The Captain's Story

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 104, 27 January 1919, Page 6

The Captain's Story

.--' . Arthur-Eustr.ee Barlow, master of the Moana, stated that the late Dr. Grimm . . vwas 58 years of age. and was on.his. third -•Atrip.wlten he met hie ..death.: He'-was a ■'■ fcsingle 'man, -strictly.temperate, and of a ; ' ~--genial- disposition. : Witness ..did .not. •think that'-Or. Grimm and Miss Isbister ■• vhad met" before.. On , January 3 the ' second-class steward came on to the bridge ■■■/'■': ind informed witness that the doctor C'-'' , ' arid a lady passenger.were lying on the. .saloon- deck in a serious condition. This was about noon. Witness thought, that - Dr. Grimm knew less of Miss Isbister than, of other passengers on the ship. ' ■ .'-. When witness went , to the saloon deck .he saw that an emetic was being ad-, '''■■'■■ ministered ,to Dr. Grimm . and Miss ■ Isbister," nnd it was , ' evident that they ".'"> were having difficulty in swallowing the , mixture. The patients were in-a pre- . - ' carious condition, and he asked Dr. V Thomas, a surgeon dentist;'to look after . '*.-. them." witness requested I" three passengers to. accompany him to '.- ■■'?'■' the bar to .see if it could be ascertained what had. caused the patients to collapse. Two long glasses containing lemon squash' • were found, but very little of'.the con- . ■ tents had been drunk. ..Witness smelt ■■'•' one of the glasses, and--defected a foreign ; odour, i. The 1 glasses, some lemons, and : '■'■ the sugar , which was in the bar were tlien locked-up. ' Dr. Grimm's cabin was examined, but nothing was found therein .-- ; which would indicate what had caused "■ : death.... Tho same procedure was adopted . ... in regard to Isbister's cabin, and ,:'■■-■> nothing out of-the ordinary was found :•'. there. Witness did! 'not"smell either of '■''• two'soda-water bottles ivhich-were found , in the bar. When the Moana -arrived '■:•: . at: Papeete, witness had an analysis made .;,.-.-of the contents of. a bottle into which ; Veome of the lemon squash mixture had -. ..-. ; -:.bcen : poured..- He-asked the Health.offi- ...;' cer-at Papeete to havo the./'analysis made. In his room he opened one of ■ the bottles, in tbe. presence of the Health .■;; officer, who smult. it and.immediately nut ■', '■■'■ "his handkerchief to his nose, saying that it contained enough urussic acid to kill ■-.' a dozen people. The result of the .■'■.' : . . analysis showed that the drinks contnin- ! Ed cyanide of potassium or pmssic acid. Only one- bottle of;'soda-water had been -.'. used in the preparotion,.pf the drinks. '..■". TFpon arrival in. Wellington, the two bottles containing the mixture of lemon drink, the jar of sugar found in .the bar,' and two soda-water bottles were handed : :-; over to th; Dominion Analyst. . Witness ' • tidded that oxalic acid was kept,- on the ■■'•;' Eliipin: the form-of crystals; . It was ''_'".■- used for scrubbing decks-and cleaning .'■ ■"-. brass "woi-k; , nnd was kept' .in' , , the, saloon bar; The acid was issued by the second Y steward, and it was possible that some-. 6 times small quantities got out of hifi care. ■'rl-A'ismall bottle cbhtaining , some had been .. :'■ found in the , port, This' hnd ■'■.'■ probably been left there _by some-of the .''■'.'..-; stewards who hod been using .it for cleon- . ■'.'. ing. No prussic ncid was used on the :'"..■ ebip,". ■," :':- •;.'"■''■ : ■" v \ . " "'.■■■Mγ. "Levi: /Did yon exaniine the doc- . ;.-. tor's pockets?—" The chief officer search- "■ ed his clothes and probably went through '■..-■ his pockets." " ' '•»"■".' ~'•' • : :Mr. .Tackspn: Was ,Mi«s Tsbister of a cheerful disposition?—"Tes.''^'. , ■'■ - ■■■.-Mr.-Macassey stated that fho drinks /''[■ in the glasses and the bottles had been r; handed the Dominion Analyst, • his . report-had not yet.come to ■ ; hand. ... : -'. Mi'. Jackson.said.he was obtaining from : ! JtessM. Kenipthorne,'Prosser, and Co. a ■ list of all the medicines placed on board ;' the Moana. .. ■:■-,: . ■.' ■ . ■ .. '.:.■.-. " Arthur Henry chief officer of the Moana, stated that he. assisted in , _.. .practising artificial respiration upon Miss ■ "■ Isbister. '.'While'doing, so ho heard a i eklqoii' passenger remark: "What do you }'■'.' ".■ ■ think these people have.been drinking?" i A;steward -named lyes observed: "Hβ put [■'.■"■ oxalic' acid : in. the drinks instead of I.''.. '■ sugar/' Ives also eaid that oxalic acid \■, . was kept in the bar alongside the sugar. J Witness.', examined the doctor's pockets, I '-.-but found nothing which'would cause the !. !■ deaths of the two persons. Nothing ! A'rßtispiciotiK'lwos -found' in< the. doctor's '' "cabin-pith'er; and everything was inoorr r ! . der. Witness failed to find any pruesio I . acid-in the dispensary. No prussic acid i was shipped in the cargo. t . .Charles Simpsoni ..acting-head saloon ■ '.':..■' waiter on the Moana,' stated that in rej .'..- eponse to instructions from Steward Nay- ! .'■': lpr he took, two, lemon .squashes, with i •;.- straws'in them;, to , the saloon,'arid.liana- I '■ ed them to Dr. Grimm. A few minutes ■ later he heard a suppressed groan from ■ '.-Miss: Isbistor, and oir turning round he ; ".saw'that she was changing colour. , . Dr. ,' -' Grimm had his | arm at her back '. .-. 'porting'her, but he- withdrew it, ami ;. .J] .placed-., his. glass in a rack on the : \ 7 :tablo .bpsido him, remarking at : : the: same time: "Yes, there is somc- ' thing wrong with this," "There is some- ' • thing peculiar," or words to that eifect. ] . " With that the doctor put his hand to his I. --"stomach-and staggered towards his room.. ! '? -Witness observed that Miss Isbister had : •■.■'.'' A assumed an: unnatural colour, but think- ' , ing thnt-she had merely swooned owing 1. "'V to the heat, he smacked her hands in , order to bring her round. Ho then- • summoned Bolshaw, the second steward, . who asked: "Where is the doctor?" Witi: ness replied: "lie, too, is sick, , and has J gone to his cabin." Belshaw then ro- !.- marked, "My God! I have poisoned two , ; '■■■~ people with oxalic acid in mistake for j' limejuice." Emetics were at once pre- !.' " ■ pared, and administered to.Mies Isbister ; - ■ and Dr. Grimm: ' ■ 'Mr. Macassey: Are .you sure Belshaw I "made the remark?—" Absolutely certain ! and positive." l •''■ • Are yon and Belshaw on good terniß ■ : with one another? —"Absolutely; I have i found Mr. Belshaw a perfect gentleman." i Mr. Jackson-. How much-of the lemon' ;, squash had been drunk by the two • ! .people?—" Th e, glass .1 noticed ,particu- !• larly, Dr. Grimm's, had gone down not • more than one inch." ; Had Dr. Grimm taken any part in the ;■■ '.'. preparation, of the drinks?—" No." What tho Drinks Contained. : Vincent Belshaw, steward on !.' -.- thelMoana, said he had been on the ves- ' sol , a , 'little over three years.- On'Janu- • ~ -ary'3 he opened the bar about 11.30 a.m. ■ ■ : - Alxiut ten minutes later Dr. Grimm aeked I- him to , prepare two lemon squashes. Wit--1 ness replied that he»,had no lemons at the, time, but said he would send the drinks ■ along later. Dr. Grimm told him to ■ ■ send them to the saloon,. He pent Steward i Ives to get the lemons, and in the '■. •. 'nieantime put a Jessurt sixionful of sugar ; : •-/■■•■in each of tiro {[lasses.•' He took the sugar, out of a. jar. He nlso placed '■■■ ■ some ice in the glasses, into which he poured the contents of a bottle of soda • water , which he obtained from the" icebox. After the drinks had been prer ~pared,ihe,sent them, to the saloon," and ; aftorw'ards informed that Miss Isbis- ;■ ter had taken ill, Ho went to the saloon ! to render assistance, aiid asked where ; ■' Dr. Grimm was, and Simpson replied, that \ . - the doctor had gone to his room.. Witness ■ went to tho dqctor's room,' and found him • standing ovor hia wash-baein, swaying to

