POISONING BY BLACK LEAF.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1926, Page 4

POISONING BY BLACK LEAF.

A TCXIARTJ CASE. THE CORONER’S REMARKS. TIMARU, Jan. 24. An inquest concerning the death of Caroline Mary Wilson was held last night before .Mr E. D. Mosley, District Coroner. Lnwrie Hall Wilson, a railway porter, husband of deceased, said he returned from work about six o’clock on Friday night and had tea with his wife and children. Deceased finished her tea first, left the table, and went into the scullery, leaving the scullery with a cup in her hand. She usually took a cup of tea or water into her room for drinking during the night. He did not. observe anything unusual in his wife’s actons. After tea witness lay down on the couch, and shortly afterwards heard his wife call for his daughter, Muriel, who, however, did not hear the call. Witness summoned the child and told her to go to her mother. The child came out of her mother’s room after about a minute bad elapsed and said that her mother was sick. W itness went to Jiis room to get some money to give to the younger child to pay an account at. the store. He looked into his wife’s room and saw her sitting on the hod vomiting. He went into the room and inquired as to what was wrong. She gave a mumbling answer which he could not understand, but ho understood her to sav “Arsenic on fruit in the dresser.’ lie saw fruit on the dresser, and there was half an apricot on the bed. There was nlsol a cup on the table near the l>ed, and as he could not smell the contents he put tbe cup to Ins lips and the contents tasted very sweet. M ituoss then rushed to the porch, where his daughter was, and asked Hie cluhi H her mother had been into any chemist’s shop during the day. He receivec a reply that she had been into Oddie s. Witness got a mixture ol salt am water. The child further said that her mother could not get what ,sh o wanted from Oddie’s. Witness then went into th© bedroom, where he louiul Ins iviie vomiting. Just prior to that witness had sent his daughter to ask Mr fcimth to ring for a doctor. Witness asked lus wife to take salt and water, but she could not speak, lie endeavoured to cret her to drink the mixture, but she was trembling violently, and most of it was upset. Sho then became limp. Mr Smith then arrived and tried artificial respiration without success, after winch Dr Ussbor came and pronounced life extinct. On Saturday afternoon witness found a red-labelled bottle o\ei tho fence in the adjoining premises. It would have been thrown over from the back door. Witness luid some rat poison in the house. For the past two years his wife had said repeatedly that she was sick of life, and since sho had lost her father she had seemed to think that there was nulling to live for. Deceased had been in von- had health for some time, suffering Dorn asthma add stomach trouble, for which she had been in hospital for a month five months ago. After a holiday at Ni'ditcaps his wife returned home «>" December 14. She bad never suggested suicide to witness, fn reply to the coroner witness .said he did not have a quarrel wth his wile. He took an occasional drink, but was seldom the worse for drink. Dr IJssher said that when he arrived Mrs Wilson was dead. There were no marks of violence. Half a spoonful of the poison produced in Court would be sufficient to cause death. Muriel Treno Wilson, daughter ol deceased, said that on Friday she accompanied her mother to town. 1 hey visited Oddie’s chemist’s shop, where tier mother could not obtain wliat she wanted. They then visited James s and the U.F.S. Dispensary, where they met the same results. They then went to Edington's, the florist’s, where hoi mother asked for something to kill insects on chrysanthemums. Mr Edgmtoli informed her that he had what she required, ami sold her a bottle similar to that produced in Court. 4 bey then went home and had tea together, alter which her mother went out into the porch Later witness found her mother sick in her bedroom. Witness sent for her father. Her mother took the carton containing tbe bottle of poison into her bedroom, and witness had not •seen it since. Herbert F.dginton said he did »<>' know deceased, but recognised the Rttie girl, lie sold the woman a carton containing a bottle ot Black Leal poison, a well-known flower spray. It was common to sell such poisons. Hide aas nothing strange about deceaseds actions when she came into the shop. ! Constable Devine gave evidence as to having been called and bis observations at the house. A verdict was returned that deceased died at her residence on January 22. as tbe result of suicide through sclladmiuistration of Black Leaf poison. The coroner added that it seemed peculiar that chemists were not permitted to sell poisons unless under the re- | i/ulntions of tbe Poisons Act. whereas I florists and other merchants wore at liberty to do so without any restrictions whatever.'