FOUR CHILDREN POISONED BY ARSENICAL PAPER HANGINGS.

New Zealander, Volume XVIII, Issue 1718, 27 August 1862, Page 6

FOUR CHILDREN POISONED BY ARSENICAL PAPER HANGINGS.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. John Humphrey * coroner for the county of Middlesex, received tion relative to the deaths of four children died from the effects of arsenic, under the most ordinary lt appears that thZ& children resided with their parents at Tomlin's ten*® Salmon’s-lane, Commercial-road, Limehonse father (Richard Tomer), who is a layer, occupied a small tenement, with his wife j four children, at the place above-named. Thaw! was well drained, and the family were in S* health until about six weeks since,'when orwnfT younger children was found to be unwell A Z® 6 of the district was called in, and the child was under his care. He at first could not account Iff prostration of the little sufferer, and he deceased to be suffering from diphtheria, fromyffi the child died, and death was registered accordi-Ti A few days afterwards, another child was seized *- similar symptoms, and the same gentleman nrwJiS for it. This child also died, and death tSsSH in the same manner, for which the usual ceitiiW. given. A third child also fell a victim totKj! complaint within a few weeks ; and on Satonif w Ann Amelia Turner, aged three years, also erZ The features of the four cases were all of one charS and some alarm sprung np in the neighbourhood* £ fearful morality in the family, and on Saturday mm ing last the attention of Dr. Orton, the medical oZ of health, was called to the serious character of theT and he was directed by the Board of Works for LbT house to make an inspection of the house were the fiT children had died. Dr. Orton, who is one of the Z experienced officers in the cast end of London repaid to the place, and found the house in capital conk™ well drained, and ventilated. He could not find local cause for the deaths of the four children sanitary measure, but he subsequently went to the room where the four children had slept, and then k found that the walls of the appartment had be« papered with a green coloured paper. He the walls and found that large pieces of the paper had been torn off by the children while in bed. They had played with portions, and licked the green coloin off the surface. He had tested the substance, which was easily removed by the slightest moisture, and discovered by experiments that the paper contained immense quantities of arsenic, which, he believed, had been the cause of the four children’s death- ’

The inquest on the body of Ann Amelia Tomer was opened on Tuesday evening. The parens and grandmother of the deceased children were examined, as well as Dr. Orton, who said he had not had time to complete the necessary examination of the bodies. He, however, had no hesitation in saying that the whole of the children had died from arsenic. The coroner said he should adjourn the inquiry for a few days to allow Dr. Letheby to make an analysis of the contents of the stomach of the child. The inquiry was of great public importance, and the portions of paper in the possession of Dr. Orton would also be sent to the fame gentleman to trace the quantity of arsenic it contained. The inqnest was then adjourned to the 30th inst.York Herald.