A DEATH ON A TRAIN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 677, 30 November 1909, Page 3

A DEATH ON A TRAIN.

.., SUICIDE MOT PROVED. ■,' DEATH' PROBABIVf DUE TO SYNCOPE. The adjourned inquest regarding.the death of Thomas Joseph if , Carthy, who died in a train on the Hutt railway lino on Monday.of last week, after susta'ning an accident in stepping off a railway car, was resumed yesterday morning. ■. ■ ■ . . ./. '■■ Sub-1 nspector A'oi-wood conducted the proceedings for tlio police, and Mr. P. J. O'Regan for the rcjatives of the. deceased. - Strychnine in the .Stomach. '. James Scott Maclourin, Government Analyst, stated' that he made-an examination of thecontend of the stomach, and found a considerable amount of strychnine, sufficient to have caused death, ' ..--...- To Mr. O'Eegan: There was more than' half a gram of - strychnine. Half a grain was enoiign to cause death. The stomach was pracncaliy empty, but for the strychnine.' There was no nppearanop. of tannic acid in the stomach, but, having discovered tho strychnl"c > ''°,<li<l not test for any other poison. . Constable M'Kelvcy, of Clyde , Quay, gave , . Tho Widow's Evidence. ' . Jessie Olive M'Carthy, widow of the deceased, said he was about 60 years of age, and that sinco .last June they had resided at Masterton, but her husband was more often in Wellington that in Masterton. He had a good (leal of business in the-city. When he left Masterton on the day of his 'death,-he was very unwell rin fact, quite ill. Sho suggested that lie. should postpone tho journey until next day, but he replied that he had to get l hi to .- town - Hi--had been iniridifforent health for years; unci had frequently complained of pains in the stomach and heart. iie> seemed to havo these pains on the day of his. death. Ho frequently had fainting fits. He used to take tabloids, but sho did not know where ho got them. Sho had some of them at-home. The Inst lot-ho had wort' different from what ho had before. About threo weeks ago ho had a very-serious attack of illness in tlie night. His Ksual manner was'very pleasant, and he, bad n , lively disposition. ' She had seen no indication:of an intention to commi j suicide. Before he left for Wcnington tho S!L, T- c - be p , nT ° Hl ° , two men-on the. farm instructions what to do, and told them to avo certain work done time he got back. . He ate a better lunc\: than usual, on that dny, and , left > immediately . afterwards. tab oids after a meal. He told, her he would be Another Adjournment. ]';'"■'.'■'. At Atr. O'Rcgan's , request,' tho inquest was aWiied until .the afternoon. ■ When the innuiry was resumed'-V '■""..■".' James_ Scott Ifaclaurin. , recalled, 'said. Hint certain beans (found on tho body of deceased) were ordinary horjo beans, and contained :'n6 strychnine. ~ ■ ••■■;-.•■■-.,-i. ,, ... ■...-,.■«.,....,.. h} M ,' Carl . l 'y ; recalled;; said- that 'her "husband had a bad. heart attack in the night, about a fortmsht Thpuoiso of his heart fSnt ng ' 6 complained, of feeling i • :■; No Symptoms' of Strychnine Poisoning. Br. Robert J.Boyd 'wa'sXoalled Hy"Mr. Ullegan. He said the sympi as of strychnine poisoning depended oii'the:quantity" taken and the condition of tho stomach; .In the caso of a mil stomach, tho symptoms would bo delayed,' ?™?i ii ° , Btomacl > ) v <?ro «mpty the symptoms would develop rapidly: Ho" would infer from the previons evidence:,that the stomach was empty. The farst symptom in tho case of a small close of strychnine' would bo constriction of the throat or n sense'"o"f"suffocation, with ligntnmg-liko pains.shooting through the body nn <l muscular twitchi'ngs, espcbiallv a- jerking of tho head and Jimbs., .With a "larger, dose, say, half a grain, the.twitching would rapidly .pass into tetanic convulsions. The face would I havo the:appearance of great anxiety, and risus i Jardonicus would follows with dilated pupils ■and discoloration of the face,-. The body would assume an :arched form/ with'the head "and teet drawn hack.. The muscular: spasnv- would probably relax, and. recur, .and..the ,'pat Tent lvomd.die, either suffocated or exhausted'.-. TJio evidence of previous witnesses did'.not discloseany symptoms of Strycji--mno was very frequently taken for medicinal" purposes, especially for heart'trouble'; Having. regard to the medicaland other evidence, ho thought -deceased probably died from , syncope,; arising from disease'of- , the : heart and a"rtorfes, : hud haetencd-'by tho 'accident; :-Tho ; presence of the strychnine in the stomach'might bo accounted for by , the medicine deceased h'ad been taking. -;: ' < , .■■ - ■•■- ; .- ■ .

