“POISON, I THINK”

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1930, Page 2

“POISON, I THINK”

DEATH OF AIR JOHN ASHTON

INQUEST OPENED

WELLINGTON, April 21

Immediately before his death. Air John Ashton, of Dunedin, who collapsed at the conference of the Spiritualist Church on Good Friday, wrote Hie words, “Poison, I think,” on an envelope. 1

The inquest opened to-day and was adjourned sine die, after the C° roli er, Mr T. 13. M’Neil.l, S.M. had indicated that he believed from the doctor’s verbal report that death was due to hea: failure. A post mortem is bein held.

Senior-Sergeant Butler represente the police at the inquest. Evidence was given by Thomas As! ton, of Dunedin, a brother of the dea man. Deceased was a waterside wor er, aged fifty-one years, and had ser ed in the South African War. Froan intimate knowledge of his bro-thr witness had no hesitation in savim that death was probably due to nature causes.

Robert Nicholas Ridd said that h< left. Dunedin m company with the lat< Mr Ashton oti Wednesday last. Bot: ivere attending the coploreme then and they stayed at, the Bristol Privai, Hotel. The session opened ,oti Frida, morning at 10, o’clock,, and,Mr As) ton gave an address in the course «. t)ie ' mornulg.' "Tlit* first' indication' , liiness occurred when' Mr Asliion ‘pas ed an envelope across the table to wii ness with the words,'“Poison, I think ' written on the hack. Mr Ashton asl ed penni's'BidiV to retire from ‘the roc, and died in the .yard of the Te A.< Hotel, ' directly 'afterwards'. Witnev had known tile dead'lriaii for 'ten year l during which time he had been in noi null health. ' As far as Air Bidd kmr Mr Ashton neither took anything no did any thing that might have’cause, liis death.

Mr M’Noil said that tin.' doctor win had attended Mr Ashon in Dunedii had been unable to give a death cerli ficate, although he had inclined tt the belief that death must have oc ciirred from heart failure. On tfii: amount and on ilccoiiut' of the"envelope' which had been passed across the table 1 , Air 'Al’Neil had ordered' a' postmortem examination to he made, iron the doctor's verbal report Mr Al’Nei was satisfied that death was due ‘ t<* heart failure, a had condition of arterial sclerosis having been made apparent in the course of* the autopsy. Hii yordiet' would be in ' accordance wltl the doctor's'ovidefied” " " !

| The inquest ’was hdjoiinied sine di< and will be concluded when ill A doetoi furnishes a fonfia] report of the post mortem ‘examination.

cident, was that several cars stopped and the occupants stoftd on the ban]but were unable to hear Simpson’s cries, apparently owing to the fad that they had left their engines running,

Simpson and Banks left Tawa Flat at 1.30 o’clock on. Sunday afternoon, reaching Shannon at 6.20 p.m. AVhei approaching a bend, the driver uva: dazzled by the lights of an approaching car and .slowed'down. He applied tlie brakes, , but .went; too -,far off the road, which is % narrow at this spot) Banks .never spoke, his .neck , being broken. He was a single man,: .thir-ty-four years of nge.-;-He was a recent arrival .from England..