As far as I know mv husband had not taken any medicine. H'e occasionally took sleeping tablets but never to my knowledge took prescribed sleeping tablets. Some tablets prescribed by Dr. Paton were in the- house and- mv husband knew they were there. Other medicine] tablets were in the house anu some sample bottles." Deteetive Alty: Who gave them to vou? ' 1 ' Witness: Is it necessary to answer that? ■ . The.CQronei" ■. AmA\-er the question, please. Mrs Parish: Hughes gave me some of them. Witness said' the Freneh windows in the sunroom were closed.,She did not know whether they were bolted but thought they must have been. She thought the blinds were fully drawn. The heater was on when she left. Alrs Pansh said she went to bed and fell asleep. She woke up later and thought she eoulcl smell smoke. Tlie kitchen was full of smoke, so she opened the door to the porch. Smoke was pouring under the sunroom door. She tried to open the sunroom and called for help. "The handle was very hot, but I tried to open it several times,'"' said witne.-s. 'i might have managed to tuni it but ch,smoke was so thiclc and it was so hot. I realised something dreadful had hap pened and eould hearing a roaring noise inside the room. I opened the outside door and rushed to see if I could see in the windows. I could not so I rushed to ring the fire brigade as I know there was nothing I could do. Deteetive Alty: ' Did you try the Freneh windows? Mrs Parish: I never thought of it. They would have been too hot. Witness sai,d she had known her husband was insured but had had no idea of the amounts. He had apparently been insured for several thuusaud pounds. She knew that sne was tne sole beneflcianry under her husband 's wili. Her husband had given no indicatiou that he contemplated taking his life. She had no idea how the fire started. Her husband rarely smoked in bed. • To Mr Lascelles, Mrs Parish said that about 8 p.m. she-had joined her husband in the sunroom, remaining with him until 8.45 p.m. She had on oeeasions taken nembutal capsules. She did not think there was any danger of the children getting at them in the sewing machine drawer. What The Fireman Saw Evidence of having received a call at, 11.15 p.m. in the watchhouse at the. Central Fire Station from a woman who had said her house was 011 fire and that her husband was in it was given by Fireman-Driver Leonard'Sydney Corner. He sent a call to the St. Albans' brigade. Charles Henry Robinson, station offieer at St. Albans fire station, said that when the brigade' reached Parish 's house no fire could be seen but a woman was standing on the verandah. This woman told him there was a fire in the sunroom and that her husband was trapped. Robinson said he decided U> enter the sunroom by the outside door. He had no difficulty in opening the door, nor did he have to unlock it. He eould see the room was full of smoke with a dull red glow in the corner. He could not see any flame but there was a glare with a' fiaine 'in it. A first-aid hose was .brought into use. Robinson found a hole about 2 foot 6 inches in dianieter burned in the flooring under the bed. He considered tliat this wa.where the fire had originated. He was not able to say what caused the fire. , Htation Officer Robinson returned to the house on the morning of April 26 with Superintendent Morrison and Sfcrgeant Jones and they examined thej

room to see if they could establish the cause of „the fire, but were unsuccessful.' Alexander Morrison, superintendent of the Christchurch Fire Brigade, said he examined the sunroom but was unable to establish the cause of the fire, He felt eertain that if Parish had beeii awake he eould have got out quite easily. Fle did not think the heater prodpced had anythipg to do with the fire. © To Mr. Lascelles: The fire was in an unusual position and the burning agency was on top of the fioor. . The degree of burning showed an i-ntensity of concentration and tlie burning was of coiisiderable duration. . He ruled' out a eigarette as being the cause of the fire. There was nothing t5 indirj cate it was electrieal in origin, and,he, ruled out the overturned heater asbeing the cause. If the heater was -pn and lying face down it could start a fire, but not to the extent of this. one. In his view something with intense burning eapacity must have rested on the earpet under the bed. More About The Tablets Mauriee Marshall Cooksbn, South, Island representative for. Abbott Laboratories Ltd., said he lcnew qMra., Parish and George Hughes, the iatter being . his brotlier-in-law. He" and Hughes were members of a Christ- . eliurch club and witness frequently left' his bag containing drug samples at,;the club in the eare of a steward. Some davs after Parish 's ■ death he l'eafned that some sleeping tablets had been removed from the bag.' He impiediately got in toucli with' Hughes and" asked if he had removed ' bottles ■ of nembutal tablets from. the bag. Hughes admitted doing so. He had taken four bottles, eaeh contai-ning - five Capsules, Hughes had no authority to do so. George Hughes, tailor, said he had been on friendlv terms with both Mr. and Mrs. Parish. On April 25 he played golf with Mrs. Parish and Fuller at Waitikiri, returning to the city about 5.30. Witness knew Parish was returning that day. On previous rtceasions when playing golf with Mr's. Parish she had mentoined she was troubled with insomnia and he said he. thought he could get her nembutal. Later he gave her four sample bottles of nembutal capsules, but not all at once. He had never given " nembutal or any other drugs to Parish. Claude Wilford Barrow, company director, said he had been a businees assoeiate of Parish. He said he did not think Parish was likely to take his own life. He had no financial worries, he was onlv a medium smoker and witness had never known him co smoke in bed. Mr. D. T. Stewart, assiStant pathologist at the publie hospital, said that in his opinion Parish died as a result of asphxia from carbon monoxide poisoning due to the inhalation of smoke. Reading his commentarv on the result of his post mortem examination, wifiness said the indications were that Parish was alive when the fire started. It was probable he was deeply . unconseious before he was actually burned and dead before severe burns developed. Carbon monoxide by replaeing.oxygen in tlie blood caused ap insidious loss of consciousness, and the victim might be.in a state of paralysis or coma before he realised his danger It seemed surprising that Parish was not wakened by the smell of smoke, but it might be noted there had been a long car drive, a meal, eonsumption- of alcohol and ■ one of the barbiturate drugs had been taken. It • was probable Parish slept heavily and before he could be awakened by the sntell of smoke or burning he was overwhelmed by carbon monoxide poisoning. ■ Tlie aniount of alcohol in the urine was consistent with the eonsumption of two to three. large whiskies. Norman Patrick Alcorn, GovernmeAt analyst, said there xvere traces- of barbiturate in the stoinach cdntehts and tests showed it as being consisteiit with nembutal. It was impossible i;o make any deduction of how much nembutal had been taken. • To Mr. Lascelles, witness said that in his experience he had eome across two cases where 20 grains of nembutal liad proved fatal. Detective-Sergeant R. S. Smith said he had interviewed all the witnessefe and made intensive inquiries in.connection/with the death of Parish, lmtno evidence had been obtained which would definitely establish the cause of the fire in the sunrdom. On the last occasion he interviewed Mrs. Parish she handed him at his request two sample bottles containing a total of six nembutal tablets. This matter was the subject of a separate poliee file.