'-, To Snb-Irispcotor Norwood: , Convulsions' would always be present in poisoning by strychnine, and there would' be a rigiduess of the body shortly after death...' •.•.,•■ To Mr.'O Began: Bigor. mortis came suddenly after death by strychnine, . and • also after death by accident! It had been by Dr. Fyffe, who conducted a post-mortem; that tho brain was normal,, but it would 'not bo so in i case of death from poisoning. The presence of \half a grain of strychnine- in'.'the stomach could not be accounted for 'through the tailing of strychnino in : medicinal quantities. ■■■■:.•■• ... .■•: . ...... Dr. Fyffe- Recalled. '. ■ "••:. The Magistrate remarked that Dr. Fyffo had said—before the'.strychnine' had-been discovered —that death could be attributed to shock. He would like to know.what':Dr. Fyile would say' after.knowing.-that'strychnine bad-been found. , Dr. I'yife; Recalled, said that, at'the, postmortem lie had inferred that there might bo poison in the stomach (1) from the presence of potechine'in the mucous membrane'' of /the stomach, tvnd. (2). from the very early onset of. rigor mortis. . ' / ' ' :'. To Hγ. O'Began: ■ Strychnino poisoning was usually followed by inflammation, of the large intestine. Arching, of. the. body ;and',risus sardonicus wore symptoms of strychnine poisoning,, aud were not present when ' he., saw tho deceased, Itigor mortis came on. quickly after sudden and violent death's, such ns death' by shooting or hanging. Strychnine was often taken for heart disease. He found what was' practically an .aneurism. Convulsions' were 'to •be expected after taking a large dose of strychnine, unless a man took enough to kill. him immediately. The convulsions would come on less than half an hour after taking thopoison. Excluding poison; there, was sufficient.evidenco for tho'.causo of death, as.-stated by witness before. Deceased might ■ have taken■' an overhoso of strychnine.. , ■-. .■.■■■ ; . ..-. -■]. The Verdict. ,-'.;:;.■■■'.•. ' The Magistrate said that the principle on which ho would be guided in giving his verdict was that it was a very, serious thing: indeed, unless one was absolutely certain about tho result having taken place from: tho causo assigned, to.. say that, any' man. took his own life -intentionally. . In regard to .the, letter written by deceased, thab'might. have been written when, he was in trouble, aud ho might have even gone further and said .ho .would tako.his own life, but ho might havo repented of that decision, cither through contemplat,ing the borriblo naturo of tho thing , ho was going to do, or merely through being afraid. Iho presence of a large dose of strychnine in tlie stomach would result in an early onset of rigor .mortis, but this might havo taken place owing to other causes, of sudden death. Hβ was not prepared to say, without any doubt or I hesitation, that the deceased took his own I life: He thought, from the evidence of Dr Fyiio and Dr. Bpyd, that the bodily 'organs of deceased, especially the heart and left lung, were in such a condition that any sudden shock, such .as he received in falling off the train, v would p very likely bring about his death How deceased'came by/tho strychnine, he would not pretend to say, as tho cvidengo did not show this; The verdict was that he came to his death probably- from syncope, arising from the diseased, condition of the body, ami accelerated by the accident which he sustained in stepping off a train on-the wrong side and slippingfrom fchn top step to the second, and falling "I'would'not take "it-upon myself," concluded; the-coronerc." to sayon tho evidenco without any doubt that he committed suicide.. I leave suicide out of the question'■"■'