Coroner's Inquiry

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8101, 30 May 1906, Page 5

Coroner's Inquiry

The Late Mr (Jhas. Hosking. r 11 wit The adjourned inquiry into tlie circumstances surrounding tlie death, of the late Charles Hosking, senr., was resumed at the Courthouse this morning before Captain Mowlem, coroner. The jury was as follows: — D. Sinclair (foreman), S. Clare. F. Garner, T. Wood. A. Levy, and C. Brown. Sergeant Stagpoole represented the police. Mr Innes appeared for the relatives of deceased and Mr Guy for the North Is3a.nd Bacon Company. Louisa South, married, of Bulls, said deceased was her father and resided at Palmerston North. On May sth, a Saturday, she was stopping with her parents at Ferguson-street. On that day she purchased half a pound of pressed tongue and a like amount of pressed pork from the pork shop next to his Lordship's Larder in the Square just before noon. She took her purchases home to her father's place and had some for lunch at about one o'clock. Seven sat down to lunch but only six partook of the pressed tongue and pork. Deceased and his wife were among those who ate some of the meat. Mr and Mrs Arthur Hosking, Mr H. Tremewm and witness also partook. She soon afterwards went home to Bulls and about 5 p.m. the following day felt terrible pains and had to go to bed. Thinking she had "la grippe" she did, not send for a doctor. Afterwards she was informed that Mrs A. Hosking was also ill. About 8 o'clock on Monday evening Dr Greig came out to see her. He prescribed certain medicine. Her father and mother were taken ill that (Monday) night and also had to go to bed. They were there until Thursday, when Dr Watson, of Bulls, was called im In the meantime they took medicine that was sent from Palmerston by Dr Greig. Her father died about 2.30 o'clock on the following Saturday afternoon, the doctors being in attendance. She herself recovered after taking the medicine. The symptoms of the illness included very bad pains and sickness. To the foreman : The tongue she purchased was cut ofE while she was m the shop. Someone else had apparently had a portion of the " block " before she was served. She was treated by the doctor as a patient suffering from' poisoning. To Mr Innes: She had told her parents on the Saturday that she intended to bring something home for lunch. Annie Hosking, wife of Arthur Hosking, said that deceased and his wife lived with them in Palmerston. She remembered having lunch on Saturday May sth. There were others present, including the previous witness, whose evidence touching the meal and following incidents was corroborated. At one o'clock the following day witness and her husband and Mr and Mrs Hosking, senr, were all taken ill with vomiting. Medical advice was not obtained until Monday morning, but then Dr Greig was sent for. She was treated for poisoning. To the foreman : Witness was the first taken ill. To a juror : The doctor simply said she was poisoned. To Mr Innes : The only meat they had for tea on the Saturday was the remainder of the pressed pork and tongue. To Mr Guy : The doctor's remark as to her being poisoned followed on her telling him what they had had for dinner. Arthur Hosking, a son of deceased, corroborated the previous evidence as to lunch on Saturday, May sth. At the time he thought the meat was all right, but on Sunday morning he felt ill. Others in the house were also taken bad but at first did not think it necessary to go to a doctor. His father and mother went away to Bulls on the Monday morning to stay with Mrs South. At that time they did not feel very ill. Witness had to go to bed at about 11 o'clock on Monday morning as he could not keep about any longer. To Mr Guy : The party made a fairly hearty lunch off the meat on Saturday. Witness and his wife had the remainder for tea the same day. Deceased had always been in good health, but recently had an attack of bronchitis. He gave up active 'work in 1902. He was about 66 years of age. To Mr Innes : Deceased only partook of the meat on one occasion, that was at lunch time. The shop from which the meat was purchased belonged to the North Island Bacon Company. On previous occasions Mrs A. Hosking had dealt at the shop but no ill effects had followed then. Lillie McCara said she was staying with Mr and Mrs Gerrand on Friday, 4th May. Between 4 and 5 o'clock m the afternoon she was in town with Mrs Gerrand. The latter purchased about half a pound of pressed tongue from the N.I. Bacon Co.'s shop in the Square. The meat was consumed for tea, five in all - sitting down to the meal. There were herself and her mother, Miss Campbell and Mr and Mrs Gerrand. The following morning (Saturday) she was taken ill with sickness and pam. Others m the house were affected later in the day, the symptoms being the same. On Sunday morning Dr Greig was called m and attended witness until the following Friday. He said she had been poisoned. The only meat , they had for tea was that purchased as described. To Mr Guy—The first three days she was very ill. To the foreman —She was unable to say what sort of tongue it was, but it was cut off a "block" about 9 inches high. It appeared as though some had been cut off before. They only had tongue; no pork was purchased. John Gerrand described the evening meal he and his family had on Friday May 4tb. Pressed tongue was among the food on the table. His evidence as to the after effects agreed with that of the previous witness. He himself had to give up work altogether the following evening, and saw a doctor on Sunday morning. To the foreman—lt was about fifteen hours after eating the meat that lie became unwell. Cecil Swallow said that on Friday May 4tli, he also purchased a shilling's worth of pressed tongue at the N.I. Bacon Co.'s shop in the Square. He was served by a lady, who cut the meat from a "block" in the window. He and his father and mother and brother had the tongue for dinner the same day. On Saturday morning he and his brother were taken ill. The symptoms ' were the same as in the other cases. His mother was affected on Saturday night, and his father on Sunday morning. A doctor was not called in for a

