Inquest.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 4 September 1914, Page 2

Inquest.

The adjourned inquest on the body of James Walker Brown was resumed or. Tuesday, by the Coroner, Mr E. Rawson, S.M. Constable Ingram, re-called, stated that he had ktiown the note found in the writing pad to Mr Elliot who had compared the signature with that on an agreement in his possesion, and signed by the deceased. On the day of Brown’s death one of his (deceased’s), daughters handed him an empty tumbler, and also another tumbler with some liquid in it. The documents referred to had been sent to the coroner by registered post. James Eiiiot deposed that he had seen the note hearing the signature of the deceased, and had at the request of Constable Ingram compared it with that on an agreement signed by deceased in his presence. There was little to go upon. One of the signatures being in ink, and the other in pencil, the former carefully and the latter hurriedly written. The general character and style of both were almost identical, and in the formation of one cr two letters, and in tneir junctions were points of agreement which, however, were somewhat discounted by the variations in the capital letters and the absence of flourishes. Taking everything into consideration witness was of opinion that the note had been written by deceased. The coroner stated that the Government analyst had reported that the stomach contained three-quarters of a pint of brown fluid a'd a quantity of cyanide or potassium sufficient to account for the death; the other exhibits showed traces of the same poison, while the blood also yielded a fair quantity. After going over the evidence the coroner stated that death had undoubtedly been caused by cyanide of potassism. There was no suggestion that this poison had been other than self administered, and the verdict woulj be that “James Walker Brown died from the effects of taking cyanide of potassium when in a state of mental depression.”