STRANGE POISONING CASE.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 February 1918, Page 4

STRANGE POISONING CASE.

LITTLE GIRL'S SAD END,

WELLINGTON February 22.

The inquest into the death of Dorothy Haseldeiij a child of nine years, who died at the Wellington Hospital on January 31st was concluded before 'Air W. G. Riddell, S.M. in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. -,

Dr. J. S. Mac-Laurin. Dominion Analyst, who made the post mortem examination, said he had found ‘radish seeds’ in tho child’s stomach. .No reference could lie found to these seeds being poisonous, but tests that had been carried out made it appear that such seeds wore poisonous. Therefore it was highly probable that they were the cause of the child’s death.

Cecil Haselden, father of tho child, said -that he had radish seeds at his House. They were kept in an outhouse where the children could have found them. After the child’s death he found the seeds lying on a bench in the outhouse, where the children evidently had upsTt them. The coroner returned a verdict in accordance with tin. medical testimony He remarked that without the analyst’s report it would kave been impossible to tell the cause of death. Although radish seeds were generally con siderecl harmless ,now it had been shown that they were poisonous.