POISONED TEA

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1933, Page 6

POISONED TEA

i THREE MEN IN HOSPITAL. MISADVENTURE ON STATION. NAPIER, September 26. The accidental drinking of a- liquid which they thought ! to be pure water, but which really was an arsenic-solu-tion for use in the treatment of Joot rot in sheep, resulted in the ‘admission • tb the N pier Hospital at the week-end of .tHreo (young men, '’Frank. Smith, John Wilson and Max Har-ley, a,ll (residents of Haumoana. They are now progressing satisfactorily. On .'Saturday morning the young men "left Haumoana on a. fishing expedition to Ocean Beach and made Hauporf station the base of their operations. About mid-day they decided to boil a billv for lunch, and the water' used was, taken from 'one of the stat. on tanks j which, unknown to them, was used' connection with the treatment of foot- rot in sheep.

Alfthough’containing a certain amount bf y.rsenicf-the • waitertapparently'lbokeffi alj (right, for it was boiled and tea Whs made. A Her'’ drinking the tea. however, the three young men became violently, ij L.,. Their popd it ion gradually grew 'worse, bud they' were whle • tocrawl to the station to secure help. A telephone 'ihess?.ge' wais sent to Dr R. Cashmore, of 'Hastings, and he...n>ade ,a fast trip t 0 the scene, wherry he g ive medical. treatment. Later the ambulance arrived and took the men to the Napier 'Hospital. Fortunately each of the men was in excellent health hold physical condition end there is no doubt this fact helped them considerably, for they had a very close call. '> .