and fro. Witness supported him, but lie fell back ami collapsed.' Deceased did not spent.

Mr. Macassey: The sugar was afterwards sealed up?—" Yes." What soda water did you use?—" Thomson, Lewis's."

Did you smell ono of the soda water bottles, or was-.your attention drawn to it?—"No, 1 can't sny that I .remember." I

Had the block of ice been used previously ?-" Yes, for breakfast in the morning."- .

And the sugar?—" Yes, that was taken from the saloon the night before." Do you keep oxalic acid in the bar?— "Yea. I have done so."

Was there any there on this occasion? —"yes." . . ' -

Where is it kept?—"i'n a corner that is never used."

The corouer: What form is it in?--'Crystals/' .

What size are they?—" Two or three times the size of eugar crystals, as far as I can say." ■

It is not kept in liquid form?—"No, I have novel , weo it kept in liquid form liince I havo bc-?n i" the company." Mr. Marassey: Did you make the remark, "My God! I havo poisoned two people with oxalic acid :» mistake for liu!«jiii<:f>"?—"l cannot say, ljiit I would not like to deny it, because in tho excitement of the moment one is likely to say a lot of things .that mean nothing." Are you satisfied that you did not put oxalic acid in?—"Yes-,.1 am quite satisfied that [ did not." '

No cyanide of potassium is kenfc in the bar?—"l have never seen any."

Mr. Jackson: Was the, soda water fre.sh ?—"To the best of my belief it wus. It was one of six dozen. I c'id not see any difference between that pida andany other. It opened up all right, and was quite, livoly." Leonard Ernest Naylor, a steward on the Moana, deposed to seems Belshaw prepare the drinks. He said that su?ar was one. of the constituents used. Ec was positive, that it was sugar thatwos placed in the glasses. The oxalic acid was kept in a locker in a corner right away from the drinks.

To Mr. Jackson: No one but the second steward had any onportunity of interfering with the drinks. .

..At tin's stage the inquiry was adjourned until 10.30 a.m. to-day.