few days, but medicine was obtained from Mr Whiteford. Thalatter treated them in the same way as in the case of the other patients. • William Hall said that on the 4th inst..he purchased some pressed tongue for tea from the N.I. Bacon Co.'s shop in the Square. He and his wife and daughter, after eating of the meat, were taken ill in the same manner as testified to by other witnesses. He was under Dr Macintire's care for about a week, and was treated for ptomaine poisoning. To a juror: He had frequently eaten tongue from the same shop without any ill effects. Eliza Matthews, married, said she kept a butcher's shop in the Square for the N.I. Bacon Company. All their supplies came from the factory at Woodviile, where her husband was employed. Meat was sent through every day except Monday and Wednesday. Amongst the goods supplied usually from the factory was pressed tongue. No pressed pork was eyer sold. The supplies were sent through when required, perhaps three or four times a week. The pressed tongue sold on Friday, May 4th, was obtained from Woodviile by the 11 o'clock train the previous day. The "block" contained about 30 pounds, and lasted for the day. No complaints had been made previously as to the quality of the meat. On the following Monday she was told that some people had become ill after eating the pressed tongue. It was then all sold out. To the coroner : As tar as she could tell the meat was all right. To Mr Innes: Neither she or her husband had.any interest in the shop; they were only servants. The " blocks " were sent through in a box or basket wrapped up in glazed paper. Siie could not say how this particular •' block " was packed. The boxes or baskets were not treated or cleaned in any way before being sent back to Woodviile. In the usual way the blocks were put at once on a marble slab iu the shop window. Only small goods were displayed in that window. She could not say whether that particular block had lasted until Saturday. No notice respecting a guarantee as to quality of goods had been removed from the window sincc the day in question. To Mr Guy: She and her husband had some of the meat from the block on Saturday and she herself on the Friday. Neither of them felt any ill effects. She sold about 37 pound's on Friday and Saturday, the average purchase being half-a-pound. This would mean about 70 purchasers of tongue. Of this number only one (a man) returned with a complaint. He said friends of his had been taken ill after eating the meat. The shop was kept properly clean by a boy. Re examined: On Friday she just tasted the tongue, but did not make a meal of it. She was not prepared to say that the block from which her husband's meal wai cut was a different one j to that from which the previous witnesses were supplied. To the foreman: The block was composed of pigs' tongue only. j To a juror: She always cut up one j block before starting on another, and trimmed the top off before selling anj to the public. 1 Harding Matthews, husband of the previous witness, said he was manager of the N.I. Bacon Co.'s shop at Palmer - ston, and in charge of the small goods department at the Woodviile factory. The goods sent through to the local shop were made up under his personal supervision. He described the methods adopted in making up pressed pigs' tongues. They were brought to him from the slaughterhouse after being cleaned and washed. Could not say how long they were kept before reaching him, as he never saw them until that was done. The " pickle" into which the tongues were put was always prepared by him (witness). Could not say anything as to the treatment of the tongues before they came to his department. The tongues were kept in the pickle for three or four days, longer if necessary. They passed then to a wooden bath, where tbey were cooked j \tfith free steam. Then they were taken out and dropped into fresh running water. The temperature of the steam in which they were cooked was about 200 degrees. After being removed from the running water tbey were skinned and prepared for putting into a tinned iron " snape." Then they were put into a press, sometimes beiog left there overnight. If the weather was at all warm they were removed after about two hours and put into the freezer. The " shape *' j held about a hundred or more pigs' tongues. Pressed tongue was not made up unless ordered from Palmerston. The tongue which had caused the late trouble was in no way different from any other lots that had passed through his hands. No pressed tongues Xvere kept in stock. The "pickle" was renewed twice a month and oftener wheri. required. If the weather was hot it had to be made oftener than otherwise. The wooden tub in which the *' pickle" was kept was scalded and thoroughly cleaned every time the liquid had to be removed. In the time he had been at Woodviile he had never known the brine to go bad. If one of the workmen put one or two stale tongues in the brine he would be able to detect it_ (Left sitting).