POISON SENSATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 September 1924, Page 4

POISON SENSATION.

INOUK.ST RROCKKDIXGS. CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 17. An inquest concerning tlio death of Ml’red John Walker, who died at the ( In isteliuri h lies] ital on Monday morning from the effects of having swallowed a mouthful of poison, was held at the Courthouse yesterday afternoon. .Mr 11. V. Widduwson. District Coroner, residing.

•losepli Round. hotelkee, or. lleathrote Valiev, said lie had identified the body of de< eas 'd at the morgue. Ho had known deceased for about four years, lie would he about forty-four vea:s of age. Witness and deceased

talae over Irota the ( hathaui Islands at the beginning of August. Deceased he I keen working at l’itt Tsland. and he lame over to go into hospital to have a had leg attended to. On September !) deceased, who was stayin'! at witness's hotel, went for a walk to the bowling green. About -I o’i lock witness learned that deceased had swallowed smile poison. Deceased was brought to the bet: I. \\ itness iang up for the ambulance and brought him into the hospital, arriving there soon after 3 p.m. Deceased was in a eullaj'sed condition and was bleeding Ire-dv from the mouth. Deceased had a wi'e in Timatii. Witness made arrangements for the hurial. To Chief-Detective Gibson : Deceased was perfectly sober when he left the In tel. He would not drink on account of preparing for an operation to his leg. Charles 11. Cm.ld. medical practitioner. said he saw de eased on the evening of his admission at the lir.spital. lie had he 01 attended to before witness saw him. which was within half an hour of admission. Deceased was in a collapsed state. blanched, vomiting Mood and obviously lie had taken some corrosive poison. He was Heated for the prison with appropriate antidotes. Km in the beginning deceased's condition was grave. 11 is pule was a little better the scentl day. but owing to gangrene setting in he gradually became worse. Witness saw deceased twice daily. Towards the end he sank rapidly, and died at 0.3 d on .Monday meaning. 'I lie cause oT death was toxic absorption from the destruction of the tissues lining the oesophagus, the destruction being caused by sonic corrosive poison, lie knew the poisen contained perehlolide ol me- - hydro-chloric acid and arsenic. Auv one of these poisons would have been siillieient to cause death. To the Chief-Detective: One gulp of the poison would ho enough to cause death.

To the Coroner: De: eased laid told him lie thought the bott’e contained

“.shandy” and the impression witness got was that de: ase:l thought some kind r.f pra tieal joke had been played in him.

Francis (I. Ward, home surgeon at the Christrhimh Hospital, said deceased was admitted about •>.:!!) on September !>. Witness err: ehorated the evidenr.? of Dr. Gould as to deceased's : nutrition.

Detective-Feegeaul D. Cmiioly said lie saw deceased at the llos| ital at 1(1 p.m.. on the nicht of h:.s admission. In (oinpany with Chief-Dete live Gibson witness interviewed diseased, who said "They gave me a drink and then laughed at me. I do net blame anyone for it." It was very dillleiilt lor deceased to speak, an I it was hard to understand what be .'aid. On the fellow in.g day deceased could not speak. About 10.30 on the morning of September 111 witness went I > the hospital and dec eased appeared li be gel line; better. Wit I'.c-s took a .statement from I’.veacc:! ill \v 11 i'll be said llial ill colli; any with .lin k Mergau and another man be »rM ti the 1 leatli; ole : .vlie.e erven bet ween I and 2 p.m. Mr S’:■wey joinrl them biter. They ie! c' a.-- - and liui lie I I"•! ■' " n I and •> p.m. tin ft fliruiu -. I I the led la I: Mo|e;m asl.c l him il li ■ would Id"' a ‘ ..b imix ." Ile t o ■■■l ir; h"d “1 c; ." and l lien walked <n i r :■ r<l |i' king up 1 lie hot lie '.'allowed a lea liael bin’s. Newey called out to him licit the h..ttle e.mtaiiied i ncsou. Dec c:i.s\'d lelt a burning seu-.itb.m in Ins inside, ami al o suli'ered gnat pains. De eased said he would not have picked up the buttle had lie known it did not lontaio bear, lie did not notice tVc | oisun label on it. He did not blame hi: mates for what had happened. They

gave him some me.slaid and water to make him vomit, and then conveyed Him tsi tlm hospital. Tin's statement, which witness prodtr.ed, was signed by deceased. John Robe;) Morgan, waterworks engineer for the Ileatlncite County Coimeil, said lie had met :!e eased casually a few time's. Witness said they finished work on the green some time after lour o'clock. Deceased suggested a

drink when they all arrived at the shed Deceased was fVrl’e tly .sober. Tin Imttle Produced was standing on ;

I:; lu ll iii I!it* shod. Tho contents o t!:• • bottle were used Ini' tlio purpose n killing tho grass grubs. ||o 'id lot hnii.v tin* in*4:***lii-iits :if tho .unfolds Deceased picked up tho hntllo si ml snid “What's thiit?" Witness replied tluil it M ils II ] cisilll III!' till* gl'ilSS »l'l hs lloooi'si'd mis in ;i jocular mo, id nil tin afternoon. 110 pulled tho im l; mil nl tho I itlle. put it f*> Ids lips mid snid. “Hole's ;i /iii!’’ Xoivov snid. “Fm

(loti’s snlio don't tmioh t lint !" Deceased only hold tho liottlo u|i for n second or I'.vn nlid omild not Inivo MVii.ilmvod niiioli. In fact. witness did not think ho linil swallowed miy nt nil till ho sow him dmihlo up with pnin. An oiiiotio of mustard mid water was prooui'oil from a neighbour's. This nui'.lo decease! roiiiit. Do ousod was loiii'ivod to the hotel in u motor lorry and llion to tho hospital in an ainlm-

Iniioo. To the f’hiiT-l lotool ire : Not liiiu; was said aluuit “shandy." To tho C.ii oiier: Tho word was not uso'l in witness's | nt-.mi o. Deceased's statement that witness had asked him to hard a '‘.shandy” was not correct. There was no practical joke in (oinieotion with tho affair. Witness had no idea deceased was going to put the hottle to his month, otherwise they Would lime stopped him. Deceased had been joking all day. and had apparently gone a little too tar. Deceased knew there was no heer on the premises, as none ot them left tlio preen during tho afternoon. William Watkins, labourer. Heathrote. pave corroborative evidence. 'l'o the C'liigf-Deteetive: Morgan told deceased what the bottle contained before lie touched it. Walter Xowey. cycle mechanic. Ifeatlicote. pave corroborative evidone. Constable Dosworth. Wnolstmi, said that at f> p.m. on September nth. he went to Tloatlieote. where lie was shown the hottle produced by Morpait. Tie took possession of it. The bottle was marked ‘•lY.ison’’ in three places. At this stupe the inquest was adjourned till to-day to obtain the evidence of Mr White-Parsons, chemist Lyttelton, who made up the poison.